The Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Expanded Constituency Workshop (ECW) for the Caribbean Constituency took place from May 16-19, 2017 in St. George’s - Grenada. The ECW meetings are a component of the GEF’s Country Support Programme (CSP). Managed by the GEF Secretariat, the CSP strengthens the capacity of GEF Focal Points, Convention Focal Points, civil society and GEF Agency staff to support environmental programs in their countries and constituencies through a better understanding of the GEF. Looking forward to the seventh replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund (GEF-7), a series of meetings are being held around the world to both share information, and get feedback from the countries themselves.

The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) and the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI) were invited by the GEF Secretariat to host a session in the ECW agenda, to present their work, joint objectives and how they are working with the different partner countries in the ECW constituencies to achieve the conservation and sustainable finance targets.

The CBF CEO, Yabanex Batista, the CCI Secretariat Coordinator, Hayden Redhead, and Conservation Trust Funds Specialist, Karen McDonald Gayle, presented in the session. CCI and CBF countries and partners who were there for the meeting also participated in the session. The Governments of the Bahamas, represented by Stacy Lubin Gray, and Dominican Republic, represented by Claudia Adames, presented on their experiences with and importance of being members of the CCI and how CCI is assisting them to advance national and international commitment. The Marine Ecosystem Protected Area (MEPA) Trust Fund gave an account of the process to create a new national conservation trust fund that will be partnering soon with the CBF and which designed to mobilize resources for conservation in Antigua and Barbuda.

Key partners also shared their perspectives on the CCI and CBF. The Global Environment Facility, represented by Sarah A. Wyatt and The Nature Conservancy, represented by Robbie Bovino, also recognized the important progress achieved by the Caribbean Challenge Initiative and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund. Both highlighted their past and ongoing support for the work in the region and encouraged the participants to ‘stay tuned’ for more.