St Vincent Tourism Minister Hon. Carlos James has called on the OECS to develop stronger, more focused policies to champion the cause of Small Island States.
These remarks came as this country hosts the ninth meeting of the OECS Council of Ministers on Environmental Sustainability. The conference brought together representatives from across the OECS and discussed several issues from a variety of perspectives, including climate change.
Minister James said citizens from across the region continue to grapple with the vulnerabilities and shocks of Climate Change resulting in droughts and rising sea levels which affect Eco-Systems, Food Security and Sustainable Development.
James who now serves as the Chair of the Council of Ministers called for the creation of a policy framework focusing on strategic actions to minimize environmental vulnerability and improve environmental systems while at the same time accelerating climate action in negating and adapting to Climate Change impacts.
The Council Chairman, however, noted that Small Island Developing States with small budgets have allocated significant resources to deal with mitigation, adaptation loss and damage, precious resources, which he said could have been allocated elsewhere.
He said this is in contrast to many larger countries with huge budgets who do not try to reduce their emissions and in turn create climate crises for smaller states.
James called on the OECS to join in one collective voice in order to protect the region’s people and livelihoods.
