Of the 26 countries selected for the global initiative, Trinidad and Tobago is the only Caribbean territory. This means that the stakeholder inputs received from Trinidad and Tobago will influence the larger global policy dialogue and will help to ensure that the Caribbean has input into the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
The UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, in June 2012 (Rio+20) triggered a broad consultative exercise both within and external to the UN, to consider the Post-2015 Development Framework. In 2013, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was a part of this activity, as it led a global consultation process by hosting national dialogues on Water in twenty-two (22) selected countries as a follow-up to the UN Survey on Water Resources Management which was carried out in 2011. The national consultations were carried out to get country level feedback from the 22 countries on their water priorities, to help shape the UN Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Antigua and Barbuda had been selected as the focus country from the Caribbean region for these dialogues. As the Caribbean arm of the GWP, the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) contributed to the global exercise, by working together with its partner, the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) to host a one-day workshop in April 2013 under the theme “Water in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.”
Key to the Consultation was setting the national agenda for water development in Antigua and Barbuda specific to the water resources needs and challenges unique to the country. With the inputs of stakeholders at the local level in Antigua and Barbuda, a Country Report was created setting out the key priority issues for a Water Development Agenda beyond 2015. The national report was contributed to the global report on all 22 countries in the survey which was submitted to the UN Task Team and UN Open Working Group in May 2013 as a stakeholder contribution for their consideration in developing the future agenda. It was well received by the UN who is keen to have the perspective from country stakeholders.
The National Stakeholder Consultation to be held in Trinidad and Tobago forms part of the second phase of this global exercise to now discuss the proposals for a Water Goal in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, together with specific targets and indicators for such a goal to help meet sustainable development priorities from a national perspective.
This is a major step forward in an attempt to have a Global Goal for Water in the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the National Consultation will provide an important means to raise awareness and get feedback from stakeholders (within and outside of the water sector) at the country level.
Download the UN-Water Paper on a Post-2015 Global Goal for Water which will form the basis of discussions at the National Consultation in Trinidad and Tobago and the other Consultations in the global consultation activity.