Caribbean - Annual Report 2021 - Global Water Partnership

Supporting the Dominican Republic’s NDCs

GWP Caribbean has been assisting the Government of the Dominican Republic (DR) to prepare the country’s submission for the second round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Partnering with the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism of the Dominican Republic (CNCCMDL) and the NDC Support Unit, GWP Caribbean helped to build the capacity of environmental professionals in the DR, on the technical management of climate data sets and tools for rainfall projections and climate scenarios.

Four virtual half-day training workshops were held on climate scenarios, rainfall projections, and flood and landslide risk assessments. They were attended by over 30 participants from a range of institutions. Policy Briefs on climate risk resilience were published in English and Spanish.

In coordination with CNCCMDL, GWP Caribbean has also been developing a portfolio of bankable investments to finance climate change projects in the DR. After extensively reviewing documents and conducting interviews with key stakeholders, five basins were prioritised. The watersheds of focus are Río Tocino-Artibonito in Elías Piña, Ríos Panzo, Las Damas and Laguna de Cabral in the Hoya of Lago Enriquillo, and Tábara and Jura in Azua. The aim is to compile recommendations on environmental and social adaptation measures, to be implemented for the conservation and efficient use of water and other natural resources.

Empowering young leaders

Launched in July 2021, the GWP Caribbean Water Academy for Youth is a unique three-month programme designed to build the IWRM capacity of young Caribbean leaders between the ages of 20 and 35 years.

Thirty-two young professionals from 12 countries in the region took part in the programme, which aimed to teach them a range of skills to help them provide sustainable solutions to Caribbean water issues in the future including:

Scientific writing
Business development and entrepreneurship
Proposal/concept note development
Storytelling in water
Problem-solving through innovation
Climate resilience and IWRM
IWRM and SDG 6.5.1 (degree of IWRM implementation)

Water storage and land use papers released

GWP Caribbean released two perspective papers in 2021 covering freshwater storage and land use in the Caribbean.

‘Status, Need and Role of Freshwater Storage in the Caribbean’ explored how efficient storage and management of water can help countries achieve their national goals, as well as SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).