GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – A senior official of the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat says a regional biodiversity technical and scientific cooperation centre is a strategic investment in the Caribbean region’s future.
“Through cooperation, shared capacity, and inclusive partnerships, we can ensure that Caribbean development proceeds in harmony with the protection of our biodiversity,” said
Dr. Wendell Samuel
Dr. Wendell Samuel, the acting CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Integration, Innovation, and Development.
Addressing the inaugural meeting of the CARICOM Sub-Regional Technical and Scientific Cooperation Centre (TSCC) Partners Network that ends here on Wednesday, Samuel said that the TSCC is designed to address enduring regional challenges, including fragmented knowledge systems, limited research capacity, weak technology transfer, and insufficient coordination among biodiversity actors.
He told delegates that it will also elevate regional priorities such as agrobiodiversity for food security, nature based livelihoods, and the climate–biodiversity–oceans nexus.
Delegates from CARICOM member countries, regional institutions, and international partners attend the meeting. It has been described as “an important step in strengthening the region’s scientific and technical capacity to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable use”.
The TSCC Partners Network will serve as the Centre’s advisory and steering mechanism, guiding its technical direction, oversight, and collaborative engagement, reflecting the inclusive approach required to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework.
The CARICOM Secretariat will serve as a central hub for the TSCC, facilitating access to scientific knowledge, tools, technologies, and opportunities for cooperation across Member States and regional and academic institutions.
Outcomes of the meeting include finalising the terms of reference, validating the five-year workplan, mapping the regional scientific and technical landscape, identifying shared priorities, and agreeing on mechanisms for collaboration and resource mobilisation.
The TSCC meeting kicked off a week of engagements on climate, the ocean, and biodiversity in Guyana. The CARICOM Secretariat convenes the activities in partnership with the Government of Guyana, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UKFCDO), and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
The events are being held against the background of the development of the CARICOM Ocean Policy, operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, ongoing reform of the international financial architecture, and an intensified global focus on adaptation and ocean governance.
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