ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, CMC—Environmental ministers from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will begin a two-day meeting on Wednesday to discuss climate change, biodiversity conservation, sustainable energy, and waste management.
The 11th Council of Ministers Meeting on Environmental Sustainability (COM: ES11) will be held under the theme “From Aspiration to Focused ACTION.” The organizers said it would allow delegates to strategize and make collective decisions among the member states of the OECS to advance the implementation of the St. George’s Declaration of Principles for Environmental Sustainability.
The declaration includes minimizing environmental vulnerability, improving environmental management, and protecting the region’s resource base for optimal social and economic benefits.
“Hosting COM: ES 11 in the Virgin Islands is a significant opportunity for our region to discuss critical environmental issues and collaborate on sustainable solutions. The Virgin Islands is committed to advocating for environmental sustainability in the Caribbean and beyond,” said Premier and Minister of Finance, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Dr. Natalio Wheatley.
The St. Lucia-based OECS Commission said that this year’s meeting will be the first to take stock of actions and partnerships in support of progress along the Roadmap to 2030, which was endorsed in July 2023 at COM:ES 10 in Anguilla, with its six technical thematic priorities. Ministers will consider recommendations from the newly established Ministerial-led Standing Committees on cross-cutting and enabling themes and complementary contributions from aligned Partners.
“On the heels of the recently concluded fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4), COM: ES 11 will feature a panel of ministers and key experts, who will deep-dive on the implications for and positioning of the OECS region in implementing and leveraging of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) towards resilient prosperity, through environmental sustainability,” the Commission said.
The OECS will simultaneously host its annual Environmental Sustainability Exhibition at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College auditorium from July 2 to 4.
The exhibition will feature virtual reality emersion, educational videos, informational spreads, and displays on climate resilience, environmental management, ocean, and biodiversity, to name a few.
This year, the OECS Commission has also partnered with The Hydrous, a non-profit organization on a mission to inspire ocean empathy and marine stewardship, to conduct a study on the effectiveness of using virtual reality technology to reach students, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
“This conference and exhibition underscore our commitment to environmental sustainability and the future of our region. The efforts made by officials across the Civil Service are truly commendable,” said Dr. Ronald Smith-Berkeley, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change.
The European Union is supporting the meeting here through the BioSpace and Integrated Landscape Management projects, two initiatives that seek to conserve marine and terrestrial biodiversity and optimize land’s contribution to agriculture, food security, climate change mitigation, and adaptation, and the preservation of ecosystems and the essential services they provide.
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