PM Roosevelt Skerrit lauds CREAD’s support in Dominica’s climate-resilient journey

Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit expressed his gratitude to the members of CREAD for their unwavering support in Dominica’s journey to become the world’s first climate-resilient country.

While speaking during the official closing for the Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD), he said that one of the reasons the Government articulated this vision of building a resilient nation is that he never wanted the world or even the citizens to remember the disaster caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

“I want you to remember our response to the disaster,” outlined PM Skerrit.

He added that the citizens and leaders of Dominica could have spent these seven years lamenting on the lack of support globally on the issue of climate change but “we decided to take action where we can take action, and building resilience can bring new positive results.”

The Prime Minister said that the CREAD team was there throughout the difficult journey and also showcased its dedication and commitment towards this vision.

Almost seven years ago, PM Roosevelt Skerrit set out on a journey to rebuild Dominica and he vowed in front of the United Nations General Assembly that he will transform the country into a climate resilient nation.

This became imperative after the devastation brought upon the beautiful nation by category 5 Hurricane Maria on September 18th, 2017.

This perilous situation conditioned the Government to adapt and pursue a build-back, minimising the loss and damage which confronts the people of the region far too often.

During the closing ceremony, PM Skerrit reflected on the accomplishments with a deep sense of pride and of hope for continued success in the mission to increase resilience against the mounting challenges posed by climate change. While addressing the officials of CREAD, he said, “You took a compelling vision to transform Dominica into a climate resilient and turned it into a working model for the world to emulate. Indeed, the global community has taken notice.”

He added that through the collective efforts, Dominica stands as an example of what can be done and achieved when leaders act decisively to address persistent challenges.

According to the PM, it is a proud achievement of everyone who lent their professional expertise, their passion, and their commitment to actualizing the vision for climate resilience.

Dr Skerrit also said that it is a proud achievement for him personally as the Prime Minister of Dominica because it embodied the bold pledge he made at the UN in September 2017, aiming to work from that day forward to shield Dominica from the severity of climate change impacts.

He also noted that the country has not yet met all the benchmarks for climate resilience and went on to add, “But we have developed an impressive template for further action in the continuing fight.”

While extending his gratitude to CREAD, the PM added that their pioneering work and their many accomplishments in such a short space of time are highly commendable.

He said that the team developed several policies to guide the country’s recovery following such disasters. These included the National Resilience Development Framework, The National Resilience Development Strategy and the Climate Resilience and Recovery Plan.

“These documents outline and define key initiatives to achieve our climate resilience goals and will serve as an important resource for future generations,” stated PM Roosevelt Skerrit.

He said that the assistance provided the capacity to build within micro, small and medium sized enterprises, create focus on strong communities to improve disaster mitigation, and initiatives to reduce vulnerabilities, exposure of civilians and property to future shocks are all measures which will define our response systems for years to come.

In addition to this, he also thanked the United Kingdom and Canada for their continuous support throughout the last seven years. He said that his Government should bestow upon the United Kingdom and the Government of Canada the second highest award of Dominica – the Sisserou Award of Honour.

PM Skerrit outlined, “They have been here with us for the entire journey and in appreciation of their support, the Government of Dominica shall bestow upon the UK and Canada this huge honour.”

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He thanked both Governments for their faith in Dominica and their willingness to invest in the nation’s ambitious goal, which the world thought was an impossible task. “We trust that you will continue to work with us along this important journey,” he said.

PM Skerrit also revealed his plans to document the entire journey to building further resilience at some point in the future.

Not only this, but the Prime Minister also highlighted that a small and vulnerable country in the Caribbean is leading the way in environmental awareness and climate action; he added, “We have not only talked the talk, we have walked the walk.”

He stressed the Government’s recent move to establish a Sperm Whale Reserve, contributing to climate change mitigation and said that it speaks loudly of the country’s willingness to make bold and groundbreaking moves in the global fight.

PM Skerrit continued that these significant achievements would not have been possible without the support of the international and regional partners.