OECS Countries Urged to Protect and Preserve the Environment

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua - Antigua and Barbuda’s Health and Environment Minister, Sir Molwyn Joseph, says there is a need to protect and preserve the environment in the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) for the benefit of future generations.

Health and Environment Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph addressing the OECS Environment Exhibition launch at UWI FICAddressing the Ministerial Roundtable on the OECS 30×30 Transformation Programme, Sir Molwyn emphasized the need for current leaders to take steps to protect and preserve the environment and welcomed the proposal to establish a Regional Conservation Center within the OECS grouping.

But he told the event that the sub-region needs to do more than just setting up institutions “Beyond institutions and programmes, let us be clear: this is about our people, and about the generations who will inherit these islands after us. We have a profound obligation to ensure that future generations are not disadvantaged by the decisions—or indecisions—we make today.

“They must have confidence that the governments of this region are not only acting decisively but are including and empowering them as true partners in the work of conservation and sustainable management,” he added.

Sir Molwyn said that conservation is not a peripheral issue but central to protecting economies and lives.

“It is central to protecting our economies, our resilience, and our identity as Caribbean peoples. It must be at the very heart of our efforts to defend and nurture the natural systems upon which all life in our region depends.”

He said that the sub-region is no longer in a position to debate whether nature-based solutions are worthwhile, saying they are indispensable.

“Without healthy ecosystems, there can be no climate resilience. Without biodiversity, there can be no sustainable development. “So let this roundtable mark a point of convergence—where we unify our efforts, clarify our priorities, and commit to concrete, measurable next steps.”

The Ministerial Roundtable seeks to bring the OECS territories to commit to regional collaboration, solidarity, and institutional commitment in order to achieve the conservation of at least 30 per cent of region’s territorial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems by 2030.

The event here coincides with the OECS Environmental Sustainability Exhibition that is being staged here in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Islands Campus.

The exhibition, which ends on Wednesday showcases innovative technologies, interactive environmental education tools, and virtual reality experiences designed to raise awareness and promote environmental stewardship across the region.

The exhibition is made possible through the collaboration of the OECS, the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, BioSPACE, and COMES12.