Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, on Thursday called for the speedy disbursement of funds under the Green Climate Fund as many countries within CARICOM are feeling the harsh effects of climate change.In his address at the opening ceremony of the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM being held in Georgetown, Guyana, Prime Minister Skerrit said the increasing intensity and frequency of climatic events have forced the Region to face the reality of climate change.
The Green Climate Fund was established with a mission to advance the goal of keeping the temperature increase on the planet below 2 degrees Celsius and serves as a unique global initiative to respond to climate change by investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development.
Skerrit noted that there is hardly a state within the Bloc that can state unequivocally that it has been untouched by the effects of the global phenomenon and as a result, there is a great need for the implementation of the many measures contained in the Paris Agreement.
“Of particular importance to us is the Green Climate Fund which has been established to assist in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. It is critical that there must be relatively quick access to this Fund by those it is intended to assist. As laudable as it is, it will be of minimal impact, if disbursement is as sluggish as has been the experience with other institutions and agencies,” said the Dominican Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister noted the devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew that has destroyed the sister territory of Haiti leaving 500 dead along with 1.5M people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance including 120,000 families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged.
“Further, the worst of the devastation occurred in the agricultural belt which affected the food supply of the country,” he said. Similarly, Prime Minister Skerrit noted that the Bahamas also suffered extensive loss as a result of the hurricane.
“Agriculture and fishing were also badly affected in the Bahamas along with homes and infrastructure on the three islands which were hardest hit. The damage was estimated at more than $500 million (US) dollars. It is my hope that the recovery process is well underway to reconstructing the lives and livelihoods of all those affected. The Community demonstrated once again the depth of its togetherness when our people rallied to assist the affected countries.”
He praised the work of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) which he said provided exceptional service in light of the disaster by providing relief and technical support to the affected territories.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Prime Minister reminded delegates of the two-day meeting last July. He urged the group to use its powers to work towards the speedy and effective implementation of matters agreed upon but not effected.
“Today many of these matters are still pending, as they languish in our Ministerial Councils, Committees, Commissions and Working Groups. Whether this is due to them being inquorate or Member States asking for time to consult, or even officials not being adequately prepared, the effect is the same – a hindrance to progress.”
Speaking of the much talked about Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), Prime Minister Skerrit said the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting will serve to provide an update on the status of CSME and noted that it will be of no surprise if additional evidence suggests that there is need for a greater effort by all to complete the tasks set by the Heads of Government.
“Of particular concern is the inability of the Legal Affairs Committee comprising our Attorneys-General to come together to deal with critical Agreements with respect to both the CSME and Regional Security. I am also concerned that our Council for Finance and Planning has not been able to meet for a considerable period of time. We can and must do better,” he stated.
Skerrit praised Prime Minister Keith Mitchel of Grenada and all ministers with responsibility for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for accepting the responsibility for considering the ICT roadmap and make recommendations to the Conference on the subject.
Those recommendations will be the subject of deliberation during the two-day meeting. He also said that as Heads of Government there is a responsibility to ensure that those tasked with fulfilling mandates participate fully in the relevant discussions.
“We are dealing with matters that strike at the heart of both the concerns of our Community and the strengthening of our integration movement. Indeed these matters are also of great significance to all our countries domestically.”
As an example, Prime Minister Skerrit said the regional security architecture is not only of importance to individual countries but to the region as a whole as there is need for institutional arrangements to combat the scourge of crime that affects all territories.
“Cross border crime is a serious concern within our Community. We need the legal instruments to combat it in our countries as well as regionally. This is a time for action. We cannot afford the luxury of procrastination,” he emphasised.
The Dominican leader said too that the increasing tide of nationalism globally which is supported by populist movements threatens the multi-lateral system more than ever and does not auger well for small states. Additionally, the “concentrated attacks” on regional economies whether through the withdrawal of correspondent banking services, which lists the region’s countries as non-cooperative tax jurisdictions or “denigrating our citizenship by investment programmes, confirm that we are operating in an increasingly hostile international environment.”
This he said coupled with the fact that “most of us have been graduated out of receiving concessional development financing” though there has been some progress in mitigating the impact of that mechanism.
He stressed the importance of working together to combat the varying challenges that face the region and called on all players to act vigorously in the interest of the region and the integration movement.
“Mr. Chairman, we must acknowledge that we stand a better chance of combatting and surviving the challenges, if we work closely together. This is why; therefore, we must take the necessary action to pursue vigorously those issues that would advance our integration movement. It is in our individual interest to act collectively. The helping hand and solidarity which we so willingly share in adversity must in the same spirit be extended to all other aspects of our integration.”
He said it is important that the Bloc prepares itself to confront what he described as “this era of uncertainty in global affairs” with creativity and flexibility built solidly on integration, economic cooperation, human and social development, security cooperation and foreign policy coordination.
“To do less would be to deny the people of our Community the opportunity of living in a viable, prosperous and safe society.”
That aside, Prime Minister Skerrit expressed gratitude for the words of encouragement offered by regional leaders during and following the recent social unrests which occurred in Dominica. He informed the gathering of regional heads that the situation is under control and said, “I expect that a thorough investigation will be carried out into those disturbances, with a view to bringing the perpetrators of any and all unlawful behavior, to justice.”