Past Events
27 Apr 2009: Barbados focus group on renewable energy, climate change and sustainable development
UNDP and the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) facilitated a focus group for stakeholders in the energy sector including representatives from the electric utility, civil society, the private sector, donor agencies, and the energy, environment, agriculture and tourism sectors. This forum catered to the sharing of details on the initiatives being undertaken by each party in the area of renewable energy. It also aimed to generate discussion on the successes and lessons learned, barriers, and potential solutions. Other focus groups will be held within the coming months in Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
23-24 Apr 2009: CIPORE training workshop and global launch
The Scientific Research Council in Kingston, Jamaica was the location for the final days of training for the national node administrators of the Caribbean Information Platform on Renewable Energy (CIPORE), following on from initial sessions in February. CIPORE is the region's first and foremost online portal for all things renewable. It is a centralised location for data sharing, forums, live meetings, news and events, and a host of other information on initiatives in renewable energy across the Caribbean. The Caribbean Energy Information System (CEIS) at SRC functions as the central administrator. The official launch occurred on 24 April, with Prof the Hon Anthony Chen, Nobel Laureate, of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus "clicking the button".
30-31 Mar 2009: Photovoltaics Training Seminar
A very successful training workshop was hosted by CARILEC and UNDP on photovoltaic (PV) technologies. This was held at St. Vincent Electricity Services Ltd (VINLEC), and attended by over 20 electrical engineers and technicians from St. Vincent and St. Maarten. The facilitator was Dr. Indra Haraksingh, a senior physics lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus. Though brief, the 2-day seminar delved into areas such as basics of solar energy; mechanics of PV systems; design and installation; grid-connected, stand alone and hybrid systems; and various applications of PV.
11-12 Feb 2009: St. Lucia Synergies Workshop
A joint country meeting was held under the auspices of UNDP and the Government of St. Lucia, bringing together the teams working on the various projects under the Energy and Environment portfolio, as well as initatives under the GEF Small Grants Programme and the Poverty Reduction Programme. This is an effort to acheive more effective planning and collaboration between the various projects as they plan their work for the coming year. From this it is expected that there will be an improvement in implementation as a result of more efficient use of country resources e.g. in training, advocacy, data collection, management and sharing, etc. Additionally, it is hoped that conflicts and duplication of work will be minimised.
3-7 Nov 2008: Regional Capacity Building for Biodiversity
Focal points and project leaders for the Convention on Biological Diversity attended regional capacity building workshops focused on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), mainstreaming of biodiversity and the integration of climate change; and communication, education and public awareness and media relations.
19-25 Sept 2008: Vulnerability and Adaptation Modelling and Tools
Focal points for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and project leaders for the SNC attended a National Communication Support Programme (NCSP) workshop in Trinidad and Tobago focused on training in relation to the models and tools used for Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Assessments.
13-15 May 2008: Clean Development Mechanism Workshop
Supported by the Barbados Government, specifically the Environment Unit, the Latin American Energy Organisation (OLADE) in conjunction with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and other partners hosted a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Workshop to familiarise energy and environment stakeholders with the processes and procedures surrounding accessing CDM resources. Presentations were made on potential CDM projects in Barbados, including the Barbados Light & Power Wind Farm, the Cane Industry Restructuring Project, and the Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project. Experiences were also shared from the Wigton Wind Farm in Jamaica, which is the only project in the Caribbean to have accessed the CDM to date. UNDP E&E also shared details on ongoing and prospective renewable energy development initiatives across the region, including solar power, geothermal, biofuels and wind energy.
8-11 Apr 2008: SNC Initiation and Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment Workshop
Under the National Communication Support Programme (NCSP) the SNC Initiation and V&A Assessments Workshop for Caribbean Countries was held in Barbados at UN House. After an overview of the SNC process, time was spent going over each component of the SNC in detail. There was also training in the use of climate scenarios, including methods, tools and data sources, as well as a simulation exercise. Use was also made of sea level rise and socioeconomic scenarios. Finally, there was a field visit to the Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU) and some of their work sites for coastal rehabilitation.
