St. George’s, March 12, 2021 – The Department of Economic and Technical Cooperation, Grenada 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 March 8, 2021. The regional project is funded by a US$1.29 million grant from the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

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 Grenada and the wider 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.

Resource Mobilisation Specialist, Department of Economic and Technical Cooperation, Ms. Akeza Charles, welcomed the support of the GCF and highlighted that “CSOs are principal actors in the intervention of pragmatic, climate mitigation and adaptation interventions” and that  “it was most appropriate that the enabling environment for the engagement with the Green Climate Fund and the implementation of activities that build climate resilience, particularly at community level be strengthened”.   She also thanked CANARI for their ongoing support in implementing this valuable initiative to promote civil society leadership and build local resilience.

Chair, Grenada Sustainable Development Council, Dr. Spencer Thomas, noted that access and readiness for climate financing was not an end in itself.  What mattered was using the financial resources wisely for the benefit of humanity, to facilitate the implementation of interventions to realize the   Sustainable  Development Goals – the implementation of a transformative agenda for a sustainable future. Dr. Thomas emphasized that civil society had a critical and special role to play in this regard.  He observed that “real and genuine action on the ground is what really mattered” and this was the strength of civil society organisations.  Thus, it was very important for civil society to be at the decision-making table.  He challenged CSOs not to be “passive players in the national architecture”.  They should not wait to be called but “should assume their position at the decision-making table for the realization of sustainable development through sustainable actions”.    

CANARI Senior Technical Officer and Project Manager, Dr. Ainka Granderson, highlighted that “Civil society is well positioned to lead bottom-up approaches to tackle the climate crisis in Grenada and the wider region. However, their initiatives are often small-scale and piecemeal as they lack the necessary funding and technical assistance.   Mobilising 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 Department of Economic and Technical Cooperation and civil society in Grenada to make this a reality. 

This regional project 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 is 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