(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Georgetown, Guyana) The objective of the briefing organized by Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on April 23, 2007 is to disseminate the results of the IPCC’s latest assessment report on climate change and in particular the impacts on the Caribbean.

The Technical Panel will be led by Dr. Kenrick Leslie, Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre. The other Panelists will be Dr. Leonard Nurse, Dr. John Agard, Dr. Ulric Trotz and Mr. Carlos Fuller.

Dr. Leslie a former Chief Meteorologist of the National Meteorological Service of Belize and a Senior Principal Scientist in the Applied Physics Laboratories at AlliedSignal Corporate Headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey will speak on the role of the Centre in addressing the issues associated with the findings of the IPCC WG II as they apply to our Region.

Dr. John Agard of the University of the West Indies will address areas of the report dealing with the biological aspects such biodiversity, agriculture and coral reefs. Dr. Agard is known internationally for his work as Lead Author in the Global Scenarios Working Group of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and in the small islands component of the 4th global assessment of climate change conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He is also a Coordinating Lead Author of the outlook chapter for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-4) to be published later this year. Dr Agard also served as a member of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) team of experts on Small Island Development States (SIDS) at the UN SIDS meeting in Mauritius in 2005.

Dr. Ulric Trotz is the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) Science Adviser and a Review Editor of IPCC Working Group II Report. He will address the impacts on coastal development, human settlements, health and water. A Scientist by training, his career experiences and achievements are wide and varied. He has worked as Director, Science & Technology Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, 1993-1997; as Secretary, Commonwealth Science Council and Science Adviser to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, 1991-1997; Secretary-General, National Science Research Council (NSRC), Guyana, 1979-1991; Dean, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana 1976- 1979; Director, Institute of Applied Science and Technology in Guyana, 1980-1991.

Since 1997, Dr Trotz, in his capacity as Manager for the GEF-funded CPACC and MACC projects, and the CIDA-funded ACCC project, has been giving direction to the Region’s efforts to build capacity for climate change adaptation. He has presented more than 50 papers/lectures at a range of regional and international fora on climate change issues. Mr. Carlos Fuller is the Chief Meteorologist of the National Meteorological Service of Belize and the current President of the World Meteorological Organization, Regional Association IV comprising North America, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. He will address the scientific findings of the IPCC WG I and the implications to the Caribbean.

Mr. Fuller has been Belize’s principal negotiator on climate change since 1990. He participated in negotiating the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. In that capacity he also represented Belize at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the United Nations Small Island Developing States Conference and the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Dr. Leonard Nurse of the University of the West Indies is Chairman of the Board of the CCCCC. Dr. Nurse is the Coordinating Editor and a Drafting Author of the IPCC Working Group II Report.