The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) and Canada on Wednesday, May 8, commemorated one year of partnership through the implementation of the Caribbean Organisations for a Resilient Environment (CORE) Project at a Feature Event held in Kingston, Jamaica.

CORE is a regional project financed by Canada (CAD 8M) and implemented by the CBF, aimed at driving inclusive and gender-responsive climate action in eight target countries; Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.

The project is a demonstration of Canada’s support to the Caribbean in addressing the climate crisis by protecting more biodiversity, and improving climate resilience and disaster preparedness across the region.

The Caribbean faces escalating climate challenges, including droughts, extreme weather, sea level rise, and flooding, amplifying risks to ecosystems, infrastructure, and livelihoods.

The region’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change renders adaptation and resilience measures essential for Caribbean countries to achieve sustainable development. Gender disparities further compound this vulnerability with women and men, rural and urban dwellers, experiencing climate impacts differently.

Representatives of the Government of Jamaica, and other specially invited guests gathered at the Feature Event to recognize this partnership between the CBF and Canada.

High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica Emina Tudakovic, in her remarks at the event, congratulated the CBF for advancing climate action and gender equality in the Caribbean through the CORE Project.

From 2023 to 2027, the CORE Project is expected to provide grants for action projects, technical assistance and capacity building to 40 organizations focused on gender-responsive climate actions across the region.

Highlighting the principles of the Feminist International Assistance Policy which puts gender equality and empowering women and girls at the heart of Canada’s international assistance efforts, her excellency said “CORE’s activities will prioritize gender-responsive solutions. This means considering how climate interventions impact women and men differently and using this information to design and implement tailored strategies that benefit both men and women equitably.”

Under the CBF CORE project, the main beneficiaries and conduits for local interventions are National Conservation Trust Funds (NCTFs) which lead the charge to protect their countries’ biodiversity and natural resources.

To ensure alignment with best practices in the delivery of their mandates, the CORE project has developed action plans for the target NCTFs based on the Conservation Trust Fund Practice Standards. The practice standards serve as a tool for improving the design, management, and monitoring and evaluation of conservation trust funds.

In recent years, Jamaica has launched a gender and climate change strategy and action plan that was designed to lay the groundwork for mainstreaming gender and climate considerations into projects and policies as a means of effective disaster risk reduction and strategic development planning.

CORE activities in Jamaica will be facilitated by CBF’s partner fund, the National Conservation Trust Fund of Jamaica (NCTFJ).

Manager of the NCTFJ Daniella Aitcheson shared that the organization has disbursed over USD 750,000 to local grantees under the umbrella of biodiversity conservation and is now excited to take on gender-responsive climate actions as well.

Within the next three months, eight Caribbean countries will host Canadian volunteers where they will provide technical assistance to regional conservation trust funds and local civil society organizations under a partnership agreement with Cuso International.

Later this year, the CBF CORE project will put into operation a Gender Smart Facility that will deliver grant funding to regional Environmental and Women’s Rights Organisations (EWROs).

The Feature Event paved the way for the CBF hosting a Jamaica National Dialogue on Thursday, May 9, 2024 which created networking opportunities among CBF beneficiaries in Jamaica to discuss the importance of conservation trust funds in the region and the funding mechanisms currently in place to support local projects.

During a field visit to Port Royal, participants got a firsthand look at the impact of grant funding through projects implemented by Yardie Environmental Consultants and Mona GeoInformatics Institute.

Energized by two days of activities highlighting the CBF’s partnership with Canada, CBF CEO Karen McDonald-Gayle said, “Through the CBF CORE Project we have committed to ensuring inclusive and gender-responsive biodiversity conservation and climate action. With the support of Canada, and other donors and partners, we look forward to continuing our grantmaking activities in Jamaica and across the Caribbean in a manner that considers our most vulnerable and builds resilience of our region to the impacts of climate change.”