As CARICOM, and all SIDS, continue to bear the brunt of global climate change – climate change that we do not cause - we are alarmed by the apparent drawback by some in the international community from the ambition necessary to limit increases in global temperature to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
CARICOM Ministers with responsibility for Environment and Sustainable Development met for the 112th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development on the Environment and Sustainable Development which took place on 15 May 2024.
Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General, held several bilateral talks on Monday, 27 May, on the margins of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) now underway in Antigua and Barbuda.
'We are particularly pleased by the commitment of the Government of Grenada to implementing the Region’s 25 by 2025 Initiative through its various actions. In particular, we commend the Government for prioritizing the Poultry Sector, among others, starting with the development of the National Poultry Policy.
"The 7th Caribbean Food Security and Livelihoods Survey results provide a basis for the CARICOM 25 by 2025 initiative, a visionary initiative aimed at reducing the region's food import bill by a quarter by the year 2025. This goal is not just about economic numbers; it is a comprehensive strategy to enhance food sovereignty, bolster local agriculture, and fortify the Caribbean against external shocks.
Climate change, threats to biodiversity, economic uncertainty due to external shocks, and limited institutional and financial capacity, are the key concerns of Ministers with responsibility for the Environment of the Caribbean Community.
The concerns were highlighted during the 112th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development on The Environment and Sustainable Development which was conducted virtually on 15 May 2024.
CARICOM Ministers with responsibility for trade began a two-day meeting on Tuesday 14 May at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.
Senator the Hon. Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago, is the Chair the 58th Regular Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).
"... As we gather here in the vibrant city of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, I remind you of Vision 25 by 2025 which was created to support the transformation of the Region's food system to one that is sustainable and resilient, ensuring food security and improved livelihoods to the people of the Region. The poultry industry, encompassing the production of chicken, eggs, and other poultry products, holds immense promise as a catalyst for sustainable agriculture in the Caribbean.
Veterinarians continue to be at the forefront of the Region’s quest to reduce its food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.
The acknowledgment came at the opening of the Twenty-Fourth Meeting of the Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on Thursday, 25 April 2024, where speakers highlighted the CVOs’ role in the development of the agriculture sector and in improving intra-regional trade