Cozier Frederick, the Chair of the Ministerial Council of the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), spearheaded a historic agreement with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) at the COP28 in Dubai on December 5, 2023.
The signing ceremony marked the formalization of a General Technical Cooperation agreement between PISLM and IICA, a pivotal moment for sustainable land management in the Caribbean region. The event was attended by Mr. Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, Penelope Beckles, Minister of Planning and Development of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Calvin James, Executive Director of PISLM and the distinguished Minister of Environment, Rural Modernization, Kalinago Upliftment, and Constituency Empowerment Mr. Cozier Frederick. Calvin James, the Executive Director of PISLM, welcomed the collaboration between IICA and PISLM which is designed to strengthen cooperation and technical support for member states, with a primary focus on soil health.
He highlighted the organization’s commitment to assisting Caribbean countries in meeting their UNCCD and Barbados Programme of Action mandates. Mr. Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, acknowledged the critical importance of addressing soil degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean. He emphasized the urgency of sustainable practices to meet future needs and applauded the success of previous initiatives, particularly in the Caribbean region.
Minister Cozier Frederick, in his role as Chair of the Ministerial Council, outlined the challenges faced by small island states and stressed the importance of an integrated management strategy. He highlighted the role of PISLM in addressing land degradation and contributing significantly to Sustainable Development Goals, particularly poverty alleviation and food security. Minister Frederick thanked IICA for its ongoing support, citing past collaborations in Dominica that focused on sustainable land management and resilience following Hurricane Maria. He unveiled an ambitious project, the Caribbean Land Degradation Neutrality Transformational Project, spanning 14 Caribbean countries, with a focus on enhancing Dominica’s GDP through agriculture. Expressing enthusiasm about the partnership, Minister Frederick acknowledged the local expertise within the Caribbean region and stressed the need to use this capacity for regional development. He conveyed gratitude to PISLM’s Executive Director, Calvin James, for his hard work and welcomed the collaboration with IICA in implementing transformative projects. The signing ceremony successfully concluded with all ministers, partners, and participants pledging their commitment to a sustainable future and fruitful relationship between PISLM and IICA advancing the goals of sustainable land management across the Caribbean region.