Minister Smith attended PISLM Ministerial Meeting by J’Naye Charles & Carol-Faye Bynoe-George
The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM) extended an invite to the minister responsible for United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Antigua and Barbuda to participate in the Caribbean Ministerial United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Preparatory Conference of the Parties Meeting which was held on 8-9 August 2024 in the Bahamas. The meeting was attended by Mr. Anthony Smith Jr/Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Lands and the Blue Economy and Miss Sandra Joseph/Permanent Secretary- Ministry of Tourism.
The event began on the morning of the 8th August with an island tour which allowed them to experience the unique environmental and cultural aspects of the Bahamas. In the evening the welcome ceremony featured distinguished leaders including Ms. Andrea Meza Murillo/ Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, Mr. Vaughn P. Miller/Honourable Minister of the Environment for the Bahamas, and Mr. Philip Edward Davis (KC MP)/Honourable Prime Minister of the Bahamas.
On 9th August, the focus was on adopting the Caribbean’s position on Sand and Dust Storms, Drought, and other Conference of Parties (COP) 16 thematic areas in preparation for the UNCCD COP16, scheduled for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2 to 13, 2024. Plans for the approval of the establishment of a UNCCD SIDS Forum and a SIDS Pavilion at COP16, as well as the launch of two Caribbean SIDS Land Degradation Neutrality projects totaling approximately 100 million United States Dollars, were also addressed. In Addition, a high-level round table was convened to discuss the benefits of forming a SIDS Caucus within the UNCCD.