CLGF’s project with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (5 Cs) is continuing with the latest innovative workshop held in Suriname, focusing on the mainstreaming of climate actions in urban governance, planning and development. 

The workshop took place over three days from 21 October in the Suriname capital, Paramaribo, and the event was opened by Hon Patrick Brunings, Suriname’s Minister of Oil, Gas and Environment, with presentations from Lucy Slack, CLGF’s Secretary General, Keith Nichols from the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, and Hon Stephen Tsang from Suriname’s Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning. As well as welcoming participants, the opening session sought to encourage participants to play an active role in discussions throughout the event to produce an action-oriented approach to addressing issues of both on-going and acute climate impacts.

The event brought together around 50 central and local government participants, made up of ministries with responsibility for urban service provision, district governors, district level technical officers, and officials from key agencies, as well as academics and civil society.

Reflecting on local data and experience

The workshop provided an opportunity to reflect on the data collected and the local knowledge and experience of key stakeholders from across government to set priorities for action on key issues impacting climate resilient urban development. Taking a systems approach, the workshop has developed a matrix of short, medium and long term priorities, as well as exploring issues which are most to least pressing and most to least deliverable. The workshop will also address the different role of actors in the urban environment and target priorities for action to those most able to facilitate change.

Topics for discussion

Topics discussed included: the key challenges and future perspective in urban areas of climate change; the roles, responsibilities and inter-agency coordination of urban development; the issues and principles of climate literacy; existing challenges such as urgency, territory, impacted groups, infrastructure, economy impacts; and capacity development and skills training.

The workshop is a significant outcome of Suriname’s participation in the 5 Cs project, highlighting the importance of climate resilient urban development to the Government of Suriname and the Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment in particular. It was designed to increase climate literacy and understanding of the different actors with influence on ensuring climate resilient urban development and brought together representatives from a number of district councils and government ministries, as well as the national bodes for energy, water, spatial planning and technologies.

Building climate resilience capacity

Part of the Multi-Country Climate Resilient Development Initiative, the project is active in four countries - Saint Lucia, Dominica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Developed in partnership with the respective governments, the project is funded through the Green Climate Fund’s Regional Readiness and Preparatory Support line, and runs for 36 months across 2023 to 2026. The aim is to enhance the capacity of CARICOM member states in building the climate resilience of national and sub-national governments and the urban spaces they govern. 

CLGF in the Caribbean

The project is a continuation of CLGF’s extensive work in the Caribbean since its establishment in 1995, working with central government ministries of local government, national local government associations, and municipalities in member countries to implement decentralisation and the reforms that will empower local government and improve governance and service delivery. Central to this has been CLGF’s Caribbean office, which has been in place since 2016 and based in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago.