SVG wants greater cooperation in tackling environmental, biodiversity challenges

Pro Tempore President of the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC), St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has called for closer cooperation in providing practicable and actionable outcomes in averting the global climate crisis.

The call was made by the country’s Sustainable Development Minister, Carlos James at the recently held European Union (EU) – Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) ministerial meeting on environment and climate change held last Friday in San Jose, Costa Rica, a release issued on behalf of the minister states.

Ministers from both the EU and CELAC committed to step up cooperation to tackle the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. They

agreed to promote a transition towards low carbon, circular and clean economies where nature is protected and restored.

“What is simply required is action beyond the pledges, and the EU-CELAC partnership must take the conversation beyond dialogue towards actionable outcomes that are solutions-based, realistic and meaningful in the fight against climate change,” Minister James said during the plenary meeting.

The minister said the upcoming EU-CELAC summit in July presents a tremendous opportunity to redefine the region’s position on the way forward with developmental partners, such as the European Union, noting that SVG’s Pro-Tempore Presidency of CELAC is about strengthening the collaboration on matters of mutual interest, including climate change.

The meeting, which was attended by 14 ministers and 65 representatives from LAC and the EU, discussed opportunities for closer cooperation on the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity in line with the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including the fight against deforestation and forest degradation and the promotion of deforestation-free supply chains.

They also discussed policies and best practices to make their economies more circular and less carbon-intensive and polluting, including by accelerating the transition to a circular economy and cooperating towards an ambitious global agreement to tackle plastics pollution.

The meeting of ministers highlighted the key points of convergence around regional priorities and interregional cooperation, which will be used as input for the European Union – Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Summit ( EU-CELAC) on July 17 and 18 in Brussels.