Vini Koze to engage the Public on Climate Change in the OECS

Climate Change will be the main talking point when the OECS Commission stages the third in its Vini Kozé Public Forum Series in Dominica on Friday February 10.

The Forum will be held at the Fort Young Hotel. It will feature a Panel comprising representatives of government, the private sector, an international organization, civil society, and the NGO Community. The Forum will be held before a live audience who will engage panelists in discussion through a moderator. There will also be contributing panelists in the audience who will broaden the scope of the discussion, and answer questions relevant to their expertise and experience as it relates to Climate Change. The Dominica Forum will examine the impacts of Climate Change on our Region, as well as adaptation and mitigation measures being implemented by OECS Member States.

Small Island Developing States are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to geographic and economic challenges.

The OECS and CARICOM were well represented at the 22nd session of the Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech, Morocco. Coming out of COP22, the Region has made a strong case for an Adaptation Fund, to assist Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in their adaptation and resilience building efforts.

The region’s expectations for COP22 include a focus on action on regional initiatives, with a focus on water and energy; participation in the ministerial dialogues on financial support and ambition in the pre-2020 period, to advocate for strong emissions reduction to be able to achieve the 1.5 degrees target; and the need for strong solidarity and support for the international climate change process.

Director General of the OECS, Dr. Didacus Jules, says enhanced support through finance for adaptation and mitigation and capacity building aimed at building resilience, is critical to the efforts of Member States to adapt to climate change.

“In our region, as we have seen from the natural disasters which have hit several countries in recent times, Climate Change can significantly impact livelihoods, our very existence, and our survival as Small Island Developing States" said Dr. Jules.

The OECS Commission continues its mandate in supporting the wider Region, representing and working on behalf of its Member States in line with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Basseterre and the St. Georges Declaration of Principles on Environmental Sustainability.

Vini Koze seeks to ensure citizen engagement and active participation in the Regional Integration process. It provides an opportunity for key decision makers, civil society observers and experts within respective fields, to discuss and debate the achievements, development opportunities, and challenges facing the region.

The series will run until March 2017 and then be televised across the OECS and into diasporic hubs. It is being staged across six (6) OECS Member States including The BVI, Anguilla, Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Martinique.

The Forum Series is part of the public education component of the Economic Integration and Trade Programme of the OECS region, funded by the 10th European Development Fund.