The GEF CReW+ Project held its Inception Meeting
The Caribbean Region faces many challenges in the water and sanitation sector. About 70% of the region’s population lacks access to safely managed sanitation services, implying severe environmental and public health risks.
Addressing these challenges with innovative solutions for integrated water and wastewater management in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) was the main topic at GEF CReW+ Project inception meeting held in November 2020. More than 150 participants from the 18 project countries and regional and international organizations attended the two-day virtual workshop. Among them were representatives from ministries, water and wastewater associations, non-profit organizations, educational institutions.
Sergio Campos, Water and Sanitation Chief at the Inter-American Development Bank, made the following remarks in his introductory speech:
"the reality of climate change in our region should certainly trigger the design of better policies, community involvement and the participation of a more diversified portfolio of investment. A better understanding of the water cycle and how it is seriously impacted by climate change should turn the silo paradigm to an integrated catchment view. The concept of circular economy ought to bring to the table all the relevant players that are affected by climate change."
The two-day workshop allowed participants to present their activities, describe the implementation process and understand the role of participating agencies. The meeting encouraged regional integration and spotlighted synergies among countries in achieving SGD 6.3.
Griselio Hayans Mendez, Regional Director for the Guna Yala Comarca at the Ministry of Environment (MiAmbiente) in Panama stated:
“this is a project that will change the lives of our brothers and sisters at the Guna. Our people are anxiously waiting, they want to see this project as a reality. We are just an instrument for a community.”
In Panama, the GEF CReW+ aims to design a water and sanitation system for the Nuevo Carti community at the Comarca Guna Yala.
Water and wastewater guidelines and a financial mechanism to ensure operation and maintenance of the infrastructure are also being developed by the authorities together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The project will benefit more than 300 families in the Nuevo Carti community.
One of the areas identified for cross-country collaboration was sludge management where Belize, Suriname and Jamaica share a common goal. A framework policy related to sludge management is strongly needed in the countries to ensure the reuse as well as a mechanism to focus on emptying and transportation services that is financially viable.
One of the most important pillars of the GEF CReW+ Project is the concept of Integrated Wastewater Resources Management (IWRM) based on the four Rs of the circular economy approach: reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover. The project considers wastewater not as waste, but as a valuable resource for reuse for agriculture, industrial and commercial purposes.
Furthermore, regional activities are being developed to foster regional cross-country collaboration and sharing information for advocacy for IWRM.
About GEF CREW+
The GEF CReW+ is a partnership project financed by the GEF that is being co-implemented by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 18 countries of the WCR: Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The GEF CReW+ project is being executed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the Organization of the American States (OAS) and the Secretariat of the Cartagena Convention on behalf of the IDB and UNEP respectively.
For more information on the GEF CReW+ Project, please contact Regional Coordinator Pedro Moreo (PMOREO@iadb.org) as well as visit https://academy.gefcrew.org for documentation. Please refer to the www.gefcrew.org website for information on the predecessor project on which GEF CReW+ is meant to continue and build on.
