Since 2012, nine Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have joined the IAEA. These countries share common needs and at the same time face unique challenges in adopting the use of nuclear technologies – owning to their small size and isolation. Responding to this need, a regional meeting was held from 26 to 30 August to draft a Regional Strategic Framework, which will support efforts to coordinate technical cooperation between the IAEA and members of CARICOM.
Food production, energy planning, water security and climate conditions are all influenced by the geography of the region. In view of these pressing needs, 16 representatives from the region and from multilateral organizations convened at the IAEA’s headquarters to begin developing the first-ever Regional Strategic Framework (RSF) for the Caribbean, which will align technical cooperation (TC) activities with regional development priorities for the next six years, from 2020 to 2026.
“The Caribbean has unique challenges and unique vulnerabilities. While we recognize that some of the issues and risks cut across many geographic regions, the Caribbean as a whole requires a separate focus, given the shared experiences of its populations,” said Ronald Jackson of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
"Cancer is the number one killer in the region. The Caribbean stands out in this issue, as our mortality rates are several times higher than our neighbours elsewhere in the Latin America region. The IAEA can help us strengthen collaboration with other countries, in terms of quality of services and uniformity of standards," said Carlene Radix, a representative of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.
The RSF is expected to inform the design and implementation of regional projects for the next three TC programme cycles. In view of its anticipated influence on IAEA activities and partnerships, stakeholder organizations based in the Caribbean were invited to participate in its development, including the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCC), the Organisation of East Caribbean States (OECS), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the University of West Indies and the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), with whom the IAEA signed a Practical Arrangement last year.
Cancer is the number one killer in the region. The Caribbean stands out in this issue, as our mortality rates are several times higher than our neighbours elsewhere in the Latin America region. The IAEA can help us strengthen collaboration with other countries, in terms of quality of services and uniformity of standards.
