Thursday, May 30, 2019 — The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) opened a new office in Castries, St. Lucia, to strengthen support for its work to further promote green growth in the Caribbean region, and expand its partnership with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

GGGI and OECS previously signed a memorandum of understanding in February of 2018 to pursue a joint program and activities in support of capacity building and development of green growth options for developing countries in the region. The new GGGI office is located at the OECS headquarters.

The GGGI and OECS joint program will accelerate the flow of climate finance to support energy sector resilience in OECS countries as well as support expansion and achievement of their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goals under the Paris Agreement.  GGGI also plans to work with individual OECS countries to facilitate country-level implementation of OECS policy recommendations, especially in the areas of energy, sustainability, and climate adaptation.

“We recognize the good regional initiatives that have been developed by the OECS team, and we plan to work with them to identify projects, develop bankable projects, and support countries in accessing financing resources to support adoption of regional policies, and achievement of regional and national targets, especially NDC targets,” said Chanho Park, GGGI’s Head of Program for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“OECS countries face significant vulnerabilities to climate change, and increasing resilience and mitigating emissions, especially in the energy sector, is an important priority for us. We are looking forward to leveraging GGGI’s experience to jointly develop projects that change the status quo and facilitate lasting transformation.” Director General of the OECS Dr. Didacus Jules stated. 

Dr. Kristin Deason, GGGI’s Caribbean Representative, commented:

“It is clear that our two organizations share common values in developing programs that help countries create enabling environments for inclusive, sustainable green growth.  I am excited to be working with OECS at both the regional and national levels to support the small island countries in the Eastern Caribbean transition their economies toward a climate-resilient, low-carbon model of growth.”

About the GGGI Caribbean Program

The GGGI Caribbean program is part of the broader GGGI Latin America and Caribbean program, based in Mexico City.  Based in Seoul, GGGI is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote green growth. The organization partners with countries to help them build economies that grow strongly, are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions.  
Visit the GGGI website and follow GGGI on Facebook and Twitter.