• Programmes
  
  
• Thematic Programmes
  
  
• Strategy Programmes
  
  
• Issue Programmes
  • Climate change and disaster risk reduction
    
    
  • Rural Livelihoods programme
    
    
  • Green Economy
    
    
  • Civil society and governance

ISSUE PROGRAMMES

Green Economy Programme

Project: The search for a new economy in the Caribbean: Regional Dialogue as part of the Green Economy Coalition National Dialogues (October 2010 – November 2011)

Title:

The search for a new economy in the Caribbean: Regional Dialogue as part of the Green Economy Coalition National Dialogues

Countries:

Caribbean

Dates / Term:

October 2010 – November 2011

Funders:

• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
• Commonwealth Foundation

Partners:

• Green Economy Coalition
• Sustainable Economic Development Unit (SEDU) of the University of the West Indies
• Green Park Consultants

Project amount:

US $40,000

Goal and objectives:

• To identify and raise awareness about imperatives of a green economy.
• To formulate innovative, effective and realistic strategy options to create a green economy, as well as transition roadmaps of how to move forward.
• To build a grassroots position, endorsed by key stakeholders, on the creation of a green economy for use at the Rio 2012 Conference and other high profile events.

Activities

The Caribbean Dialogue was organised in five phases:

• A preparatory phase: The preparatory phase focused on identification of key stakeholders and the dissemination of information on the Dialogue.  A list of over 100 stakeholders to target was developed, and a short list of key stakeholders to engage in interviews and at the regional workshop was identified.
• Preliminary research and analysis: The research included a literature review and interviews with key stakeholders from the region that led to the preparation of a paper for discussion at the regional workshop. 
• Facilitation of a regional workshop: The regional workshop was held in Trinidad and Tobago in February 2011.  This targeted key persons and organisations within the region that were involved in development and environment, including key sectors such as tourism, labour and trade. The 25 participants represented regional government agencies, academia, civil society and private sector organisations throughout the region. International agencies such as the Organisation of American States (OAS), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), IIED and Phillips Electronics (GEC member) also participated in the two-day workshop.  The workshop was broadcast live via a webcast.  The introductory session provided a background to international work being done on green economy, including the United Nations Environment Programme’s Green Economy Report. This was followed by a presentation of the discussion paper. Two panel discussions followed, one on issues, challenges and contexts and the second on Caribbean responses. The afternoon was spent on small group work. The second day focused on distilling principles, recommendations, and next steps. The full report of the workshop is available here, and video interviews with participants at the workshop are available on YouTube.
• Development of a draft Caribbean position paper on green economy: A draft Caribbean position paper on green economy was developed out of the process (see here). This presented the context, challenges, key principles, and opportunities for moving towards a green economy in the Caribbean now.
• Communication of the position paper: Communication was done widely in the region via CANARI’s website, e-mails targeting stakeholders involved in the process, several Caribbean listservs, a Facebook discussion facilitated by CANARI (which was subsequently removed by the Facebook administration due to a change in policy regarding all discussion boards), and presentations by CANARI at national, regional and international meetings, especially as part of the Rio+20 process.