OECS iLand Resilience scheme launches in Grenada

Environmental ministers and technical officers from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States countries (OECS) have attended the fourth Council of Ministers meeting.

Key regional partners and international agencies were all present at an event titled Accelerating Sustainable Development: Addressing Challenges, Creating Opportunities.

Keith Mitchell, prime minister of host country Grenada, told the opening ceremony that “small islands are too vulnerable to be careless in issues that affect their resistance to natural and other disasters”.

He stressed that by working together small islands states can lead in the area of sustainability.

The Council, responsible for guiding the OECS Commission and making recommendations to the OECS Authority on issues relating to the environmental sustainability, held the meeting to strengthen regional partnerships.

Protecting the region’s natural resources for the social and economic benefits of the population topped the agenda.

iLand Resilience

Other areas discussed included water resource management, ocean governance, energy, climate change and relevant issues related to environmental sustainability and natural disasters in small island developing states (SIDS).

The meeting also saw the official lunch of the European Union-funded iLand Resilience initiative.

This is the OECS brand covering the OECS managed Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) project, which focuses on sustainable development in SIDS through sustainable land management towards climate change adaption.

Chamberlain Emmanuel, head of the OECS GCCA project, highlighted the iLand Resilience initiative as a way for states to deal with the threats of climate change.

He said: “The project, which started in 2014, has strategically identified the needs of the member states and identified suitable interventions to address the problems faced.

"Several projects have been undertaken throughout member states to address keys challenges faced due to the effects of climate change, examples of these projects includes coastal protection initiatives in the British Virgin Islands and in Nevis, [and] water security through rainwater harvesting in Grenada and Montserrat.

Also incorporated into the meeting was a climate change exhibition hosted by the Ministry of Education, Human Resources and the Environment of Grenada. 

The exhibition was used as a means of informing the regional delegation as well as the Grenadian public and wider region about measures taken in the islands in climate change resilience.