Caribbean islands share climate change adaptation plans
Senator Simon Stiell REPRESENTATIVES FROM 11 Caribbean countries and development agency partners will meet in Grenada’s capital of St George’s this week to discuss strategies to prepare for the impact of climate change.
Grenada held the final consultation for its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) on Tuesday, October 11, and will now host peers from the region to share lessons from its experience through a two-day regional workshop.
“Here in Grenada, we don’t have to look far to see the impacts of climate change. We experience them every day,” said Senator Simon Stiell, minister of state with responsibility for the environment.
“Grenada’s NAP process will help protect against the potentially devastating effects of extreme weather like Hurricane Ivan in 2004. We look forward to sharing what we have learned about national adaptation planning with others in the Caribbean community to build our countries’ resilience to climate change,” added Kevin Andall, permanent secretary with responsibility for human resource development and the environment.
The NAP process was created by the United Nations as an opportunity for countries to plan for sustainable development in the face of climate stress. The Paris Agreement calls on all countries to engage in NAP processes, with each country’s NAP driven by its unique adaptation needs.
Hosted jointly by Grenada’s Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development and the Environment; the UNDP Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP); and the NAP Global Network, the NAP assembly will see adaptation planners sharing experiences of national adaptation planning and action.
The Caribbean NAP Assembly aims to outline next steps in the NAP process for countries in the Caribbean region, and how development partners, such as USAID and the UNDP J-CCCP, can coordinate their support to help countries to advance their National Adaptation Plans.
“Climate change effects pose a serious threat to the livelihoods of many Caribbean people,” said Anne Hammill, director of the NAP Global Network secretariat.
PROTECTING COMMUNITIES
“Through robust national adaptation planning processes that consider the needs of different key sectors like agriculture, health and tourism, countries can make important strides toward protecting vulnerable communities and ecosystems,” she added.
In addition to Grenada, participating countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.
“UNDP’s commitment to addressing climate change challenges within the region is certainly seen with the advent and subsequent activities of the J-CCCP,” said Chisa Mikami, UNDP’s deputy resident representative.
“Japan is dedicated to promoting climate-resilient development approaches in the Caribbean, and has been making key investments in climate change adaptation technologies in the region,” she added.
“This workshop is a great opportunity for our colleagues to learn more about the NAP process with the added value of learning from peers. We are keen to have these shared experiences enhance efforts to advance respective NAP processes,” Mikami said further.