OAS Funds US$125,000 CED Climate Change Project
The Organization of American States (OAS), through its Development Cooperation Fund (DCF), has approved a US$125,000 (XCD$308,000) project for the Centre for Enterprise Development (CED) that focuses on the impact of climate change on women and underserved communities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Unlocking Opportunities through Climate Change Initiatives (UOCCI) Project will be implemented during the OAS/DCF 2024-2027 programming cycle to support, recognize and foster the contributions of women and underserved communities to create a more inclusive and effective approach to climate action that benefits everyone.
The goal of the OUCCI Project is to reduce the impact of climate change to enhance livelihoods and increase economic opportunities for women and vulnerable communities. The project features a number of training sessions, forums and grant funding for climate action projects developed by groups/organizations.
On 12th August 2025 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Conference Room, the OUCCI Project signing ceremony was held, with staff from the Ministries of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the local OAS office and CED witnessing the event.
The OUCCI Project is funded from US$1.875.000 in seed funding that was approved for the 2024-2027 DCF Programming Cycle dedicated to climate action, and guided by four thematic areas: Circular Economy (CE), Climate and Environmental Education, Development of Climate-Smart Skills, and the Impact of Climate Change on Women and Underserved Communities. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is among fifteen (15) countries that are eligible to participate in the 2024–2027 OAS/DCF programming cycle under the four approved programs.
Between 2014 and 2024 the OAS/DCF has funded a number of projects in St Vincent and the Grenadines, including the US$83,000 Comprehensive Early Childhood Care project entitled “Restructuring the Early Childhood Curriculum in SVG” during the 2017-2021 cycle, and US$100,000 for CED’s Resilience through Innovation and Technology (RIT) MSME Recovery Programme during the 2021-2024 cycle.
The Development Cooperation Fund (DCF) of the Organization of American States (OAS) is supported by the annual voluntary contributions of OAS member states and is geared towards addressing their most urgent development needs, particularly among those with smaller and more vulnerable economies. In its programming, the Fund emphasizes institutional and human resource capacity building as the basis for sustainable development.
