The fifth meeting of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Council of Ministers of Environmental Sustainability (COMES 5) is currently underway in Montserrat. The meeting’s theme is Building Resilience on the Frontlines of Climate Change:

Five major themes are on the agenda of COMES 5 that will gather Ministers of all OECS Member States:

• Living on the Front Lines: Risk, Reality & Response;
• Integrated Approaches To Building Resilience: Lessons and Proven Practices;
• Leveraging Sustainable Economic Opportunities;
• Advancing Climate Resilience; and
• Aligning the OECS Environment Agenda.

Representatives of Development Agencies and key Regional Institutions will also participate to promote partnerships towards a climate resilient region, namely: UN Environment, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), CARICOM’s Sustainable Development Programme, the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC), the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Rocky Mountain institute, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology & Hydrology.

Still reeling from the major impacts of the 2017 hurricane season on several OECS Member States and having to face yet another season, COMES 5 will provide the space for key decision makers to advance the overall environmental resilience strategy and capacity of the region. The meeting will be complemented by the staging of an exhibition over the two days, which will engage delegates, participants, local students and the general public in Montserrat.

Get more information in this OECS media release.

[Image: via OECS Commission]