Better Preparedness, Better Planning: Partnering to Improve Disaster Warning and Response Meilleure préparation, meilleure planification : S'associer pour améliorer l'alerte et les interventions en cas de catastrophe The negative and severe impacts of climate change on society are now recognized globally. The immediate impacts of climate change are uncertainty in previously well understood weather patterns and increased frequency of extreme weather events. Developing country economies worldwide, typically reliant on agriculture, are at the mercy of weather and water availability - too little water results in drought and crop failure; too much results in flooding and destruction of crops and infrastructure. Weather effects, including short-term extreme events such as cyclones, and longer-term patterns such as droughts, have a devastating effect on livelihoods and economies dependent on agriculture. Communities already facing water shortage and extreme climate, such as small island developing states (SIDS), and large-scale agricultural economies in semi-arid regions already struggling to balance energy and water demands, are most severely impacted by these conditions. The impact of climate change on the global South broadly has been a slowdown in development and an increase in vulnerability of poor households to food insecurity and poverty, further weakening their coping strategies and resilience to climate change. Through cross-sector partnerships (including South-South research partnerships), this project will strengthen the climate preparedness and resilience in Southern communities in South Asia and the Caribbean, allowing them to better prepare and plan for disaster response while maximizing their development potential. It will fund a three-day partnership development meeting that brings together the funders (IDRC, Ericsson) and the key research organizations involved in this partnership. The aims of the meeting are to: build the cross-sector relationships for the partnership which include, but are not limited to, understanding culture, interests, motivations, resources, capabilities, and capacity limitations; establishing a shared understanding of the value proposition of the partnership; and identifying early targets for partnership design which include proposal and budget development, the roles and responsibilities of the partners (research teams and funders), a work plan, and a governance structure. The negative and severe impacts of climate change on society are now recognized globally. The immediate impacts of climate change are uncertainty in previously well understood weather patterns and increased frequency of extreme weather events. Developing country economies worldwide, typically reliant on agriculture, are at the mercy of weather and water availability - too little water results in drought and crop failure; too much results in flooding and destruction of crops and infrastructure. Weather effects, including short-term extreme events such as cyclones, and longer-term patterns such as droughts, have a devastating effect on livelihoods and economies dependent on agriculture. Communities already facing water shortage and extreme climate, such as small island developing states (SIDS), and large-scale agricultural economies in semi-arid regions already struggling to balance energy and water demands, are most severely impacted by these conditions. The impact of climate change on the global South broadly has been a slowdown in development and an increase in vulnerability of poor households to food insecurity and poverty, further weakening their coping strategies and resilience to climate change.

Through cross-sector partnerships (including South-South research partnerships), this project will strengthen the climate preparedness and resilience in Southern communities in South Asia and the Caribbean, allowing them to better prepare and plan for disaster response while maximizing their development potential. It will fund a three-day partnership development meeting that brings together the funders (IDRC, Ericsson) and the key research organizations involved in this partnership. The aims of the meeting are to: build the cross-sector relationships for the partnership which include, but are not limited to, understanding culture, interests, motivations, resources, capabilities, and capacity limitations; establishing a shared understanding of the value proposition of the partnership; and identifying early targets for partnership design which include proposal and budget development, the roles and responsibilities of the partners (research teams and funders), a work plan, and a governance structure.