The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) continues to implement its partnership with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (CCCCC). Building on the success of the national workshops in Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago which took place in May, CLGF will be leading a national workshop on Climate Resilient Urban Development in Paramaribo, Suriname, 21-23 October 2025.

Multi-level multi-sectors stakeholders

The workshop will bring together a wide set of stakeholders from across national government, regional government, civil society and academia. Being delivered in partnership with the Directorate of Environment of the Ministry of Oil, Gas & Environment, the workshop will look to bring key actors together to unpack the direction of the incoming government with regard to climate resilient urban development, and discuss the enabling environment for local action, as well as the opportunities and bottlenecks currently experienced on the ground.

Climate stress in urban areas

The workshop will look at the governance and management of settlements and services with a view to addressing cross-functional responsibilities, community outreach, capacity development, infrastructure maintenance, financing, and nature-based solutions. It will also look at the differences between ongoing stresses on the urban/peri-urban system versus acute emergencies and disaster risk response.

The workshop is part of the bigger multi-Country project on Climate Resilient Development being delivered in Saint Lucia, Dominica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Funded through the Green Climate Fund’s Regional Readiness and Preparatory Support line the project aims at enhancing the capacity of CARICOM member states in building the climate resilience of national and sub-national governments and the urban spaces they govern.  

Climate literacy

Increasing climate literacy and the ability of local and central government to work together to achieve both adaptation and mitigation targets is essential in preparing Caribbean communities for the increasing impacts of climate change. The meeting will directly respond to the commitments made by the 4^th SIDS conference (Antigua and Barbuda 2024), and the COP28 Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action and at country level the Structuurvisie voor de Ruimtelijke Ontwikkeling van Suriname (2025-2050) and the Suriname National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

Looking forward

CLGF is committed to supporting local government across its membership to address climate change and climate impacts, both in the form of on-going climate stress as well as in preparation for acute disasters and extreme weather. The outcomes of this national workshop will be presented to CLGF’s full Caribbean membership at its upcoming regional Caribbean meeting planned for early 2026.