Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has called for a focus on climate financing for the 14 Associate Member Countries (AMCs) of the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) when the AMCs next meet for high-level talks in 2022. Photo: GIS

Deputy Premier Dr the Hon Wheatley (R7) described the damage inflicted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the [British] Virgin Islands and the funding challenges to rebuild in the aftermath of the catastrophic damage caused by the two unprecedented category five hurricanes. Photo: VINO/File

Wheatley made the proposal at the 20th Meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) on behalf of Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1), who is a Vice Chair of the CDCC and a leading advocate for the AMCs in the UN system.

According to a press release from Government, the Deputy Premier told members at the meeting: “The British Virgin Islands and other AMCs very much welcomed ECLAC Chair Costa Rica’s commitment to a second meeting of the AMCs in 2022 within the frame of Fifth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development. Among other things, I recommend that we place on the agenda, resource mobilsation and development cooperation for climate change adaptation in the AMCs, most of whom are not covered by the Paris Climate Change Agreement, but yet have huge resource constraints and gaps to be filled in successfully building climate resilience.”

Caribbean Resilience Fund

He went on to describe the damage inflicted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the [British] Virgin Islands and the funding challenges to rebuild in the aftermath of the catastrophic damage caused by the two unprecedented category five hurricanes.

The attendees also discussed the ongoing challenges posed to the Caribbean by the COVID-19 pandemic other critical issues such as the establishment of the Caribbean Resilience Fund to help mobilise resources for Caribbean Governments classified as Middle and High-Income to build their resilience as Small Islands Developing States (SIDS).

Notably, in 2021 the Virgin Islands, represented by Premier Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1), chaired the first ever ECLAC High-Level Meeting of the AMCs on their challenges in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The 20th Monitoring Committee Meeting of the CDCC took place on November 5, 2021.

Deputy Premier Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) was joined by Special Envoy of the Premier Mr E. Benito Wheatley.