The European Union (EU) reaffirmed its financial support for regional sustainable development and noted that it desired as one of the outcomes, a concise Regional Biodiversity Strategy for the next five years. Layla El Khadraoui, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., EU Delegation in Guyana, speaking at the opening the Participatory Regional Workshop for development of the CARICOM Biodiversity Strategy at the Secretariat Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana said: “The European Union as you all know has been a reliable friend to CARICOM/CARIFORUM and it is our hope that the exchanges throughout this workshop will guide the discussion towards a concise Regional Biodiversity Strategy for the next five years.” Describing the EU as “the world’s largest contributor” to cooperation for development and climate financing, she said it increasingly integrates climate change into its broader development strategy. Much work she noted has been done with the UN Environment “to build a strong regional approach to the conservation and management of marine and terrestrial biodiversity in the Caribbean, focusing initially on Cuba, Haiti and Dominican Republic (with a budget of 3.5 m EUR).”

Source: The St Kitts and Nevis Observer