Paramaribo, January 29, 2021 – The Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment in Suriname and the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) announced the national launch of the project, “Enhancing Caribbean civil society’s access and readiness for climate finance”, on January 22, 2021. The project is funded by a US$1.29 million grant from the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment, Mr. Ritesh Sardjoe, welcomed the support of the GCF and highlighted that “This project will serve as a pilot model in order to more efficiently collaborate with the Green Climate Fund. We aim to develop effective public private partnerships to help build resilience and enable a fully participatory approach toward furthering the innovative development of a low-carbon and climate resilient economy for Suriname.” He also thanked CANARI for their ongoing support in implementing this first readiness initiative in Suriname and improve civil society’s access to the GCF.

CANARI Senior Technical Officer and Project Manager, Dr. Ainka Granderson, highlighted that “Civil society in Suriname and the wider region is well positioned to lead bottom-up approaches to tackle the climate crisis. However, current efforts are often small-scale and piecemeal as civil society lacks the necessary funding and technical assistance. Mobilizing funds from GCF and other climate funds is key to better support civil society and channel resources to the most vulnerable communities and groups.” She welcomed the collaboration with the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment and civil society in Suriname to make this a reality.

The goal of the project is to build the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs), including national non- governmental organisations, community-based organisations and resource user groups such as farmer and fisherfolk associations and cooperatives, to access and deliver climate finance and build climate resilience in the Caribbean. It will enhance CSOs’ knowledge, skills and organisational structures, and strengthen institutional mechanisms to enhance civil society voice and participation in climate change decision-making nationally and regionally.

It is being implemented from February 2020 to August 2022 by national designated authorities to the GCF across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States, with targeted activities in Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Suriname. The Climate Change Division, Ministry of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change in Jamaica as the lead authority. CANARI is serving as the implementing entity for the project.

For more information on the project, see: https://canari.org/csos-ready-for-climate-finance__________________________________________________________________________________

About the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment: The Ministry serves as the focal point to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is the national designated authority to the Global Environment Facility and GCF, which is the largest global funding mechanism that supports climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries.

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. OurworkfocusesonBiodiversityandEcosystems,Equity,ParticipatoryGovernanceand Resilience. See here for more information on CANARI: http://www.canari.org/.