Caribbean Stakeholders Develop a Regional Water, Climate Change Program

“Water and climate change is more than an environmental issue” said Mr. Sylvester Clauzel, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology of St. Lucia. According to him, “the region’s resilience to climate change and its work on adaptation, needs to encompass a more integrated approach within the broad scope of economic and sustainable development.”

These sentiments were expressed yesterday at the opening ceremony of a Regional Stakeholder Workshop, to support the implementation of a Water, Climate and Development Program (WACDEP) for the Caribbean, being spearheaded by the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C).

The WACDEP for the Caribbean aims to directly support water-related adaptation actions as outlined in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Plan for a Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change.

Additionally, at the 8th Annual High Level Session (HLS) of Caribbean Water Ministers, convened by GWP-C and its partner the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) in October 2012, nine Caribbean Ministers including two Deputy Prime Ministers present at the Session, endorsed the advancement of GWP-C’s Water, Climate and Development Program (WACDEP).

The two-day workshop which kicked off yesterday at the Coco Palm Resort in St. Lucia, has brought together key regional players in the climate change and water arena to provide input into various components of the Program, which will be carried out as a joint initiative of the GWP-C and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).

Stakeholders at the workshop are representative of more than 12 Caribbean countries and include Water Managers; Hydrologists; Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors of Water Authorities; Engineers; Water and Environmental Specialists; Gender Specialists; Community and Sustainable Development Practitioners; among other technocrats.

Throughout the workshop, stakeholders will make valid contributions by:

•    Identifying and agreeing on priority activities and scope of a Caribbean Regional Program on Water, Climate and Development.
•    Outlining a strategy for mobilizing funding for the Program at the country, regional and global level.
•    Identifying key partners to involve in the Program, including definition of roles and responsibilities.

Building long-term climate resilience calls for us to become more innovative, creative and adaptive, and this is why the Water, Climate and Development Program (WACDEP) when implemented, will be of extreme importance to the Caribbean