Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility

08-18-2009

Renaming Ceremony/dedication of Mount Obama National Park/Monument, Antigua and Barbuda - August 4, 2009

 

 

            Prime Minister Spencer and honored guests: thank you for inviting me to share this special event with the gracious people of Antigua and Barbuda.

            We are here to honor,  as you have said so eloquently Mr. Prime Minister, "People of color all over the world, and indeed all people" in this renaming ceremony celebrating the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama on today, his 48th birthday.

            Mt. Obama is a powerful symbol of the untiring spirit of this country: it is a sanctuary for nature AND for people. We can never and will never forget that during the dark days of slavery this mountain was a refuge from evil; it offered the promise of a better life for future generations.

So it is in that spirit we honor Mr. Obama, the United States’ first African-American president.

In my own role here as CEO of the Global Environment Facility I recognize that it is important to remember lessons of the past so we can move forward as partners to protect the future.

            Antigua and Barbuda like many other Caribbean countries has a historical agricultural economy that has unfortunately left a legacy of deforestation and watershed damage. Today this region remains under environmental stress from man-made water and land pollution not to mention natural disasters like hurricanes.

            Clearly there is no time left for a business as usual scenario: where we are standing today has more than 300 plant species for example.

            The GEF stands ready to be a catalytic force for the future: we in fact already have a presence here through our partnerships with the government: this includes land and water sustainable development programs that protect BOTH nature and people. Some of our biodiversity projects now in motion aim to reduce poverty by encouraging sustainable harvesting in a way that embraces biodiversity and economic development.

            This synergistic approach is what the GEF mission is all about: we believe it is essential to consider the whole island ecosystem and its marine and terrestrial resources as a capital asset, which if properly managed and protected will continue to yield a flow of vital goods and services.

The GEF is also playing a large role in helping Antigua and Barbuda address coastal water pollution, protection of groundwater drinking sources, and sustainable management of the fisheries of the Caribbean.

            In partnership with various United Nations agencies, 13 Caribbean island states are working together to strengthen their commitment and capacity to better manage your watersheds and coastal resources.

            Here in St. John’s, a demonstration scale project chosen by your government has started moving toward a solution to the long-standing sewage problem that pollutes your coastal waters and contaminates your shellfish.

            By the end of the project, you will have demonstrated on a small pilot scale a new way of handling your sewage pollution with a wetland treatment filter system and will have a proposal developed for approval by Cabinet of needed municipal reforms and a larger scale design that can protect the health of your residents and reduce pollution of your coastal waters.

            Additionally, Antigua and Barbuda are participating with 21 other Caribbean nations in another GEF UNDP project to reduce over-exploitation of Caribbean fisheries and to adopt governance reforms to sustain the fishery as well as protect livelihoods for your coastal residents. The living marine resources of the Caribbean know no national boundaries and you are now moving toward depleting your fish stocks and those of the spiny lobster, which is critical for high value export.

            Through the GEF International waters project, fishermen council, merchants, local government, and national government will be ready to choose a new path toward sustaining marine catches. But all Caribbean governments need to do the same if the fish are to be shared among your nations. That is why this special area of GEF will prove critical to sustaining your economy and the income of fishing communities.

            The work on this project has just started, but I look forward to hearing of progress in the coming years. And make no mistake that even as we celebrate what we have done so far there is a lot work left ahead of us: this nation today has eight declared protected areas but this number represents less than 5% of the sensitive areas that need help. Together I am confident we can change this present course; our celebration today is a good step in that direction: so in the words of President Obama: Yes we can!

            Thank you.

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