Roseau, Dominica – March 25, 2008………Dominica’s Minister for Energy, Hon. Charles Savarin is leading a four man delegation to Barbados to participate in a High-Level Roundtable on International Cooperation for Sustainable Development in Caribbean Small Island Developing States and a Business and Investment Forum on Sustainable Development of Geothermal Energy Resources and the Sustainable use of Fisheries.
Hon. Charles Savarin who left the state earlier today for the March 25-27 Meetings is accompanied by the Director of the Environmental Coordinating Unit, Mr. Lloyd Pascal, Chief Fisheries Officer, Mr. Andrew Magloire and Senior Projects Officer in the Ministry of Energy, Mr. Michael Fadelle.
The Meetings are being financed and facilitated by the Government of Iceland, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Government of Barbados.
The discussions will afford the opportunity for high-level dialogue on issues which are critical to the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States and will also provide scope for the exploration of investment possibilities and initiatives for capacity building in the context of renewable energy development and sustainable fisheries management.
The Roundtable dialogue which will be co-chaired at ministerial level by the Government of Barbados and Iceland will engage Ministers and senior decision makers, while the Business and Investment Forum will facilitate contact among practitioners and the private sector of Caribbean States and Iceland.
Some topics for discussion at the High level Roundtable include:
· Regional Assessment of sustainable development in Caribbean SIDS
· The impact of climate change on Caribbean SIDS
· Examples of Barbados’ initiatives in renewable energy
· Overview on Icelandic Development cooperation in the energy sector with Central America and the Caribbean
· The state of fisheries in the wider Caribbean region
· Resource management of fisheries in Iceland and Icelandic development cooperation
Topics for discussion at the Business and Investment Forums on Energy and Fisheries include:
· Experience in geothermal power development
· The Eastern Caribbean Geothermal Energy Project (Geo-Caraibes)
· Financing sustainable energy projects in the Caribbean
· Geothermal energy potential in the Caribbean
· Solutions in the renewable energy sector: geothermal and small to medium-size hydro energy projects
The Government of Dominica sees this High-Level Roundtable and the Business and Investment Forum as timely as they are coming at a time when there is renewed emphasis in the development of Dominica’s geothermal energy resources.
Just two weeks ago saw the media launch of a project titled Preparation of a Geothermal-based Cross-Border Electrical Interconnection in the Caribbean. The project will, among other things, produce geophysical and scientific data on Dominica’s geothermal resources that will be sufficient to determine the commercial and physical viability of the resource.
