New York, 15 November 2017 – After two back-to-back category five hurricanes swept across the Caribbean two months ago cutting a swathe of destruction, taking lives and impacting livelihoods, recovery costs are estimated at over US$3billion. In some of the most impacted island states recovery needs are equivalent to over 200 percent of countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Aiming to mobilise support for affected countries to “build back better” as the first climate-resilient countries in the world, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will hold the CARICOM-UN High-level Pledging Conference: Building a more Climate-Resilient Community on 21 November at UN Headquarters in New York.

Media Representatives are invited to cover the Conference in its entirety as well as a Press Briefing  on 20 November, at 11am.’

DETAILS
What: CARICOM-UN High-level Pledging Conference: Building a more Climate-Resilient Community

When/Where: Tuesday November 21, 9am-5:15pm, ECOSOC Chamber, UN Headquarters, NY
CARICOM-UN Conference Opening Session 9-9:45am:

• CARICOM Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque
• UN Secretary-General, António Guterres
• President of General Assembly, Miroslav Lajčák
• Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne
• Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit
• Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Grenada, Keith Mitchell
• Moderator: UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner

What: PRESS BRIEFING  
When: Monday, November 20, 11-11:45 am
Where: UN SG’s Spokesperson Briefing Room (S-237)
Who:

• Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne
• Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit (TBC)
• UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner
• Q&A

For Media Accreditation at UN headquarters in New York: http://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/
For full agenda please go to    http://resilientcaribbean.caricom.org
Live webcast:    https://webtv.un.org;   http://caricom.org/ ; http://today.caricom.org/