Port of Spain, December 13, 2019 – Efforts to enhance civil society’s access and capacity to deliver climate finance and build resilience in the Caribbean have been bolstered by a US$1.29 million grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). 

The Principal Director, Climate Change Division, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation in Jamaica, Ms. UnaMay Gordon, welcomed the GCF’s support and highlighted that: “Civil society leadership for climate resilience is critical to effectively build climate resilience as Caribbean governments and the private sector cannot do it alone. We need all hands-on deck as we face the impacts of climate change.  We need to strengthen civil society’s capacity and partnerships with the public and private sector to address these impacts and protect our communities, livelihoods and the natural resources that are the foundation of our economy.”

The GCF grant will be implemented by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) in collaboration with national designated authorities and leading civil society organisations in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States from 2020-2022. It aims to build the capacity of civil society organisations, including their knowledge, skills and organisational structures, to access climate finance and deliver climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. It also seeks to strengthen institutional mechanisms to enable civil society voice and participation in climate change decision-making nationally and regionally.

While Caribbean civil society organisations are well positioned to lead “bottom up” approaches that achieve impact on the ground for vulnerable communities and resources users like farmers, fisherfolk and small and micro-enterprises, their efforts are currently small-scale, short-term and disconnected from public and private sector responses. Regional, national and local civil society organisations also have very limited access to and engagement in climate finance mechanisms to design and implement climate change projects, including new global funds such as the GCF.

The GCF grant will help address these gaps across the CARICOM region, with a focus on seven countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Suriname.
The GCF is a funding mechanism under

About CANARI: The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) is a regional technical non-profit organisation which has been working in the islands of the Caribbean for over 30 years. Our mission is to promote and facilitate stakeholder participation and stewardship of natural resources in the Caribbean. Our work focuses on Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Equity, Participatory Governance and Resilience. See here for more information on CANARI: http://www.canari.org/.