AS St Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia and Dominica continue to grapple with the devastating effects of the torrential rains that assailed the Eastern Caribbean states last month, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, CARICOM Secretary-General, has assured that climate change will be a focus for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) moving forward.Hailing Guyana as a leader in the region, Ambassador LaRocque praised the efforts of both former President Bharrat Jagdeo and the support of current President Donald Ramotar in sending assistance to the beleaguered EC island states. He said, “Guyana continues to be supportive of the region’s approach to tackling climate change.

“Former President Bharrat Jagdeo is a key regional player; and recently, President Donald Ramotar has called for greater rallying of efforts to address the threat of climate change.”

The Secretary-General noted that climate change was, is, and will continue to be advanced as a major focus area for CARICOM.
“We need to build our resilience to withstand the shock,” LaRocque said.

He said that those who remain climate change skeptics only need to visit the Eastern Caribbean countries that are dealing with the aftermath of the devastating effects of a climatic event that hit hard during the Christmas season.

He said, “These natural events — earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and torrential rains and floods — destroy lives, property and infrastructure; but they also bring out the best in our Community — our solidarity.

“…the Community is here for every member state and every CARICOM citizen, and it is here most especially in times of distress,” LaRocque said as he reiterated the importance of climate change on the CARICOM agenda. “We expect it to be a focus of the next meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.”

In the last week, President Ramotar received a delegation from the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), and among issues raised by President Ramotar was Guyana’s keen interest in promoting and supporting increased action in the Caribbean region on the issue of climate change.

He indicated to the delegation that in light of the increasing and devastating impacts to the region from extreme weather events linked to climate change, Guyana would be advocating that climate change be a main item for discussion at the next session of CARIOCM Heads of Government.

The President also welcomed the recent statement made by incoming Chairman of CARICOM, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which calls for CARICOM’s prioritisation of climate change issues. He underlined the need for the region to be more vocal on climate change, and the need for a strong presence by CARICOM Heads of Government in 2014 at two main climate change fora: the UN Secretary General’s Climate Change Summit, slated for September, on the margins of the UN General Assembly; and the Conference of Parties Meeting on the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) in Lima, Peru, in December.

President Ramotar stressed the need for the region’s negotiators to be provided with clear guidance in accordance with the region’s position on key issues. He referred to the fact that while the region has a strong position on climate change, as outlined in the Liliendaal Declaration of 2009, there is room for a strengthening of that position.

President Ramotar also made clear Guyana’s willingness to work with the CCCCC and CARICOM to support briefing sessions for the negotiators prior to major UNFCCC sessions, as well as on sharing Guyana’s experience in developing and implementing a Low Carbon Development Strategy and its REDD+ initiatives.
Written By Vanessa Narine