Charting the path forward for regional cooperation in Energy was at the center of discussions held yesterday, March 19th, when Hon. Konris Maynard, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy, Utilities and Domestic Transport, and Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment, convened a strategic meeting with regional energy stakeholders who are currently in St. Kitts attending the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Dialogue with the Caribbean.
Attending the meeting were regional powerhouses such as the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5 Cs), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Locally, the meeting was also attended by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, the Energy Unit, SKELEC and NEVLEC.
The meeting was considered critical in light of mandates set by Hon. Prime Ministers Mia Mottley and Terrance Drew, following the opening day of the GCF Regional Dialogue, which emphasized that regional roadmaps need to be urgently established in the following areas: (i) Energy Cooperation, (ii) Logistics & Transportation, and (iii) Debt-for-Climate Swaps. The meeting, therefore, focused on finding synergies and avenues for closer cooperation among the participating entities, as well as establishing a comprehensive baseline for what has already been achieved across the region, to serve as a springboard for scaled-up actions in the short term.
During the meeting, Minister Clarke emphasized the importance of seizing on the strong political will that currently exists across the region for building climate resilience. However, she highlighted the reality that, political will is only valuable if is advanced by strong and fit-for-purpose institutions across our region. Further, there is a clear need to connect and coordinate available regional resources in order to accelerate progress.
Minister Maynard, who also serves as the current Chair of the OECS Council of Energy Ministers, closed the meeting by reminding participants of the importance of documenting and sharing our achievements as a region. He also reinforced the point made by PM Drew earlier at the GCF Regional Dialogue, which is that our region is “small enough” to be a model of sustainability and a beacon of hope for the rest of the world to emulate
