The impact of climate change on the water sector in the Caribbean

This study econometrically analyses the projected impact of climate change on the water sector of nine Caribbean countries to 2100: Aruba, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Montserrat, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Overall, all countries, with the exception of Trinidad and Tobago, are expected to suffer aggregate losses as result of climate change in the early periods ca. 2020 under one or more scenarios. Over time, some countries experience declining negative impacts, as in the case of Guyana under the B2 scenario. Some countries, such as the Dominican Republic, is projected to suffer increasing losses under the B2 scenario and, for others, the impacts do not follow a defined trend. The A2 scenario offers the best outcome for all countries, except Jamaica (where BAU is most desirable), Montserrat (which performs most poorly under the A2 scenario), and the Netherlands Antilles, which does best under the B2 case. Overall, relative to 2006, the total demand for water in the Caribbean is expected to fall by 2030 by 11.3% to approximately 12,967 million cubic meters. This is due to the expected fall in agricultural water demand by approximately 36% in that period. However, by 2050, total water demand for the Caribbean will again exceed the 2006 level by approximately 4% to 14,896.33 106 m3. By 2100, water demand will increase almost fivefold to approximately 69,233.69 106 m3. Climate change is expected to affect all countries in the Caribbean. In some cases, there will be positive impacts that may continue to increase over time and, in other cases, the impact will be negative and worsen over time. Overall, the agricultural sector is expected to suffer the worst losses over any scenario, whilst growth in the industrial sectors is expected to be significant and contribute the most to increasing water demand over time.

A new frontier for Caribbean convergence: integration without borders

Today, forty years since its birth, the Caribbean integration has reached its limit.1 2 Consequently, there is urgent need to respond to the current realities and emerging global trends — which require greater engagement from the public, students, academics and policymakers — in moving the Caribbean Community towards a new trajectory of Caribbean convergence. The immediate concern is to devise ways of improving the convergence process among Latin American and Caribbean countries. This convergence process will have to be sensitive to both current and emerging global dynamics. This paper presents the roadmap of a new trajectory towards Caribbean convergence, sensitive to both current and emergent regional and global trends. It begins in Section I by identifying the emerging international political and economic trends that provide a backdrop against which the discussion on Caribbean convergence is squarely placed. Section II discusses the need for a new strategy of convergence, and provides the conceptual framework of Caribbean convergence. Section III spells out the pillars, strategies and delivery mechanisms of Caribbean convergence, and highlights the role of Trinidad and Tobago in this process. The paper concludes by pointing out the urgent need for a regional synergy of economic logic and political logic.

Caribbean development report: Macroeconomic policy for structural transformation and social protection in small states

The second Caribbean Development Roundtable hosted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, was held in Guyana, in May 30, 2012. The theme of the meeting was “Macroeconomic Policy for Structural Transformation and Social Protection in Small Sates.” The participants included the Ministers of Finance of Guyana and of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Ashni Singh and the Honourable Winston Dookeran, and high level policy-makers and regional and international experts. Special guests were a delegation from Brazil.

Report of the CDCC working group - redefining and revitalizing the role of the CDCC in Caribbean regional development

At the thirteenth meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the CDCC held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on 23-24 August 2007, delegates agreed to the establishment of a working group to explore ways of improving the effectiveness, visibility and relevance of the CDCC. The need for the establishment of the working group arose out of the recognition that the CDCC has been handicapped by the following: (a) a loss of its original vision and mission as a result of its changing operational context; (b) institutional overload in the regional institutional architecture as a result of the deepening of CARICOM and the creation of the ACS; (c) difficulties in securing high-level representation at meetings; and (d) continuing concerns by the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean about their lack of representation/inclusion in the work of the wider ECLAC system.

Regional study on Women's unrecognized contribution to the economy

The findings and analysis of this study are based on desk review and secondary data to substantiate this growing phenomenon, especially among the female population. Further the recommendations that will be put forward in this study will be added to the literature and serve as a baseline for further study in the Caribbean region. The study is sectionalized as follows. Chapter one discusses in brief the demographics, social and economic profiles of Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. This chapter also examines the employment rate, gender and poverty, and the achievements and progress of member states as it relates to the MDGs especially goal number 3. Men are more likely to be employed in the formal sector than women, and earn higher wages and salaries in the labour market despite the fact women may have obtained tertiary level education. The literature showed that women are at home spending more time on child care and other household related responsibilities but this can still be considered employment. This chapter also addresses the achievements and progress of member states as it relates to the MDGs especially Goal 3. Chapter 2 identifies the literature review of related subjects for this study. Chapter 3 discusses the categories and type of labour activities in the informal economies in the Caribbean Region, for example, paid and unpaid work, time use, women working and their caring, responsibilities for their relatives, domestic workers being undervalued and under paid, street and market vendors, micro-enterprises the services sector and commercial sex workers. Chapter 4 examines the importance of social protection for those employed in the informal labour market and the self employed. Chapter 5 provides a preliminary analysis of the findings from this study. Chapter 6 details the preliminary conclusions and recommendations.

Evaluation of the technical meeting on the 2010 Caribbean Millennium Development Goals report

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean convened a two-day technical meeting to review the draft Caribbean report on the Millennium Development Goals, “Caribbean Millennium Development Goal Achievement and Prognosis: A 2010 Review” and provide guidance to the Consultant in the finalisation of the report. The technical meeting was convened within the framework of the United Nations Development Account-funded project “Strengthening the Capacity of National Statistical Offices in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States to fulfil the Millennium Development Goals and other Internationally Agreed Development Goals”. The meeting was held at ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 24-25 June 2010. The Caribbean report was intended to provide an assessment of achievements and constraints in the countries of the subregion to accomplish the Goals 10 years after the Millennium Declaration in 2000. The report would also contribute to the ECLAC Latin America and Caribbean report.

Report of the roundtable: towards development of a climate change policy for the Caribbean

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, in collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), convened a meeting of technical experts working in the field of economics and climate change. The main objective of the meeting was to present the results of studies that were conducted under the project, “Understanding the Potential Economic Impact of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean”. These presentations were expected to sensitize the experts to the costs of the impacts of climate change in different development scenarios and also present the costs of adaptative and mitigative strategies to 2100. It was expected that discussions of the presentation would inform the preparation of a subregional climate change policy through an examination of the existing Regional Climate Change Framework for Building Resilience. Discussions were also intended to focus on updating participants on the upcoming negotiations for the new Kyoto Protocol that would take place in Mexico in November 2010. The meeting took the form of presentations by relevant experts followed by discussions. Each discussion segment resulted in recommendations that would inform development of the policy. The meeting was held at the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 30 June 2010.

Evaluation of the meeting on promoting energy effeiciency in the Caribbean

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank, convened the meeting “Promoting Energy Efficiency in the Caribbean” on 13–14 May 2010 at its Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The meeting had its genesis in the convening of consultations in 2009 with Latin American and Caribbean countries, members of the Latin American Energy Agency, and resulted in a report calling for greater awareness of energy efficiency among Caribbean countries, so as to provide the impetus of the development of a regional energy efficiency strategy. An evaluation form was distributed towards the end of the meeting, providing the participants with the opportunity to assess the quality and success of different aspects of the meeting (the logistics of the meeting, venue, the organization and the technical aspects of the meeting). ECLAC has acknowledged the importance of receiving feedback from its meeting participants to tailor future meetings to the specific needs of its clients.

Report of the regional workshop on microdata documentation and dissemination (IHSN Toolkit)

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, in collaboration with the World Bank, conducted a week-long Regional Workshop on Microdata Documentation and Dissemination. The workshop, which was funded by the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the Twenty-First Century (PARIS21) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), was held at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre in Port of Spain, Trinidad, from 26 to 30 April 2010. The main objective of the workshop was to provide training to member States on the Microdata Management Toolkit. This toolkit was developed by International Household Surveys Networks (IHSN) to assist in the documentation, dissemination and preservation of household survey, census and microdata in accordance with international standards and best practices. The training was organized in response to numerous requests by directors of statistics in the region for the development of capacity in that area. It was specifically timed to meet the training needs of those offices ahead of the 2010 round of Population and Housing Censuses.

Caribbean synthesis review and appraisal report in the context of the 15th anniversay of the adoptaton of the Beijing declaration and platform for action

The report is a summary based on information received by ECLAC from the eight English-speaking Caribbean countries of Barbados, Belize, the Cayman Islands, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Jamaica, Suriname, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago in response to the questionnaire to governments on the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the Outcome of the Twenty-Third Special Session of the General Assembly (2000). The report is therefore set in the context of the regional review and appraisals of the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2010. This Executive Summary highlights the achievements and the challenges for the Caribbean subregion in the progress towards implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action.

Caribbean regional report for the five-year review of the Mauritius strategy for the further implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the sustainable development of small island developing states (MSI +5)

The small island developing States (SIDS) of the Caribbean referred to in this report comprise Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, The Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States Virgin Islands. As far back as 1994, these countries expressed commitment to implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) for SIDS and have reiterated their support in making progress in achieving the targets set out in the Mauritius Strategy for further implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS (MSI).

Report of the five year Caribbean regional review meeting of the Mauritius strategy for the further implementation of the Barbados programme of action for the sustainable development of small island developing states (MSI +5)

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Government of Grenada, convened the Five-Year Caribbean Regional Review Meeting of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (MSI+5) in St. George’s, Grenada, on 16 and 18 March 2010.1 The meeting was attended by representatives of the following member countries: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Report of the seminar on Caribbean development thinking the path covered and the way forward

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, and secretariat of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) convened a Seminar on Caribbean Development Thinking: The Path Covered and the Way Forward, in Port of Spain on 21 October 2009. The meeting was attended by representatives of the following CDCC member countries: Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Representatives of the following organizations of the United Nations system also attended: the International Labour Organisation (ILO); Joint United Nations Project on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The following intergovernmental organizations were represented: the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Mechanism/Caribbean Community (CRNM/CARICOM); Delegation of the European Commission in Trinidad and Tobago; the Organisation of American States (OAS); and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The University of the West Indies (UWI) also participated. The list of participants appears as annex I to this report.

Evaluation report of the training workshop on the use of the module to analyse growth of international commerce (Magic Plus) and the competitive analysis of nations (TRADECAN 2009) software

The aim of the workshop was to provide a functional overview of the software package, to enable participants to use the software in order to inform more evidence-based trade strategies, and build capacity for researchers and trade negotiators to provide more rigorous, analytical policy research to inform future trade negotiations. Participants came from the ministries of trade of the following CDCC member countries: Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Representatives of the following regional institutions were represented: the Caribbean Community/Caribbean Regional Negotiating Mechanism (CARICOM/CRNM); the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS); the University of Guyana, University of Suriname and the University of the West Indies (UWI). It was hoped the workshop would be a stepping stone towards more advanced trade analysis training. The list of participants appears as Annex I.

Evaluation report: regional training workshop on data sharing, data ownerhsip and the harmonization of survey datasets

As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the statistical capacities of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) in the region, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) convened a two-day Regional Training Workshop on Data Sharing, Data Ownership and Harmonization of Survey Datasets on 26-27 August 2009 at the Cascadia Hotel, Trinidad and Tobago. This workshop was one of the concluding activities of the Project on Improving Household Surveys in the Caribbean which has been implemented by the ECLAC Subregional office from 2007.