Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Irwin La Rocque has a wish list he wants fulfilled for the Caribbean over the next five years.
La Rocque, outlined his list at the launch of the Clinton Global Initiative Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery, at the University of Miami on Tuesday.
The CARICOM Secretary General, along with Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, were among the more than 350 representatives of businesses, non-governmental organizations and governments who attended the event.
Continued vulnerability to natural disasters
La Rocque, who participated in a panel discussion chaired by the former United States president, Bill Clinton, made reference to the region’s continuing vulnerability to natural disasters and the need for the support of the international community.
“We’ve done some climate change modeling and the predictions are not good…the modeling is saying we are going to be having more frequent and intense storms, and in the off season we are going to have drought. So, we have to prepare for a range of disasters,” La Rocque said.
Asked the type of Caribbean region he would like to see in five years, the Secretary General outlined his wish list, stressing the need for resilience in all areas of development.
Disaster resilient housing
“I would like to see a Caribbean where five years from now a significant proportion of the housing stock is disaster resilient. I would like to see that our water systems are also disaster resilient. Water was out in some of the affected countries for days.
Underground electricity
“I would like to see electricity powerlines underground so that they can withstand the disasters and that we achieve our target for renewables across our countries. I would like to see our agriculture more resilient in terms of the right crops.
“Much of our farming is subsistence farming and most of our farming community depend on that for their livelihood. For those countries whose tourism is significantly dependent on the environment I would like greater environmental resilience.
“By that I mean reforestation for those damaged areas, slope stabilization, coral reef protection, mangrove propagation. It is a lot and it will take a lot of, not just financial, but technical assistance,’ La Rocque told the discussion.
The Action Network, being spearheaded by Clinton, was formed at the invitation of the governments of Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The islands devastated by Hurricanes Maria and Irma last year.
 Secretary General Irwin La Rocque has a wish list he wants fulfilled for the Caribbean over the next five years.){kind=link}