Green Growth Investment Forum Hailed a Success!
Tuesday, 12 October, BRUSSELS, – The recently concluded OECS Green Growth Investment Forum, organised by the Mission of the Eastern Caribbean States in Brussels was hailed as a success by all stakeholders involved in the ground breaking event.
The Green Growth Investment Forum, held on 6 -7 October 2011, sought to pursue and deepen an important dialogue with European partners from civil society, academia, EU institutions and the private sector about the need to ensure economic development while simultaneously prioritising environmental sustainability in the Eastern Caribbean, with a central role for innovation and clean technology. To that end, the Forum facilitated innovative ideas and the exchange of expertise and experiences. It also encouraged and succeeded in providing opportunities for advanced networking among experts from the public and private sectors in the OECS and Europe. In sharing his thoughts on the OECS Mission led Green Growth Investment Forum initiative, Welectricity Inc. Founder, Mr. Herbert Samuel described the event as timely, “the event appeared to be timely and successful and I believe I have made useful contacts that should serve to help the move towards greater energy efficiency and carbon reduction, in the near future.”
The Forum, which was opened by H.E Shirley Skerritt-Andrew, Ambassador/Head of Mission of the Eastern Caribbean States spoke of the opportunities available for OECS Member States regarding green technologies, “the Eastern Caribbean has much to offer to the world, and specifically to Europe, and much of it is in the area of the development and utilization of green technologies that preserve the environment while promoting economic growth that provide dividends to investors as well as to the natural habitat of our populations.”
Building on this invitation to make green investments in the OECS region was the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Consumer Affairs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Hon. Dr. Douglas Slater, who outlined that the OECS and its Member States have demonstrated a commitment to integration that has resulted in political stability, sound and secure financial and capital markets, and a highly educated and motivated people. “These together with their manageable size and the urgency to develop in harmony with their environment, makes the region an attractive and appealing green investment destination across any sector, be it in eco-manufacturing, ICT, tourism, creative and cultural industries, energy and energy efficiency, agriculture, eco-construction and infrastructure development”. Minister Slater lauded private companies operating in the region such as Welectricity and West Indies Power as trail blazers for their efforts to promote green enterprises.
One of the key outcomes of the Forum was a proposal by Paula Calderon of the Saint Lucia Manufacturers Association, that called for a partnership between institutions such as UNIDO and the CDE as well as the private sector in the region, with assistance from private sector representatives in Europe, to develop a “Green Award” for Caribbean Enterprises, that would encourage promoting and supporting green enterprise development across the region. Another outcome was the commitment to focus and build on legal frameworks in the OECS region that would facilitate joint policies on energy going forward. The Mission of the Eastern Caribbean States will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to bring to fruition many of the ideas coming out of the Forum and to take forward its objectives.
The groundbreaking Green Growth Investment Forum was made possible by the generous contribution of the Centre for the Development of Enterprise (CDE), the main sponsor of the event, as well as the CTA, EUCARINET/ENLACE, OAS, OIF, Taipei Representative Office in Brussels, Caribbean Export and CEIS.
To acces the profiles of speakers, presentations and photographs please see the information below.
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