Month: July 2015

Regional environment group wants Caribbean to benefit from global funds

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The Belize-based Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) says it is working towards ensuring that the region benefits significantly from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as well as the Adaptation Fund (AF) established to help countries worldwide deal with the impact of climate change.

Executive director Dr. Kenrick Leslie says the Centre, under a directive from CARICOM leaders, has been “working with national governments to put together programmes that would help them develop bankable projects that can be funded under the various mechanisms under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“The Centre is putting maximum effort to ensure CARICOM Member States get their fair share of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund (AF) and other funds to help them in their adaptation efforts. That is our primary thrust— to meet the mandate given to us by the regional heads,” he said,

He said the CCCCC has applied…

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UN-HABITAT Report Explores Climate Change, Urbanization in SIDS

May 2015: A small island developing States (SIDS) urban agenda must reflect the cultural, economic and geographic characteristics of SIDS, in order to address sustainable urbanization in SIDS, according to a publication by the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT).

The report provides an overview of current trends in climate change and urbanization, describes the impact of climate change on cities in SIDS, and explores the role of urban planning and design as a tool for addressing the challenges and opportunities of climate change in relation to human settlements in SIDS.

‘Urbanization and Climate Change in Small Island Developing States' responds to SIDS' calls to enable strong, genuine and durable partnerships at all levels and to strengthen long-standing cooperation and support from the international community. The publication is part of UN-HABITAT's ‘Cities and Climate Change Series.'

Global urbanization trends are present in SIDS, where 59% of residents live in urban settlements. According to the report, the term ‘urban' in the SIDS context can refer to a small town connected by villages on a single island, along a coastal perimeter or a series of islets.

“Climate change threatens the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” particularly for SIDS, the report states. To position SIDS to achieve the SDGs and tackle climate change, the report emphasizes the importance of adapting resilience and sustainable urbanization concepts to the SIDS context and adopting innovative approaches such as the blue economy.

The report recommends promoting compact urban forms to address the ‘primacy of capitals' and resulting urban sprawl. Tools for achieving compact urban forms include smart growth principles, land use regulation, development and recognition of urban growth boundaries, and promotion of walking and cycling.

The report further recommends: adopting ecosystems-based approaches (EbA) to adaptation, such as reducing exposure to natural disasters through maintaining coastal ecosystems; incorporating an inclusive human rights-based approach; prioritizing investments and improving local capacity; and compiling adequate local data and information systems. [Publication: Urbanization and Climate Change in Small Island Developing States] More

 

 

The island states of Seychelles and Palau are set on forging closer ties and strengthening their newly-established diplomatic relations.

This follows the signing Tuesday morning of a General Cooperation Agreement and a Short Stay Visa Waiver Agreement between the two countries which seeks to allow bilateral cooperation between the two sides in several areas.

The agreements were signed by the Seychelles Minister of Foreign Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan and Palau’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Hersey Kyota.

Kyota is part of the four-member delegation which the Palauan President Tommy Esang Remengesau is leading on his official visit to Seychelles.

The signing followed a tête-à-tête between President Remengesau and Seychelles President James Michel at State House in the Seychelles capital of Victoria, after which they were joined by officials of their two countries for further discussions.

In a press statement issued this afternoon, State House said talks between Michel and Remengesau centred on their respective countries' progress in various sectors, namely fisheries, aviation, tourism, environmental protection, renewable energy, economic reforms and wider issues of sustainable development.

Seychelles and Palau only established formal diplomatic ties earlier this year, although the two heads of states have enjoyed close relations for a number of years.

Michel and Remengesau were the ones who called for the setting up of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) in January 2005 during the second International Meeting of the Small Island Developing States held in the neighbouring Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.

GLISPA is an open and voluntary platform for all islands and their supporters to work together to build resilient and sustainable island communities through innovative partnerships.

Both Palau and Seychelles are also members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

On his first visit to Seychelles, Remengesau was also the guest of honour at yesterday’s National Day Celebrations.

In a press statement issued by State House this afternoon following this morning's meeting, Michel described Remengesau’s visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago of 115 islands as “a historic milestone” in the relations between the two countries.

“His presence amongst us is not only an opportunity for him to share in our festivities, to share our joy and achievements as a nation, but also an occasion to celebrate and strengthen even further the strong island kinship between our two brotherly countries and between islands everywhere,” said Michel.

According to the statement, the two leaders have agreed that “the close cooperation between Seychelles and Palau that is planned in the future” will be an example of collaboration between individual small island developing states adding that Seychelles and Palau will encourage such cooperation between other island nations.

“This type of cooperation should be replicated in the Post-2015 era if small island countries or as we say ‘large ocean states’ are to benefit to the maximum from the implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Change agreement as well as the SAMOA PATHWAY,” said Michel.

For the Palauan president, the visit represents an opportunity which will allow the two island nations to share experiences and learn from each other’s best practices considering they face similar challenges.

“…I am reminded that we share the same values; that the development of a nation rests on the benefits it can bring to the people and that sustainability is at the heart of our island nations. We seek to continue to bring the same message of island people to the world community and work together in close collaboration,” said Remengesau.

The Palauan President will leave Seychelles on Wednesday July 1.

During his stay, he is also paying close attention to restoration of eroded coastlines due to climate change in Seychelles which is a similar challenge faced by Palau. This is through visits to several sites in the Seychelles where such projects have been undertaken.

Palau consists of over 200 islands, out of which only eight are permanently inhabited. The western Pacific islands have a much smaller population size of only around 21,000 people when compared to Seychelles’ population of around 90,000.

Palau which is close to Southeast Asia has a rather mixed population of Malay, Melanesian, Filipino, and Polynesian ancestry. It is believed that its original settlers as early as 2500 BC were from Indonesia.

The Palau islands remained under Spanish ownership for many years before Spain sold them to Germany in 1899. The islands were also occupied by Japan during the World War 1 and the US during the World War 2.

Palau became independent in 1994 More