The High Level Session (HLS) is an unmatched regional event, being the only meeting of Water Ministers in the Caribbean to date. The HLS affords Ministers and senior officials involved in water resources management a unique opportunity to share experiences and ideas for addressing water issues affecting the region and individual countries.
The Ministerial Forum is a joint initiative of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) and its partner, the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA), which began in 2005 as a parallel session of the CWWA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition.
Both GWP-C and CWWA saw the HLS as a proactive approach to addressing the water resources management problems in the Caribbean in relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Moreover, a means of bringing Ministers and policy makers together to engage in discussions on critical issues on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and to provide the necessary technical information to support decision making and the development and implementation of regional approaches / policies for water sector management.
High Level Session Overview (2005 - 2011)
HLS THEME
|
LOCATION
|
| HLS 1 - IWRM and Effective Water Governance |
Barbados |
| HLS 2 - Challenges and Opportunities in IWRM in the Caribbean |
Tobago |
| HLS 3 - IWRM Planning and Policies in the Caribbean |
St. Kitts |
| HLS 4 - Water Financing |
Jamaica |
| HLS 5 - Building a Water Secure Region: A Caribbean Response |
St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. |
| HLS 6 - Water Crisis in the Caribbean: The IWRM Response |
Grenada |
|
HLS 7 - Water Management Financing in the Caribbean: Pricing, Efficiency, Equity and Sustainability
|
Guadeloupe |
Key outcomes from past High Level Sessions
- At HLS 5, three Caribbean Ministers with responsibility for water from Guyana, Nevis and Grenada, endorsed a proposal to include water resources management as a key sector to be addressed at the highest political level in the Caribbean region.
- HLS 6 helped to encourage some Caribbean countries to work toward developing Drought Management Plans to be incorporated into their overall Water Resources Management planning.
- At HLS 7, five Caribbean Ministers of Water from Nevis, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Kitts, endorsed key recommendations for better water management in the region. A Decision Paper with these recommendations was signed by the five Ministers.
8th High Level Session (HLS) Ministerial Forum on Water
The 8th High Level Session (HLS) of Caribbean Water Ministers took place on October 4th and 5th, 2012 in the Bahamas. The Ministerial Forum focused on the theme "The Water and Energy Nexus in Caribbean Development."
The 8th HLS included sessions which critically explored areas such as:
- Energy for Water and Water for Energy
- Climate Change Implications for Water
- Sustainable Energy Options for the Water Sector
- Water Resources Management at the Ministerial Level
- Status of Water Resources Management in the Caribbean
Coming out of the 8th Form, nine (9) Caribbean Ministers with responsibility for water resources management have committed themselves to addressing regional water security and building climate resilience in the Caribbean. The Ministers present at the Forum from The Bahamas, Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Nevis, St. Kitts, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines signed a declaration which recognises that high level political leadership is key for meeting water security and climate change challenges faced by Caribbean countries.
Read press release here.
For more information on the HLS, contact the GWP-C Secretariat at info@gwp-caribbean.org.