17 February 2017 - Barbados welcomed a mission of the United Nations Partnership for Action on Green Economy led by UN Environment last February. The island is moving towards a green economy: it joined the partnership in May 2016 and its National Strategic Plan (2006-2025) aims at “building a green economy, strengthening the physical infrastructure and preserving the environment.”
A green economy is one that improves human well-being and social equality while reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The Partnership for Action on Green Economy seeks to assist countries towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the goal to “promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work.”
Although the manufacturing base in Barbados is small, the country could benefit from the green economy as it harbors a well-educated workforce and registers opportunities in sectors as fishing, tourism, and construction.
The Minister of Environment, Dennis Lowe, explained the impact that the green economy has had on the country “moving from a fringe concept on the environment to a widely embraced approach for economic prosperity, and a key building block for Barbados’ forward growth strategy.”
During an inception workshop, participants sought to explore with the government and key stakeholders how the partnership could support the country to promote a green economy. An update on Barbados’ progress was given as well as a timeline for the activities to be carried out under the inception/stocktaking phase of the partnership in the country during 2017.
The following priority areas were identified: green jobs, green industry, a system of evaluating the progress of green economy metrics and Small Island Developing States outreach for capacity building on the green economy.
