Cayman Islands Resilience Index (CIRI) - Ministry of Health, Environment & Sustainability
Cayman Islands Resilience Index (CIRI)
The Cayman Islands Resilience Index (CIRI) is a national decision-support tool being developed to help the Cayman Islands Government better understand, measure and strengthen resilience across the Islands.
Aligned with the Climate Change Policy 2024–2050 and the National Energy Policy 2024–2045, CIRI will support smarter planning, investment and policy decisions by assessing how projects, infrastructure and initiatives contribute to national resilience.
The tool is being designed to help Government, investors and stakeholders identify risks, prioritise resilience-building actions and track progress across key areas including the economy, infrastructure, communities and the natural environment.
You can’t strengthen what you don’t measure, and CIRI will assess resilience through six strategic focus areas identified in the Climate Change Policy:
- Robust economy
- Liveable built environment
- Healthy and resilient communities
- Resilient infrastructure networks
- Harmony with nature
- Integration and coordination
The development of CIRI is a collaborative effort involving ministries, departments, technical experts and stakeholders from across the public and private sectors. Through workshops, stakeholder engagement and technical analysis, the project is helping to build a shared understanding of resilience and how it can be embedded into decision-making across Government.
As one of the first tools of its kind in the region, CIRI aims to strengthen transparency, support access to climate finance and help ensure that future development contributes to a more sustainable and climate-resilient Cayman Islands.
The project is being delivered by the Ministry of Health, Environment and Sustainability in partnership with Expertise France and Integrated Risk Management Associates (IRMA), with support from the European Union through the Green Overseas (GO) Programme.
Why CIRI Matters
Climate change presents growing challenges for small island nations, including increased storm intensity, rising temperatures, coastal impacts and pressure on critical infrastructure and natural resources. Resilience saves lives and assets.
CIRI will help the Cayman Islands move from reactive responses toward more proactive, evidence-based resilience planning - helping decision-makers understand where projects and investments can have the greatest positive impact.
By bringing data, policy and planning together in one platform, CIRI will support more coordinated and informed decision-making across Government.
A Shared Effort
Resilience is not the responsibility of one ministry or sector alone. CIRI is being developed as a whole-of-government and whole-of-society initiative, recognising that long-term resilience depends on collaboration, shared knowledge and coordinated action.
Resources
MHES Hosts Inter-Agency Design Workshop for Resilience Index
The National Resilience project, which officially kicked-off in July 2025, is being funded by the European Union (EU) through the Green Overseas (GO) Programme and implemented by MHES in partnership with Expertise France IRMA
Government Tests New Resilience Index Tool
A new online platform designed to strengthen climate resilience planning and support evidence-based decision-making
