JIS: Principal Director in the Climate Change Division, Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation,  UnaMay Gordon, has called on educational institutions to partner on climate change sensitisation initiatives in western Jamaica, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.

 

Addressing a Post Conference of Parties (COP) Youth Consultation on Climate Change at the Wexford Hotel, in Montego Bay, St. James, on March 29, Mrs. Gordon argued that  youth need to lead the charge and target people all levels, in order to devise working climate change strategies to reduce the country’s carbon footprint.

 

“So, if we target our people strategically at different levels, we should come out with something in the near term.  It’s through partnership as well that we will be able to get the financing to do the work that we are doing,” Mrs. Gordon said.

 

She emphasised that public-private partnership is key to creating an impact at the national, regional and international levels.

 

“We need partnership with civil society, the NGOs in the communities, the St. James Municipal Corporation if this thing is to work, and we need partnership in the schools,” she added.

 

Mrs. Gordon pointed out that the Climate Change Division is currently working closely with the Green Climate Fund, to create a programme to tackle change in Jamaica.

 

“We are engaged at this time with the Green Climate Fund and so we are in the process of developing a country programme for engagement with the Fund. We would like to charge the stakeholders in Montego Bay, so that the city is adequately represented in the country programme,” she outlined.

 

The Green Climate Fund was established within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

 

The conference featured  discussions on Regional Efforts to Engage Youth, Opportunities and Challenges, Youth-Led Climate Change Actions as well as Climate Change Innovations and Entrepreneurship.

 

Among the schools that participated in the conference were Green Pond High, Montego Bay High, Little Bay All-Age and Infant and Heinz Simonitsch as well as Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College.

 

The event was organised by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 

CAPTION: National Coordinator for the Japan Caribbean Climate Change Partnership, Ayesha Constable (centre), interacting with Green Pond High School students, Shymel Hylton (left), and Andre Harriott, at the Post Conference of Parties (COP) Youth Consultation on Climate Change, held at the Wexford Hotel, in Montego Bay, St. James, on March 29.