The Canadian politics and government newspaper The Hill Times has a good story by writer Neil Moss on the links that Caribbean nations see between their push to advance a number of climate change-related reforms in the international arena, and the Canada-CARICOM Strategic Partnership. In brief, Canada should take an active role in advocating on behalf of vulnerable Caribbean nations in forums where they aren’t members, say current and former diplomats.
Written by Neil Moss, The Hill Times
“Today is Grenada. Tomorrow, any shifting [and] it wipes out another island. And it takes an inordinate amount of time and energy and resources to build back and build back better,” Saint Kitts and Nevis High Commissioner Samuel Berridge told The Hill Times at his chancery in Sandy Hill. “Every time there is a hurricane passing, we are on alert, and we are reminded by the vulnerability of small island states.”
He said it isn’t a time to celebrate that Hurricane Beryl missed his nation, but a time to remind the international community—including Canada—that the danger is “ever present.”
…
Former Canadian diplomat Robert Ready, who served as high commissioner to Jamaica from 2012 to 2015, said… “These are existential issues for small island developing states, and—against the whole array of international issues that the G7 or World Bank or IMF are dealing with—they can fall off the table if they don’t have a strong proponent,” he said, remarking that the “strategic partnership” Canada formed with CARICOM following the summit last October in Ottawa has raised the expectation for Canada to perform that work.
Read the full Hill Times article here.