January 29, 2020
Issues surrounding Climate Change and the Environment were the main topics of discussion at a courtesy call paid to Hon. Daryl Vaz, Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, by H.E. Bernd von Munchow-Pohl, German Ambassador to Jamaica, and Ambassador Marian Schuegraf, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Germany.
L-R: H.E. Bernd von Munchow-Pohl, German Ambassador to Jamaica; Ambassador Marian Schuegraf, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany; Hon. Daryl Vaz, Minister Without Portfolio, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC); UnaMay Gordon, Principal Director, Climate Change Division, MEGJC
During the meeting held at Jamaica House on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, Minister Vaz, who has responsibility for Land, Environment, Climate Change and Investment, told the Ambassadors that Jamaica has to find the delicate balance between investment and growth, the environment and climate change, noting that the issues are critical ones for the country.
Ambassador Schuegraf who is visiting Jamaica for the first time, expressed her admiration for the country’s beauty and noted that climate change and the environment are two issues to which Germany is committed. She noted that Jamaica is the leading country in the region in terms of climate change resilience.
Minister Vaz and the German Ambassadors, also discussed the possibility of both countries working together on eco-tourism projects in Jamaica. According to Ambassador Von Munchow-Pohl, Germany has worked with Costa Rica in the area of eco-tourism which he said, comprises a large portion of Costa Rica’s capital.
One of the interventions by Germany in the region, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) was also discussed. The project supports the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the Caribbean.
NDCs represent efforts by each country to reduce their national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Paris Agreement requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve.
The International Climate Initiative supports the implementation of NDC’s in the Caribbean and specifically targets the transformation of the energy and transport sectors towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future (NDC-CARIB).
Minister Vaz and Principal Director in the Ministry’s Climate Change Division, UnaMay Gordon, both expressed gratitude for the assistance that Germany has provided to Jamaica in terms of training and financial grants, which have helped the country to become climate resilient.