(L-R) Keith Nichols, Project Development Specialist, CCCCC; Alexander Girvan, Caribbean Sea Commission Coordinator; Tricia Barrow, Political Advisor; Dr. Kenrick Leslie, Executive Director, CCCCC; Dr. June Soomer, Secretary General, ACS; Dr. Donneil Cain, Project Development Specialist, CCCCC; Vincent Peter, Project Development Specialist, CCCCC; Carlos Fuller, International and Regional Liaison Officer, CCCCC.

Belmopan, BELIZE: May 31, 2017 – Dr. Kenrick Leslie, Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and Dr. June Soomer, Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) discussed collaborations on a range of issues when they met at the Centre’s office here on Monday, May 29, 2017.

Dr. Soomer, and her team paid a courtesy call on Dr. Leslie and his team, and took the opportunity to discuss areas of future cooperation and dialogue. In reviewing the scope of work and responsibilities of both organisations, both Drs. Leslie and Soomer agreed that the region could benefit if both organisations coordinate for the advancement of areas such as eco-systems based management, the development of scientific tools and data to aid climate change adaptation measures and on programmes that would help regional leaders to make more informed decisions.

Dr Soomer pointed to the organisation’s recent signing of a US$4 million grant from South Korea to assess and control the impact of coastal erosion and sea level rise in some member states. The grant is being used to do work in countries like Jamaica where CCCCC is also doing coastal protection work with KfW, the German Development Bank.

Other areas identified for parallel coordination efforts include fisheries, communication, disaster risk response and climate financing.  Pointing to the Centre’s recent accreditation by the Greed Climate Fund (GCF), Dr. Leslie said:

“The Centre along with the Caribbean Development Bank are now able to access financing to help the countries of the region prepare for the effects of climate change”.

The Centres’ work, Dr. Soomer told the meeting, aligns itself to the ACS’ goal to take the achievements of the region to the rest of the world. Caribbean also has a lot to teach the world, she said, noting that in the case of small organisations like the CCCCC and ACS, “pooling the resources, can do a lot for the region”.

Dr. June Soomer, Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States and her team meeting with Dr. Kenrick Leslie, Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre

Dr Soomer’s team also included Ms. Tricia Barrow, Political Advisor and Alexander Girvan, the Caribbean Sea Commission Coordinator.  Dr.’s Leslie’s team included Mr. Keith Kichols, Dr. Donneil Cain, Mr Vincent Peter, project development specialists, and Mr. Carlos Fuller, International and Regional Liaison Officer.

The ACS is a grouping of countries of the sharing the Caribbean Sea. The organization provides a framework for cooperation and dialogue to further the economic integration, intra-regional trade and investments to improve competitiveness of its membership.