Earth Today | UWI, UNDP collab delivers on Blue Economy initiatives for the Caribbean

THE UNIVERSITY of the West Indies (The UWI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have been 'walking the talk' on several blue economy-related initiatives since the two entities joined forces in 2019 to drive climate change solutions for the Caribbean.

The tangible initiatives to emerge from the partnership include a joint think tank on public policy for the Blue Economy developed by The UWI and UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean to tackle development issues and strengthen development effectiveness.

On April 4, the think tank, also commonly referred to as Blue Economists for the Caribbean, hosted a high-level forum themed, 'Strengthening Research-Policy Linkages for a Thriving Blue Economy in the Caribbean' to showcase some of the work advanced to date.

Dean Jonas, minister of social transformation, human resource development and the Blue Economy for Antigua and Barbuda delivered opening remarks, applauding The UWI and UNDP. He also noted the government of Antigua and Barbuda's enthusiasm for the establishment of The UWI's Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy at the Five Islands Campus, one of the initiatives realised following the collaboration.

The centre, he said, “illustrates the range of potential areas for partnership”.

“Forming strategic partnerships with stakeholders, such as The UWI, complements regional efforts executed with, and by other international development agencies, donors, civil society, national government and local stakeholders,” he said.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, vice chancellor of The UWI, and Luis Felipe López-Calva, UN assistant general secretary, and UNDP regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean also delivered remarks at the forum, which was chaired by Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs Dr Stacy Richards-Kennedy, whose office spearheaded the partnership between The UWI and UNDP.

“I'm happy to report that after three years, what I have seen is the development of a best practice in terms of partnerships, activism, and establishing a track record for getting things done. We know that MOUs are not always 'MO-DOs' by tradition. But this is an instance in which The UWI and UNDP have been establishing a legacy of action,” said Beckles.

“We are going to be able to demonstrate at the highest possible level that UWI will be a best-case scenario in the implementation of agreed positions and policies,” he added.

Acknowledging that the partnership with The UWI has yielded good results, López-Calva said that the forum underscored important components that drive Caribbean development and underlines the vision for a Blue Economists programme to be a key instrument in the pursuit of a new way of thinking about development solutions.

Following the opening remarks were reports on the key areas of research-policy work undertaken since the beginning of the partnership. This segment featured presentations on Challenges and Opportunities for the Blue Economy in the Caribbean; Climate Change and Sport; and the UWI Flagship Initiative: Global Institute for Climate-Smart and Resilient Development.