CAPAM wraps up with plenary sessions on global climate actions
[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es3qiuYj1o8″ width=”100%” height=”315″]
-the need for countries to build capacity to mobilise and position themselves to tap into climate finances
-Guyana can take up its “much touted” place of leadership in the Caribbean – Prof. Suresh Narine
-confronting the duality of climate action and economic growth critical focus
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, October 24, 2018
The 12th Biennial conference of the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) wrapped up today at the Marriott Hotel with the hosting of several plenary sessions.
These meetings focused on addressing climate change in Small Island Developing States (SIDs) and challenges associated with Global Climate Action.
Head, Office of Climate Change (OCC), Janelle Christian in her presentation alluded to the two-fold approach to capacity building, which includes countries’ capacity to mobilise and capacity to position themselves to tap into available resources.
“It also requires the capacity in the country to be available to articulate concepts and proposals to submit to the respective fund managers so that you can finance your country’s priorities. They are also demand-driven… in that the country needs to be proactive,” she noted.
Christian explained after becoming aware of mechanisms to support the country’s particular climate challenges, respective governments must be able to advance necessary actions to tap into financial and other sources.
Dr. Suresh Narine, a professor at Trent University in Canada, also presented on the development of an environmentally friendly state utilising oil resources.
Dr. Narine told DPI, “Guyana really has the opportunity to break the developmental cycle with its ability to use capital from its oil and gas reserves to nucleate growth that is sustainable, growth that is related to protecting humans and biodiversity.”
According to the Trent University, Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Chemistry Professor, by doing this, Guyana can take up its “much touted” place of leadership in the Caribbean with care for the environment and the human condition.
Today’s sessions also focused on confronting the duality of climate action and economic growth in an era where renewable energies are touted in some countries as one path to sustainable living, while other nations are newly discovering oil and exploring new methods for its extraction.
Presentations were also made by Deputy Director, Commonwealth Small States Centre of Excellence, Malta, Gabriella Cassola, where the focus was placed on the crippling effects of climate threats on small economies.
The interactive sessions examined how SIDs are garnering resources, supporting the process and working toward solutions.
The conference was hosted from October 22 -24 under the theme “Transforming the Public Sector for Climate Governance.”
Stacy Carmichael.
Images: Jameel Mohamed.