CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Environment ministers from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have approved the agenda and priorities for environmental sustainability in the sub-region for the next seven years.
The ministers, who met in Anguilla for the 10th annual meeting of the Council of Ministers on Environmental Sustainability (COM: ES), also agreed to play a “more dynamic and intentional role” in setting and driving the agenda for COM: ES, reaching a consensus on specific priorities which align with the six thematic areas of SGD 2040 that are intended to respond to priority environmental problems and opportunities for nature-based solutions in the Eastern Caribbean.
According to a statement issued here Wednesday by the St. Lucia-based OECS Commission, the six thematic areas are climate and disaster resilience, to be led by St. Lucia, biodiversity, and ecosystems, to be championed by Guadeloupe. At the same time, Anguilla will be responsible for land and water, and Martinique taking the lead on chemicals, pollution, and waste.
Antigua and Barbuda will be the lead country on ocean governance and fisheries, with Dominica taking the lead on sustainable energy.
The meeting also endorsed the establishment of five standing committees to be led by respective ministers over a two-year term, with the support of relevant technocrats and partners about the thematic areas.
It said Grenada would oversee regional strategies progress monitoring and St. Kitts-Nevis stakeholder engagement, with information and network being the responsibility of Montserrat.
Antigua and Barbuda will be responsible for mobilizing resources and partnerships with Anguilla and responsible for cross-sectoral linkages.
The Commission said that other notable elements of the approved Road Map include: Implementation of a sustainable financing mechanism, with the regional capacity to support the development and mobilization of projects, establishing ministerial peer-to-peer networks, and commissioning a quinquennial state of the regional environment assessments.
The meeting also endorsed multiple regional frameworks and initiatives aligning with the Road Map themes and priorities, including a needs-based climate finance strategy, complementary carbon alliance, and an OECS model on plastic waste separation.
“With the upcoming and consequential fourth International SIDS Conference during May 27-30, 2024, the Council of Ministers affirmed support for Antigua and Barbuda as the host of the Conference and reaffirmed the need to maintain the status of the particular circumstances of SIDS and the momentum on a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI),” the statement said.
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