(CARICOM Secretariat,Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Task Force on Climate Change and Development is holding its Second Meeting in Georgetown, Guyana to continue the Region’s preparation for the impending 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) set for Copenhagen, Denmark in December.

Chaired by Dr Edward Greene, CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, the Task Force was established primarily to define and address the Region’s Climate Change agenda for the negotiations leading up to the Conference and beyond, as well as to provide support and representation for the Community with respect to critical sectors affected by Climate Change.

The COP15 is expected to complete negotiations for a new Climate Change Agreement to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012. This Protocol, focused on targets for the reduction of Green House Gas emissions.

To this end, the two-day meeting which started on Thursday 7 April is discussing among other things, CARICOM’s agenda in relation to the negotiations processes for the new Climate Change Agreement. In addition, the Meeting is examining the draft Climate Change Strategy that is to chart the course for the Region’s resilience to the effects of Climate Change. Also of critical importance on the Meeting’s agenda is a proposal for technical assistance for the adaptation to Climate Change in small states.

In guiding the Meeting, Dr Greene reiterated the role of the Task Force, pointing specifically to the development of negotiation strategies to promote the interest of the Region and urged members to give of their best in guiding technical and political actors in their preparation for the Conference and to create a cohesive environment within the Caribbean – one in which the goals of Climate Change mitigation and adaptation could be realized, he said.

To do so, he suggested that the Task Force forge direct linkages with the CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government and the major Councils of the Community in addition to building strategic alliances with those responsible for sharing the Caribbean Foreign Policy and the Human and Social Development agenda, especially in the areas of youth, culture, education and health.

Dr Greene added that the Task Force needed to concentrate on providing a human face to its activities and to do so it would need to be able to mobilize resources as well as public opinion and appreciation for “those who fight to preserve the future of our environment.”

The Meeting continues on Friday with discussions focusing on Climate Change adaptation and disaster reduction issues for CARICOM and participating States of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA); an information, education and communication strategy for the Task Force and a proposal from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for greater collaboration with the CARICOM Task Force on Climate Change and Development.