COM:ES 11: OECS council of ministers environmental sustainability in Tortola, BVI

By Caribbean News Global

TORTOLA, BVI – The government of the Virgin Islands will host the Eleventh Council of Ministers: Environmental Sustainability (COM:ES 11) Wednesday 24 July to Thursday 25 July 2024; under the theme “From Aspiration to Focused Action.” The conference is as an annual meeting of ministers of Environment and Sustainability in the Eastern Caribbean. COM:ES provides an essential space for regional collaboration “to minimize environmental vulnerability, improve environmental management, and protect the region’s natural resource base for optimal social and economic benefits for member states.”

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley issued the following statement:

As we grapple with increased risk from natural disasters, escalating energy costs, increased pollution of our marine waters, rising waste management challenges, and more, while also desiring to diversify our economies, the topics discussed at COMES are more and more critical to our day-to-day and long-term survival. These include climate change, sustainable energy, chemicals, pollution and waste, ocean governance, and fisheries.

The event, initially scheduled for 03-04 July 2024, was intended to cap off the observance of Environment Month, which the ministry of environment, natural resources, and climate change celebrates each June, in solidarity with and expanding on the United Nations Environment Programme’s annual World Environment Day – a global observance held every 5th of June.

However, this year’s COM:ES meeting was unexpectedly and necessarily deferred by the catastrophic impacts that hurricane Beryl caused in several Caribbean countries, including three member states of the OECS, which was very reminiscent of the experience this Territory had in September 2017 with hurricane Irma.

Serving as this year’s chair of the council, premier, and minister of environment, natural resources, and climate change. I am deeply saddened by the damage and loss suffered by our regional counterparts and simultaneously motivated to see the outputs of this year’s meeting yield marked advances in building the necessary capacity for resilience in all of our small island states.

The highly early appearance of a storm of such rapid intensification and calamitous strength as hurricane Beryl this year certainly does not bode well for a hurricane season that is already forecast to be highly active due to incredibly high sea surface temperatures brought on by climate change. But like every coin has two sides, with every disaster comes opportunities for growth and improvement. Beryl, therefore, serves as a sobering prompt for us to invest greater attention and commitment to safeguarding our own respective islands’ environments and banding together for the betterment and security of all of our islands.

I sincerely thank the director-general of the OECS Commission, Dr Didacus Jules, and his staff for their commitment to the advancement of our region. The Commission continues to serve an essential role in our development by cultivating regional collaboration and providing technical and financial support to our islands.

The year’s theme, “From Aspiration to Focused Action,” aptly captures our continued commitment and collective sense of urgency to move our islands forward with lasting strategic actions for climate resilience and environmental sustainability. We recognize that our natural environment is linked to our heritage as a people and is the foundation of our fragile economies. As small islands with large ocean spaces, we are responsible for ensuring that our islands, seas, and species are respected for their intrinsic value and their essential services.

I look forward to the presentations and our discussions with the intention that we must move past ambition and into concrete actions.

The conference, which will be attended both physically and virtually by Ministers and senior technical officers with responsibility for environmental management throughout the OECS, will discuss in great detail urgent and critical topics such as climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems, ocean governance and fisheries, food security, chemical pollution and waste, land and water conservation, and sustainable energy.

Concurrent with the minister’s meeting, the Exhibition on Environmental Sustainability will be re-opened to the public.

The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College has proudly partnered with the ministry and the OECS Commission to host a second showing of the Exhibition from Wednesday 24 July to Thursday, 25 July, from 9 am to 6 pm each day. The first instalment garnered very positive reviews from over three hundred visitors, and amid calls for a more extended opening, we are happy to offer everyone an additional opportunity to engage with and be empowered by the immersive experience.

The Exhibition will showcase various displays from the OECS Commission, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, and other partner agencies, such as:

– H. L. Stoutt Community College’s own Centre for Applied Marine Sciences.

– Association of Reef Keepers; Beyond the Reef;

– Green VI: Department of Disaster Management; BVI Electricity Corporation;

– BVI Red Cross.

The displays will include even more virtual reality videos of underwater seascapes, eye-catching and thought-provoking visual materials, and interactive models on climate resilience, environmental management, and biodiversity and ecosystems management.

A welcome ceremony and reception will be held on the evening of Wednesday, 24 July, for visiting ministers and delegates, who will get a first-hand view of the Exhibition. Businesses and organizations that have made a Green Pledge during the recent Green Pledge Drive will also receive their Green Pledge Seal at the welcome ceremony.