Saint Lucia is one of ten beneficiary countries of a multi-million dollar Climate Change Adaptation Program.

The program was launched in Belize on Nov. 22 by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.

Small island and low-lying  coastal  states  in  the  Eastern  and  Southern Caribbean, have  conceded that both mitigation and adaptation approaches to climate change will require a significant and sustained investment of resources which they are unable to fully fund. For this reason, USAID has partnered with the CCCCC on a US$25.6 million climate change adaptation program over the next four years.

USAID Chief of Mission, Chris Cushing, said the project has several goals.

“Expected results include the production of reliable climate change data that is incorporated into decision making at various levels; innovative and reputable adaptation projects; and most importantly the generation of sustainable financing for project scale up and replication of the USAID funded program. USAID will invest in activities that build the capacity of regional, national and local partners to achieve these results," he said.

Mr. Cushing added that the Climate Change Adaptation Program—developed through an extensive consultation process involving a cross-section of society—recognized that a cohesive system was needed to sustainably address climate change within the Caribbean region.

The other nine beneficiary countries of the USIAD-funded Climate Change Adaptation Program are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.