CARICOM climate change negotiators and ministers will commence a two-day meeting in Saint Lucia, today, to revise and improve the region`s negotiating artillery in preparation for the 21st session of the Conference of Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).

This second meeting of CARICOM ministers responsible for climate change follows a previous gathering held in Saint Lucia on Sep. 18. The objective of the meeting is to prepare the ministers to engage in the pre-COP meeting organized by the COP Presidency, in November.

With just over one month before the start of COP 21, and on the heels of a climate negotiators preparatory meeting held earlier this month in Bonn, Germany, this is an opportune time for CARICOM negotiators and ministers to be updated on the critical issues, especially those with implications for Small Island Developing States.

At the meeting, ministers will be apprised of the state of climate change negotiations under the UNFCC for a new climate change agreement to be finalized at the COP 21 in Paris France (Nov. 30 - Dec 11). The meeting will be preceded by a meeting of CARICOM climate change negotiators; and followed by a 3 p.m. press briefing tomorrow, Oct. 29.

The meeting is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, the High Level Support Mechanism and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.

The meetings will be held at the Palmville Conference Room, Coco Palm Resort, Rodney Bay.