From April 10 to 12, national stakeholders met in Kingstown for the launch of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ National Adaptation Plan (NAP). Government officials and media also took part in a number of training programs related to climate change adaptation.
On April 10, the Government launched its NAP document to Ministers and Parliamentarians at a NAP Assembly. The NAP is the key strategic framework for achieving the country’s adaptation goals.
“Adaptation costs are increasing; from 2010 to 2014, extreme weather events have resulted in a loss exceeding 35 percent of our GDP,” said Hon. Camillo Gonsalves, Minister of Finance, Economy Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology. “A key step in the right direction is to integrate our NAP into all relevant domestic financing processes, in line with the NAP support programme.”
The NAP has been developed through the support of the Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership of the United Nations Development Programme and the U.S. In-Country NAP Support Program implemented by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Following the NAP Assembly, national media met with the NAP facilitation team for an afternoon discussion about communicating climate change and the NAP process.
On April 11, Government staff met for a day-long training program on developing adaptation strategies for those sectors that have been identified as priorities in the NAP. Strategies have already been developed for water and agriculture, and these will be used as examples for those event participants who will be involved in the development of adaptation strategies for other sectors.
“While climate hazards are nothing new, our ability to respond has been stretched due to their increased frequency, ferocity and impacts. Our responses must therefore be aggressive, effective and extensive,” said Janeel Miller-Findlay, Director of Sustainable Development, Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology.
On April 12, Government staff met for a second day-long training focused on mobilizing national and international funds to support the NAP process. This training included an introduction to climate financing and a description of those international sources of funding which are available to SVG to support its climate change adaptation activities.
The NAP has been developed in consultation with and under the leadership of the Sustainable Development Unit of the Ministry of Economic Planning, Sustainable Development, Industry, Information and Labour.
