Sustainable development from a human rights perspective and the challenges it represents for the Caribbean SIDS (a discussion paper)

Includes bibliography

Sociodemographic vulnerability in the Caribbean: an examination of the social and demographic impediments to equitable development with participatory citizenship in the Caribbean at the dawn of the twenty-first century

Includes bibliography

Report of the Joint Meeting of the SIDS Bureau and the Inter-Agency Collaborative Group

Summary An account of the proceedings of the meeting which discussed the following agenda items: report on regional implementation of the SIDS POA; status of regional projects for submission to the meeting of prospective donors and representatives of Small Island Developing States; the regional position on UNDP compendium of project proposals; status of consultations with CARIFORUM and the EU; budget for the regional co-ordinating mechanism and consultation; preparation for the Special Session on the UN General Assembly (UNGASS); to discuss the SIDS plan of action; and a Ministerial meeting on SIDS POA implementation.

Subregional preparations for the 2004 international meeting that will undertake a full and comprehensive review of the implementation of the SIDS POA to ensure the most effective participation of Caribbean SIDS

In Part XV (Implementation Monitoring and Review);, of the Programme of Action of Small Island Developing States (SIDS POA);, which was adopted at the United Nations Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (UNGCSIDS);, 26 April- 6 May 1994, in its paragraph 117, it is provided that the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD); should, inter alia: Carry out an initial review of the progress achieved and steps taken to implement the Programme of Action, to be undertaken by the Commission on Sustainable Development in 1996 in accordance with its Multi-Year Thematic Programme of Work. Furthermore, in 1997, when the Commission will carry out the overall review of Agenda 21 with a view to preparing for the 1997 special session of the General Assembly, the Commission should recommend specific modalities for the full review of the Programme of Action in 1999. That full review would include the question of the convening of a second global conference in accordance with chapter 17, Section G of Agenda 21. At the twenty-second special session which convened on 27-28 September 1999 to undertake a "review and appraisal of the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States", it was recommended, inter alia, that: "Although periodic reviews of certain aspects of the Programme of Action are envisaged within the context of the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development, a full and comprehensive review of these decisions and the implementation of the Programme of Action would be useful and required in 2004." In the Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD);, which convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, over the period, 26 August-4 Septemeber 2002, the relevant recommendation was as follows: "Undertake a full and comprehensive review of the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in 2004, in accordance with the provisions set forth in General Assembly resolution S-22/2, and in this context requests the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session to consider convening an international meeting for the sustainable development of small island developing States."

Assessment of the socioeconomic and environmental impact of hurricane Ivan on Jamaica

Includes bibliography

Establishing social statistical databases for evidenced-based social policy formulation in the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Emigration of nurses from the Caribbean: causes and consequences for the socio-economic welfare of the country, Trinidad and Tobago: a case study

Includes bibliography

Caribbean forum: Shaping a sustainable development agenda to address the Caribbean reality in the twenty-first century

Includes bibliography.

An assessment of green export opportunities for Barbados

Includes bibliography.

Strategies to overcome barriers to the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy in the Caribbean

Includes bibliography.

Status of Implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action in South America

Includes bibliography.

Progress in implementation of the Mauritius Strategy: Caribbean Regional Synthesis Report

The Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was held in Bridgetown, Barbados, from the 25 April – 6 May 1994. This culminated in the Declaration of Barbados and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. Ten years later an International Meeting to Review Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States was held in Port Louis, Mauritius, from 10–14 January 2005. This international meeting, in turn, resulted in the Mauritius Declaration and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (MSI).

An assessment of fiscal and regulatory barriers to deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in Belize

Belize is currently faced with several critical challenges associated with the production, distribution and use of energy. Despite an abundance of renewable energy resources, the country remains disproportionately dependent on imported fossil fuels, which exposes it to volatile and rising oil prices, limits economic development, and retards its ability to make the investments that are necessary for adapting to climate change, which pose a particularly acute threat to the small island states and low-lying coastal nations of the Caribbean. This transition from energy consumption and supply patterns that are based on imported fossil fuels and electricity towards a more sustainable energy economy that is based on environmentally benign, indigenous renewable energy technologies and more efficient use of energy requires concerted action as the country is already challenged by limited fiscal space which reduces its ability to provide some fiscal incentives, which have been proven to be effective tools for the promotion of sustainable energy markets in a number of countries. This report identifies the fiscal and regulatory barriers to implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies in Belize. Data and information were derived from stakeholder consultations conducted within the country. The major result of the assessment is that the transition of policies and plans into tangible action needs to be increased. In this regard, it is necessary to articulate sub-policies of the National Energy Policy to amend the Public Utilities Commission Act, to develop a grid interconnection policy, to establish minimum energy performance standards for buildings and equipment and to develop a public procurement policy. Finally, decisions on renewable energy and energy efficiency-related incentives from the Government formally requires decision-makers to solve what may be extremely complex optimization problems in order to obtain the lowest-cost provision of energy services to society, thereby weighing the cost of revenue losses with the benefits of fuel and infrastructure expansion savings. The establishment of a management system that is efficient, flexible, and transparent, which will facilitate the implementation of the strategic objectives and outputs in the time available, with the financial resources allocated is recommended. Support is required for additional institutional and capacity strengthening.

Training manual: innovative fiscal and regulatory incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives

This course will be designed for the officers within government departments who have responsibilty for guiding the country’s energy policy and energy management framework. Other stakeholders also will include private sector representatives who have interest in providing energy efficiency equipment and renewable energy solutions to the market towards advancing improvements in both energy efficiency and meeting renewable energy targets. The course will provide insight into all aspects of energy management with specific emphasis on energy efficiency as well as renewable energy. Emphasis will be placed on highlighting issues and challenges that countries face in pursuing energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies. International and regional best practices will be highlighted as a means of showcasing how various countries have overcome the barriers to advancing renewable energy targets and increasing energy efficiencies towards meeting national energy goals. The curriculum is divided into five modules and is designed to be covered over a 3-day period. The course will be designed to ensure practical application of the learning. The course also is designed to enable the Caribbean to demonstrate leadership in energy efficiency practices and the adoption of renewable energy strategies, serving as a model for other small island developing states.

Evaluation report of the regional workshop on the measurement of poverty in the Caribbean

1. The member and associate member countries of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean/Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (ECLAC/CDCC) have committed to pursuing and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, a common set of goals and targets to bring all people up to minimum acceptable standards of human development by 2015. 2. However, in spite of various capacity-building initiatives, Caribbean countries continued to experience difficulties in addressing additional demands of monitoring and measuring progress created by the Millennium Development Goals and other Internationally Agreed Development Goals. Therefore, it was necessary to implement activities to ensure the further building/strengthening of institutional capabilities for generating reliable social, economic and environmental statistics among Caribbean States. 3. The ECLAC project entitled “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” sought to build and strengthen institutional capabilities for generating and compiling reliable social, economic and environmental statistics in the Caribbean subregion, through the provision of technical support, as well as the conduct of training workshops for statisticians and policymakers. 4. Within the objectives of that project, ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean convened a regional training workshop on the measurement of poverty in the Caribbean in Port of Spain, to build the capacity of government officials and other relevant stakeholders. 5. The overall objective of the workshop was to develop and strengthen the national technical capacity of public officials in data processing, systematization and dissemination of poverty indicators and measurement in the Caribbean subregion. The workshop further sought to review and discuss the current approaches to poverty measurement and monitoring in an effort to identify methods to ensure that monitoring and reporting of the Millennium Development Goals were conducted according to internationally agreed upon methodologies. Furthermore, the workshop also intended to review different methods of poverty measurements, including the multidimensional methodology for the measurement of poverty. 6. Participants were introduced to different methods of poverty measurements and other aggregation proposals which would enable countries to better measure progress towards Goal 1 on poverty, report on it and apply evidence-based approaches to national policymaking and planning.