By: Dr Carla Barnett
November 8, 2024
I am pleased that we are all able to be here today to mark CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year 2024. In March, I had the distinct pleasure of participating in the Official Launch of the CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year in Tokyo, in the presence of members of parliament, government ministers and officials, and a group of young Caribbean Community (CARICOM) diplomats on an official exchange programme in Japan. It was our pleasure to enjoy the warm hospitality of the Government and People of Japan.
My visit highlighted the strong partnership between Japan and CARICOM, since we established formal diplomatic relations in 1993. Our relationship has been rooted in mutual respect and shared values, and has flourished over the years, including through mechanisms such as the CARICOM-Japan Friendship and Cooperation Fund, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
This Friendship Year also marks the Thirtieth Anniversary of the First CARICOM-Japan Consultation. It is therefore an opportune time for us to reflect on our collaborative successes and future cooperation, especially, on this occasion, focusing on the development of the Caribbean Water Sector.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, water is a critical resource for life. Some, not all, of our CARICOM Member States have been blessed with an abundance of freshwater resources such as rivers, waterfalls and lakes. Climate change, however, is profoundly impacting all aspects of life in our Region, including our water supply. Sources of freshwater are under threat from climate variability contributing to an increase in both floods and droughts, while sea level rise is accelerating saltwater intrusion into underground aquifers.
Increasingly, natural disasters, primarily hurricanes, also lead to floods, biodiversity and ecosystem loss and damage to infrastructure. These impacts are compounded when debt burdens worsen with global external shocks as we experience from time to time.
Water management challenges in the Caribbean are therefore significant. Firstly, across the Region we are faced with ageing physical infrastructure with many parts of our distribution systems that were built back to deep in the colonial era resulting today in high levels of what we euphemistically call “non-revenue” water, whether through leakage or informal connections. This weakens our ability to meaningfully strengthen water governance and regulation of the water sector. This, at the same time that population growth, rapid urbanisation, and economic development challenges are leading to increased demand for water.
Failure to address the challenges to the water sector would further jeopardise the Region’s hard-fought progress on food and nutrition security, poverty reduction targets, and sustainable development. Since effective water management relies on solid policy frameworks and water governance structures, a holistic and participatory approach to water resource management is best likely to maximize positive results.
I, therefore, commend the Government of Japan and the Inter-American Development Bank for their longstanding support of the water sector, and for developing the Joint JICA-IDB financed initiative being launched here in Guyana.
Through the institutional support and development financing provided by these respective agencies, it is anticipated that the Region will benefit from innovative solutions, strategic financing, expert guidance and capacity building.
Several CARICOM Member States have already been implementing comprehensive water management plans, and have prioritised sustainability, equity, and resilience. They are seeking to secure a sustainable water future by leveraging technology solutions, fostering collaborative partnerships, engaging communities, and implementing effective governance practices.
We acknowledge JICA’s Training Programmes for 2024, which include valuable opportunities for Member States in:
operating and maintaining urban water supply systems for water distribution and service;
waste management towards control of marine litter;
water environment administration; and
water supply management and ecological purification systems.
These demonstrate that the Region’s water sector development needs align with JICA’s stated priority areas for the Caribbean. We look forward to seeing the impact and benefits of these knowledge sharing and capacity building efforts on the Region’s water sector.
Ladies and gentlemen, the commemoration of the 2024 CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year offered us a welcome opportunity to strengthen our relationship. As we look towards the next CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year in 2034, we reaffirm our commitment to work together to deliver tangible results that will shape a more resilient, sustainable, and prosperous future for our peoples.
Thank you.
(Dr. Carla Barnett, Secretary-General, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) delivered remarks at the CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year Event under the theme “Highlighting Past and Future Cooperation of the Caribbean Water Sector to CARICOM.” The event took place in Georgetown, Guyana, 4 November.)
Email your opinions, letters and commentaries to: letters@caribmagplus.com