Secretary-General of CARICOM States, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, a national of Dominica, is in Marrakech, Morocco, attending the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP 22) — the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) that will run until November 18, 2016.
According to reports, the CARICOM Secretariat will join Member States to discuss pressing issues such as emissions reduction, resilience, finance, transparency, technology, transfer, migration, capacity building, and loss and damages.
The Paris Agreement on climate change agreement that was signed earlier this year will go into force at the Morocco conference, 30 days after the required minimum of 55 states, accounting for 55 percent of total global greenhouse gas emission-ratified the convention.
These countries are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas. Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
President of Guyana, David Granger during his recent meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon, thanked the SG for pioneering one of the most important environmental agreements, the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21), which would impact Small Island Development States (SIDS).
President David Granger and CARICOM SG, Irwin LaRcoque, who, attended that meeting with veteran Guyanese diplomat, Sir Shridath Ramphal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, and Advisor to CARICOM SG, Neville Bissember, reminded Ban Ki moon that most of the Caribbean is made up of islands, therefore the treat of rising sea levels and global warming is prominent in terms of their environmental agenda.
“Most of the Caribbean is made up islands, and therefore, the threat of rising sea levels and global warming is prominent in terms of their environmental agenda and these are important achievements of Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s tenure of Service,” said the Head of State.
To date, 195 countries have submitted their instruments of ratification. These countries meet once a year, during two weeks, to evaluate the application of the Convention and develop the negotiation process between the Parties in front of new commitments, according to reports.
