NO.33 /2015 DATE: April 16, 2015
PROGRAM FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE (PPCR) APPROVES MORE MONEY FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN GRENADA
ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, Thursday, April 16, 2015: On March 26th, 2015, a one day National Stakeholder’s Consultation was held at the Spice Island Beach Resort, Grand Anse, St. George’s to review the 2014 Stakeholders’ Monitoring Report on implementation status of the Grenada Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR) and its performance under the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and to commence preparation of the 2015 Monitoring Report. This activity was a key component of the Monitoring and Reporting requirement of the CIF-PPCR and the World Bank for countries benefiting from Grant and concessionary financing under the CIF-PPCR.
Grenada is currently benefiting from grant and concessionary loan financing in the amount of US$35 million from the CIF-PPCR through the Regional Disaster Vulnerability Resilience Project (RDVRP) and the Additional Financing for the RDVRP which was recently approved by the PPCR in 2015. US$13 million of this amount is in PPCR grants. Projects included under this funding include: D’Lance and Hubble Bridges; Sendall Tunnel Rock Fall and the St. John’s River.
The Consultation was jointly organized by the World Bank and the Government of Grenada through the Economic and Technical Cooperation Department within the Ministry of Economic Development, Planning, Trade, Cooperatives and International Business and was chaired by the Director of Economic and Technical Cooperation. Stakeholders present included representatives from the World Bank, National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) and the RDVRP.
Stakeholders concluded that while the 2014 review show that Grenada has made progress but still has some way to go to become climate resilience and to develop the capacity to implement climate resilience actions. In this regard several positive recommendations were made to improve Grenada’s performance. The reestablishment of the National Climate Change Council to drive the climate change agenda of integrating climate change at the national planning level, the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation as well as monitoring and reporting was welcomed by stakeholders as well as the targeted climate change actions of the GIZ under the ICCAS project. The Economic and Technical Cooperation within the Ministry of Economic Development, Planning, Trade, Cooperatives & International Business would lend support to the National Climate Change Committee in this regard as well as collate sectorial perspectives on the SPCR’s priorities and implementation for possible modifications.
Moreover, stakeholders welcomed the PPCR Sub committee’s approval of an additional US$10.39 million grant funding for the Caribbean Regional Track of the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience. Grenada is expected to benefit in the area of data collection for adaptation planning, and sea level rises and storm surge impact analysis. This complements the work done under the Grenada PPCR.Grenada along with St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Jamaica and Haiti stand to directly benefit from this grant. Stakeholders also noted that the PPCR Sub-committee on which Grenada is represented also recently approved US$50 million for innovative private sector investments in Climate Resilience and Adaptation for PPCR countries.