The dynamic and innovative online event occurred on March 21st and 22nd (Word Water Day), 2023. Building on the first-ever CSSW held in 2021, at its core, the Symposium seeks to actively engage persons from the research and policy communities to bridge the gap between research outputs on water management and related areas, and their transposition from science to the policy domain to inform evidence-based decision-making. GWP-C also sees its CSSW as a way of promoting more effective regional water cooperation.
The 2023 Symposium focused on the urgent need to identify opportunities for advancing conservation efforts in the Caribbean water sector that offer sustainable solutions which are culturally relevant, affordable, and accessible. Integrally tied to this is the need for innovation and new thinking around water conservation, storage, use and management. Below is a visual summary of the opening ceremony of the 2023 CSSW.
The two-day event began with an opening ceremony where the Prime Minister of Grenada, the Honourable Dickon Mitchell gave the keynote address. Prime Minister Mitchell applauded the Caribbean Science Symposium on Water (CSSW) as an example of the innovative work that GWP-C has undertaken; finding new ways to support and promote Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the region.
In his address, of particular importance was Prime Minister Mitchell’s call for everyone to work together in addressing the water challenges facing the Caribbean. According to him “Scientists and technicians, practitioners, policy-makers and politicians need each other and need to talk in a language they both understand.”
Also speaking at the opening ceremony was Ms. Simone Lewis, GWP-C’s Regional Coordinator who provided great context on the 2023 CSSW in terms of its purpose, goals and role in bridging the gap between science and policy for the benefit of Caribbean water security.
During the opening ceremony, Dr. Adrian Cashman, Chair of the GWP-C Technical Committee, shared his thoughts on the water-related challenges facing the Caribbean and globally and what is being done to meet those challenges. He stressed the importance of working together to provide solutions.
Immediately following the opening ceremony was a very engaging Panel Session on “Climate Finance Loss and Damage – Prospects and Opportunities for the Caribbean Region?” The panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Trevor Thompson, GWP-C Steering Committee (SC) and Technical Committee (TEC) Member. The Panel comprised of:
- Dr. Emily Wilkinson – Senior Research Fellow, ODI; Director, Resilient and Sustainable Islands (RESI); and Chief Scientific Adviser, Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica.
- Dr. Colin Young – Executive Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
- Mrs. Nadia Spencer-Henry – Debt Manager, Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance, and Public Private Partnerships, Government of Antigua and Barbuda
Key takeaways from the panel discussion are seen in the graphics below:
The first of three (3) Paper Sessions in the 2023 CSSW took place on day one (1) under the theme “Modelling for Sustainability and Resilience.”
Paper Session I was facilitated by Dr. Arpita Mandal, Senior Lecturer (Department of Geography and Geology), The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona and GWP-C TEC Member.
Presenters covered topics ranging from drought forecasting; the creation of an integrated tool for environmental datasets to assist in decision-making and understanding groundwater in Belize; using nature-based solutions to assist in climate resilience measures; and research relating to regional food production/trade relative to water and productive capacities. Presenters in this session included:
- Dr. Azucena Rodriguez Yebra – Water Resources Scientist, HR Wallingford
- Dr. Karl Payne – Lecturer, Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES)
- Mr. Akil Crichlow – Past Graduate Student at the UWI St. Augustine and Trinidad and Tobago Chapter Member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN)
- Dr. David Yawson – Director, Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES)
Thee GWP-C Shark Tank Winners Panel concluded the first day of the 2023 CSSW. This panel discussion gave past winners of the GWP-C Young Caribbean Water Entrepreneurs Shark Tank Competition, the opportunity to share their experiences with a focus on where they are now and how their water-related ideas and business ventures have progressed.
The panellists included:
- Mr. Ajani Jacobs – Engineer and Water Scientist and the 2020 Winner of the GWP-C Young Caribbean Water Entrepreneurs Shark Tank Competition from Jamaica
- Mr. Dean Morris – Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Kee Farms and the 2022 Winner of the GWP-C Young Caribbean Water Entrepreneurs Shark Tank Competition also from Jamaica
The Panel was moderated by Dr. Elon Cadogan, National Project Coordinator for the Water Sector Resilience Nexus for Sustainability in Barbados (WSRN S-Barbados) Project (Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre).
The second and final day of the event opened with remarks from Ms. Jaehyang So, Chair of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) TEC.
The visual summary above and the graphic below highlight key aspects of Ms. So’s remarks.
Paper Session II: Building Resilience through Effective Planning and Monitoring – One of the key takeaways from this session is that planning and monitoring can assist in building resilience in the water sector and the environment with increased success in incorporating stakeholders. The visual summary below shows key areas touched on in the presentations.
Paper Session II was facilitated by Mr. Miguel Montoute, Water Resources Specialist at the Water Resources Management Agency (WRMA) of St. Lucia and GWP-C SC and TEC Member. Presenters in this session included:
- Dr. Antonella Rivera – Principal Investigator, Coral Reef Alliance
- Ms. Leanne Spence – Director, Instant-Save Conservation Solutions Jamaica Limited & Mr. Richard A. Coutou – Projects Manager, Instant-Save Conservation Solutions Jamaica Limited
A Ministerial Panel “On the Spot – Water Security and Innovation” was also a major session within the Symposium. This panel started with a feature address by the Honourable Kerryne Z. James, Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy of Grenada.
Minister James highlighted various water challenges facing Grenada and the Caribbean in her remarks. She highlighted various ways Grenada has acted through its new National Water Policy and different projects to strengthen and support better water resources management.
Honourable Minister James was also a panellist in the Ministerial Session facilitated by Dr. Adrian Cashman, Chair of the GWP-C TEC. Other panellists included:
- Mr. Jason Ernest – Director of the Water Resources Management Agency (WRMA) under the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development of St. Lucia
- Mr. Cromwell Williams (Manager/Water Engineer) – Representing the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities, Domestic Transport, Information, Communication, Technology and Post of St. Kitts and Nevis
Paper Session III: Conservation and Sustainability was facilitated by Mr. Reginald Burke, Executive Coordinator of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) and GWP-C SC Member.
There were two (2) presentations in this session by:
- Mr. Alex Harewood – Project Engineer, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
- Mr. Romiero Griffiths – Assistant Hydrologist, Water Resources Authority of Jamaica (WRA-Jamaica)
The visual summary below captures key themes from the presentations:
The final session at the 2023 CSSW was an Innovations Panel on good water conservation practices/policy initiatives from the Caribbean.
Mr. Christopher Corbin, Coordinator of the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat and Caribbean Environment Programme and GWP-C TEC Member facilitated this session. The five (5) panellists in this session had a few minutes to showcase their innovative water-related projects, programmes or policy initiatives. They included:
- Dr. Natalie Boodram – Senior Technical Officer, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)
- Mrs. Farzana Yusuf-Leon – Technical Specialist – IWEco, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
- Ms. Virginie Clerima – CARIBSAN Project Manager, International Office for Water (Office International de l'Eau - OiEau)
- Mr. Wayne Williams – Chair of the RSAP Implementation Monitoring Committee, Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA)
- Mrs. Beverly Monroe – Standards Officer III, Trinidad & Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) {Representing the GEF CReW+}
The visual summary below captures key aspects of each presentation:
The valuable contributions, key messages and knowledge gained from the various sessions from the 2023 CSSW would be used by GWP-C to further raise awareness and create practical outputs to support advancing IWRM in the Caribbean.
More Information
For information and to access resources from the 2023 CSWW, visit the CSSW website.