Business View Caribbean October/November 2018

8 9 OPENING LINES FIRST REGIONAL INVESTMENT FORUM ON MEETING PARIS CLIMATE TARGETS HELD T he first forum of the Carib- bean Nationally Determined Contributions Finance Initia- tives was held on October 11 and 12 in Saint Lucia. Under the Paris Climate Agreement adopted at COP21, countries all agreed to contribute to the global climate effort.Their respective commitments were expressed in nationally deter- mined contributions (NDCs).These NDCs contain emissions reductions and adaptation goals and targets. Many Caribbean NDCs focus on areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean transportation,water, climate-smart agriculture, and critical infrastructure. This Forumwas jointly organized by the Organization of Easter Caribbean States Commission and the Govern- ment of Saint Lucia, in collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the German Agency for International Coop- eration on behalf of the German Fed- eral Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, under the auspices of the NDC Partnership. Support for the Forum has been pro- vided by the NDC Partnership Support Unit, the UNFCCC, the United Nations Development Program, the Caribbean Development Bank, the World Bank Group, the German Government, the government of Taiwan, and the Euro- pean Union, through its Global Climate Change Alliance. The Forumwas convened under the theme Caribbean Climate Leadership: Accelerating NDC Implementation. Its objectives were to: n Generate a roadmap for NDC im- plementation and investment n Identify and validate key NDC investment sectors/sub-sectors n Address implementation barriers and processes for updating NDCs, link- ing themwith national needs for miti- gation, adaptation and their co-benefits n Establish a process for project pipeline development and matchmak- ing with potential investors n Identify and engage development partners to support implementation n Establish a network of sector ex- perts, development partners, potential investors and other stakeholders with a view to building new partnerships and catalyzing investments.