PRESS RELEASE – THE official launch of the iLAND Resilience awareness initiative was held in Grenada amidst a week of events organised by the OECS Commission to advance sustainable development and climate change priorities.
iLand Resilience is the brand for the OECS Commission’s Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Land Management Project. The project is managed under the OECS Environmental Sustainability portfolio and financed by the European Union’s Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA).
Head of the OECS GCCA Project, Chamberlain Emmanuel, highlighted that through the iLAND Resilience initiative, OECS Member States can demonstrate their capacity to deal with the threats and opportunities that come with climate change.
“The project, which started in 2014, has strategically identified the needs of the Member States (MSs) through a Gap Analysis and identified suitable interventions to address the problems faced.
“Several interventions are being undertaken throughout the nine participating Member States to address key challenges faced due to the effects of climate change. Examples of these projects include coastal protection initiatives in the British Virgin Islands and in Nevis; and water security through rainwater harvesting in Grenada and Montserrat,” Emmanuel said.
Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. Keith Mitchell, while addressing the gathering at the opening ceremony of the 4th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Environment Sustainability, said “Small islands are too vulnerable to be careless in issues that affect their resistance to natural and other disasters.” He stressed that by working together collectively, small island states can lead in the area of sustainability.