05 December 2018

PSI Regional Consultation on Climate and Security in the Caribbean

 On 13 December, a regional consultation meeting is taking place in Aruba. The Conference Climate and Security in the Caribbean Region: A Roadmap to Resilience will bring together technical experts, practitioners and policymakers in the fields of climate change, disaster risk management and regional security.   

The Conference will address climate change and the effect on human security within the Caribbean region.  Also, current issues related to climate and security such as the impact of intensified hurricane seasons, will be addressed, whilst unearthing challenges which can emerge over the next 30 years based on the scientific projections. The Conference will, furthermore, highlight the implications as the region pursues its development aspirations.

The outcomes of the consultation will take the form of a Regional Plan of Action to foster climate resilience in the region. It will also feature in next year’s Planetary Security Conference, which takes place in The Hague on 19 and 20 February, 2019, focusing on several spotlight regions including the Caribbean. Previously, PSI published a policy brief on the Small Island Development States bringing climate security to the UN Security Council.

Specifically, the objectives of the Consultation will be to:

  • Facilitate the sharing of experiences and knowledge exchanges on issues related to climate and human security within the context of national and regional resilience building
  • Provide a forum for consideration of the most appropriate pathways for building resilience within the Caribbean region given the climate and human security challenges faced
  • Document inputs to the development of a Caribbean Action Plan on Planetary Security which will be shared at the Planetary Security Conference in the Hague 2019
  • Capture insights on Planetary Security that are unique to SIDS

High-level speakers at the event include:

  • Hon. Evelyn Wever-Croes, Prime Minister of Aruba
  • Ambassador Jules Bijl, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands
  • Hon. Vaden Williams M.P, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, CDEMA
  • Mr. Ronald Jackson, Executive Director, CDEMA
  • Mr. Martin Ras, Policy Analyst, UNDP New York (video message)
  • Dr. Louise van Schaik, Head of Unit, the Clingendael Institute and Manager PSI
  • Lieutenant Oliver Barrett, Center for Climate and Security
  • Arno Boersma, UNDP & Aruba Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

The event is co-organised by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), The Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Aruba Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the Clingendael Institute and the Planetary Security Initiative (PSI).

Highlights of the event will be live-streamed from the PSI Facebook page here.

 

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