Prime ministers in the Caribbean have welcomed the Commonwealth’s new array of powerful initiatives to shield small states from the ravages of storms, cyclones and hurricanes and help them build back better if they are hit.
Prime ministers in the Caribbean have welcomed the Commonwealth’s new array of powerful initiatives to shield small states from the ravages of storms, cyclones and hurricanes and help them build back better if they are hit.
St Kitts and Nevis prime minister, Timothy Harris, praised Secretary-General Patricia Scotland for being a strong voice for vulnerable small states across the Commonwealth. He stressed that the 53-country group needed to continue playing a central role in addressing challenges such as climate vulnerability and the European Union’s blacklisting process of international financial centres.
“The future can be troubling”, said Mr Harris, “And we need to ensure that the Commonwealth is the consistent voice on every occasion.”
The Secretary-General met Prime Minister Harris in Basseterre to agree a strategy for the implementation of outcomes from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which took place in London last month.
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Secretary-General Scotland with St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris
Earlier in the week Secretary-General Scotland met Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, members of his Cabinet and leader of the opposition, Goodwin Friday, in Kingstown, St Vincent. She started her visit to the region in St Lucia, meeting Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, government ministers and the leader of the opposition. Prime Minister Chastanet is the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) lead on the environment and disaster management.
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Secretary-General Scotland with St Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet
Discussions focused on how Caribbean islands can reap the full benefit from Commonwealth programmes, including debt reduction strategies agreed at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting last year, and the Commonwealth Blue Charter. The Charter was adopted at CHOGM laying the foundation for strong collaboration on action to protect our ocean from the effects of climate change, pollution and over-fishing. A range of member countries have pledged to lead on specific issues such as coral reef regeneration, mangrove restoration and ridding the ocean of plastic.
They also explored the benefits of the Commonwealth’s Law and Climate Change Toolkit, to help governments develop specific legislations to pave the way for climate action. The toolkit was launched with the Office of Civil and Criminal Justice Reform (OCCJR) which provides technical assistance and an online platform with best practice guides, model laws, standards, templates and legal insight on climate change, human rights and a range of other issues.
The resources are part of the Commonwealth’s new Innovation Hub, which Prime Minister Gonsalves said will be of great value to St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Hub pools useful inventions from around the Commonwealth into an online database and creates a virtual laboratory where countries can collaborate on creative ideas and pilot projects.
“This Hub is going to make sure we capture the genius of all our 53 countries and place it firmly in the palms of our governments,” said Secretary-General Scotland.
“It will give them the opportunity to create and access innovations designed to help turn tough challenges such as climate change into opportunities to build and develop cities and economies that are environmentally friendly and can withstand the onslaught of category 5 hurricanes.”
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Secretary-General Scotland with St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves
The aim is to finance climate-change innovations through the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH), which was set up to assist governments to get money from multi-billion-dollar funding pots such as the Green Climate Fund. The Commonwealth Secretariat has been deploying specialists to ministries to help with grant applications.
The Commonwealth’s Vulnerability Index, also came into sharp focus during meetings. The index, makes a strong case for small states’ susceptibility to extreme weather events and global economic trends to be considered in international development assistant rules. After advocacy from the Commonwealth and other organisations, the rules are now being reviewed.
“In every meeting I have had in the Caribbean there is a sense of urgency. And I am heartened by the recognition that the Commonwealth is uniquely placed to address shared challenges, and their eagerness to join forces with us to reinforce resilience and accelerate development in the region,” said the Secretary-General.
Today Secretary-General Scotland will address a workshop for judges and prosecutors in Guyana, organised by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
It will focus on the prosecution and management of money laundering cases and the role of prosecutors and the judiciary in combating terrorism, terrorist financing and violent extremism.
While in Guyana, the Secretary-General will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The agreement will set the terms for collaboration between the Commonwealth and CARICOM in justice reform, climate change and resilience, economic growth, crime and security and youth empowerment.
