GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC—Caribbean Community (CARICOM) ministers of the environment and sustainable development said Wednesday that regional countries have been engaged in an extensive international environment agenda that will evolve with key decision-making on biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, and plastics.
“ While the negotiating agenda remains challenging for our limited national capacities, we remain committed given the clear and present danger that inaction in these spheres poses to the livelihoods of current and future generations of citizens of the Caribbean Community,” the ministers said in a joint statement.
The ministers said Caribbean countries are deeply committed to implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and are monitoring and reporting on its implementation.
They said that regarding the ongoing United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) meeting in Colombia, member states are committed to updating and aligning National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPS) to the Global Biodiversity Framework, adding, “We also place priority on the completion of finance strategies to accurately cost activities but note that these are dependent on the successful completion of the NBSAPs.
However, they said that CARICOM remains concerned about the slow pace of the NBSAP update and alignment processes due to challenges encountered with procurement processes outside the control of the member states.
“While member states appreciate the support provided, administrative processes must be expedited to ensure that more valuable time is not lost,” the ministers said.
They said that to provide constructive solutions, “we believe there is room for CARICOM regional Institutions, sensitive to the regional and national capabilities of CARICOM member states and capable of providing clear direction, guidance, and timely feedback to the CBD and the GEF national focal points’ organizations, particularly those with a limited workforce, to plan and implement the NBSAP-related projects and be accredited to the GEF to implement projects and programs.
“Considering this, we request that the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) consider being accredited to the Global Environment Facility”.
The minister said they have observed that for the effective implementation of the Global Biodiversity Goals, there must be closer synergies with other Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm, and Minamata (BRSM) Conventions.
They argue that the time is now to develop actions to advance synergistic implementation, especially considering the limited human and financial capacity.
“We recognize the need to strengthen the region’s capacity in biodiversity by, among other things, enhancing training and local expertise, developing research infrastructure, and strengthening regional institutions dedicated to biodiversity.
“We, therefore, welcome the nomination of the CARICOM Secretariat to serve as a host sub-regional Technical and Scientific Cooperation Centre (TSC) under the Convention of Biological Diversity to support the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework and continue its efforts to support Member States to elevate the importance of biodiversity management.”
The minister said they were calling on regional and international partners to support the CARICOM Secretariat in progressing the work of the TSC.
The minister said the issues of invasive alien species, marine, and coastal ecosystems, the 30 x 30 target, digital sequence information, and its linkage to access and benefits sharing and restoring degrading ecosystems are all shared concerns for the region.
“The need for increased public awareness and strengthening data and information systems underpins these issues.
“There are also issues that speak directly to our vulnerabilities, such as post-disaster recovery and the need to restore critical island ecosystems such as tropical and mangrove forests, as well as sustainable resource management in extractive industries such as mining and forestry and how these help with the fight against the impacts of global climate change,” the ministers added.
They said that for these reasons, CARICOM remains hopeful but realistic about implementing the GBF.
“ Despite our vulnerabilities and fiscal challenges, we remain ambitious and innovative. We look forward to working with parties and civil society and into.”
Regarding the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to be held in Azerbaijan in November, the regional ministers said the climate change crisis is not abating.
“Our region remains on the direct path of impacts from extreme weather events to slow-onset events, all of which threaten our people, their livelihoods, our economies, and our environment. Continued global inaction will result in an overshoot of 1.5 degrees Celsius this decade.
“The consequences will be devastating for island economies dependent on agriculture, fishing, and tourism as evidenced following the passage of Hurricane Beryl through our region, and the significant impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems and marine biodiversity.”
They said following the outcomes of the First Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement goals, the COP 28 United Arab Emirates (UAE) Consensus was endorsed to put the world on track to achieve the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature goal and to protect the most vulnerable via an energy transition package, a global resilience framework, and the newly operationalized loss and damage fund.
The ministers said CARICOM is committed to the full implementation of the UAE Consensus, adding, “We expect that the Baku Climate Change Conference (COP 29) will build on the Consensus, deliver on the climate finance goal for its implementation, and safeguard the interests of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).”
They said sustained efforts must be made to conserve, protect, and restore forests and nature, and carbon markets and other financing mechanisms are crucial to resourcing these efforts.
”CARICOM emphasizes that implementation of the UAE Consensus is urgent. Transitioning away from fossil fuels is fundamental to keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. “We encourage all Parties to the Paris Agreement to contribute to this worldwide effort by implementing current nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and elaborating their next NDCs due in February 2025.
“We call particularly on the Group of 20, responsible for 80 percent of global emissions, to bring forward 1.5 aligned NDCs as soon as possible. Our future depends on your action and ambition,” the CARICOM ministers of environment and sustainable development said in their joint statement.
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