Creating Resilience, for the OECS Islands, against the impacts of Climate Change continues to dominate the agenda of Governments across the sub-region. This was the resounding message at The OECS ILAND RESILIENCE PROJECT launch at the just concluded 4th OECS Council of Ministers of Environment meeting in Grenada recently.
The conference which was convened under the theme “Accelerating Sustainable Development: Addressing Challenges, Creating Opportunities” urged member states to foster collaboration to tackle the rising global climate change effects. Sustainable land and coastal resource management were among the major concerns of discussion.
Prime Minister of Grenada, honourable Dr Keith Mitchell is appealing for a collaborative effort in the processes towards climate change resilience.
He cited Grenada as a prime example of a country which has demonstrated tremendous strides in its efforts to sustainable development which he said would not be possible without support and collaboration from the IMF, World bank, CDB and friendly governments throughout the global community.
Dr Mitchell was addressing the 4th OECS Council meeting for Ministers of the environment and he warned that the Caribbean islands are too vulnerable to be callous on issues that affect our resilience to natural disasters.
Learning from its experiences of Hurricane Ivan and Emily in 2004 and 2005 which caused 95% damage to the island’s physical structure and a high percentage of its ecological assets; Grenada has made sustainability a core component in its national development agenda.
Meanwhile, Head of the OECS Global Climate Change /GCCA Project, Chamberlain Emmanuel, informed that through the ILAND RESILIENCE Initiative, the OECS Commission and its member states can demonstrate a capacity to deal with the threats and opportunities that come with climate change.
The project commenced in 2014 with a gap analysis to understand the needs and to design the necessary interventions for implementation.
The initiative is also tasked with providing tools and training to stakeholders so that the value of land resources can be appreciated in a sustainable
Delia Louis – OECS iLand Resilience Project
