CARICOM Secretary-General says climate change strategy urgent

25/03/2009 10:06 am

Diane TAYLOR - MOREAU

Tags : Caraïbe , Changement climatique , Energie

Source : http://www.caribbean360.com

CASTRIES, St Lucia - The Caribbean Community's (CARICOM) Edwin Carrington is calling for the expedition of the climate change strategic plan and accompanying action plan for the region.

In remarks read by Garfield Barnwell, the CARICOM Secretariat's Director of Sustainable Development, at the second Climate Change Conference which began in St Lucia yesterday, Carrington pointed to the devastating effects of climate change on the region's capacity to foster sustainable development. He asserted that it is the most demanding challenge facing the world today, second only to the current global financial crisis.

In this context the Secretary-General told the CARICOM Climate Change Centre that their utmost priority has to be the completion of the climate change strategy as a potent weapon against the effects of that issue.

The draft Climate Change Strategic Plan developed by the Belize-based CARICOM Climate Change Centre is awaiting endorsement from the Council for Economic Trade and Development (COTED) before it is submitted to the Conference of Heads of Government for final approval in July.

Carrington also called for greater collaboration of key stakeholders in the region asserting that this was necessary to meet the challenges, negotiate effectively in the international arena and mobilise the required resources for the region's climate change programmes.

He challenged the conference to take bold steps and unite as a region to tackle "the complex and interrelated aspects of climate change".

Carrington said that if CARICOM fails to unite and act, then it would be "contributing to the persistent poverty and further erosion of the quality of life and the economic viability of the region and the world".

"Let's demonstrate the true meaning of regional integration as we walk this road together and speak with one voice," his statement concluded.

The two-day conference under the theme 'Mainstreaming Climate Change for the Sustainable Development of the Caribbean' is organised by the CARICOM Climate Change Centre to evaluate the outcomes of its flagship programme - the Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) project which will expire on March 31 2009 - and to share best practices with its wide cross-section of stakeholders and development partners.

Caricom Press Release

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CARICOM Secretary-General says climate change strategy urgent

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