Charlestown Nevis (November 10, 2004) The Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP) officially opened its 2nd annual Regional Focal Point Conference on Tuesday 9, at the Mount Nevis Hotel Conference Room.
The conference, which is hosted by the CREP Project Management Unit, is scheduled to take place over the next three days, where delegates are expected to arrive from twelve countries throughout the region, ranging from Suriname to Barbados
A brief opening ceremony was held to commence the conference and the Minister of Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Environment, the Hon A Michael Perkins officially welcomed the delegates to our shores.
He expressed his pleasure of being part of the ceremony, which he said, signaled the island of Nevis becoming of age, in that, it has the capabilities to host a conference of such magnitude. He noted that Nevis, being the host to a regional conference of such high standard, was the result of the hospitality of the people, and the much improved tourism product that the island had to offer.
Minister Perkins pointed out, that the conference should enhance the awareness of the community about the importance of protecting, preserving and participating in the sustainable development of our environment. He also pointed out that the fundamental objective of the conference was to focus on the role and obligations of the Focal Point Organisations (FPO) in the future implementation of CREP.
He added, "To share experiences to deal with the practical issues of the project implementation such as the financial, human resources and communications."
In suggesting that great things can happen when great minds come together, the Environment Minister alluded to the hope that conclusive decisions will be made and a common vision will emerge over the next few days, as the participants galvanize the thoughts to get on with the serious business of sustainable development in the region.
According to Perkins, the Nevis Island Administration, through its Ministry of Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Environment, had pledge its commitment to the project, (The Bath Amenity Project) in a very tangible way. He said, "We have already signed a memorandum of understanding, that includes, taking care of the administrative provision, the duties of the Focal Point Organisations, the responsibilities of the Ministry of Physical Planning, and the CREP Management Unit based in Barbados."
He also took the opportunity to commend and thanked the regional and international partners for developing and supporting the sustainable development agenda in the Caribbean and in the islands such as Nevis.
Programme Manager, Mrs Sandra Prescod-Dalrymple gave brief remarks. She noted that the conference was timely as the Caribbean governments were meeting in Trinidad. Mrs. Prescod-Dalrymple, who joined the programme in July 2004, said that the conference was the beginning of a long a fruitful relationship.
She pointed to the fact that not only will the stakeholders try to break down the traditional approaches to the way the resources are managed, but she stressed that they were living the dream of sustainable development. "We are making considerable strides towards moving the development model along its natural path," the Programme Manager commented.
