A regional initiative to embed cross-party political commitment to environmental conservation across the Eastern Caribbean is moving forward in Antigua and Barbuda, after researchers from the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus (UWI FIC) delivered the program’s preliminary findings to senior national government officials this week.
Led by the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF), the Advancing Conservation in the Eastern Caribbean Programme was created to address growing climate and biodiversity risks across the small island developing states of the region by building sustained parliamentary support for conservation action. The initiative’s core model supports participating nations to establish inclusive, cross-party parliamentary conservation caucuses that embed environmental stewardship into formal legislative and policy processes.
To date, three regional nations – Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Suriname – have already fully completed the program and launched their own non-partisan parliamentary conservation caucuses. Antigua and Barbuda is now on track to become the fourth participating country, following bilateral consultations between the UWI FIC research team and key local stakeholders. A national validation workshop to finalize the next steps for the country’s caucus is scheduled for July 22 at Antigua and Barbuda’s Department of Environment.
The UWI FIC delegation that presented the preliminary findings included Dr. Branson Belle, Executive Director of the institution’s Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and Blue Economy, and marine and conservation researcher Dr. Christopher Waters. The findings were shared with Hon. Michael Joseph, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, and Jaabari Reynolds, Biodiversity Focal Point at the national Department of Environment.
To ensure broad buy-in from all segments of national life, the upcoming July validation workshop will be split into two separate sessions designed to accommodate input from a wide range of groups. The structure aligns with the program’s emphasis on a “Whole of Society” approach to conservation and sustainable development, which brings together actors across public and private sectors to tackle shared environmental challenges.
Minister Joseph welcomed the initiative, emphasizing that collective, coordinated action is the only effective way to confront the accelerating impacts of climate change across small island states. “The effects of climate change are far-reaching and touch every aspect of our lives. Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated Whole of Society approach that brings together government, civil society, the private sector, academia and our communities,” Joseph stated in remarks following the presentation.
He added that cross-sector initiatives like the ICCF program play a critical role in strengthening national conservation commitments, while nurturing innovative solutions and building long-term climate resilience for current and future generations.
When fully rolled out across the region, the program is expected to create a standardized framework for deeper parliamentary engagement in environmental policy-making, and strengthen cross-border collaboration to advance shared goals for biodiversity protection and climate resilience across the Eastern Caribbean.