POINTE-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe (CMC) — The French-funded Karayib Klima has awarded 13 grants to inter-island coalitions of civil society organisations for the implementation of climate resilience projects in the Creole-speaking Caribbean.

It said that the 13 selected projects will be granted an average of Euro 40,000 (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) each to carry out a field action or an awareness campaign to increase climate resilience in the region.

The countries selected for the grants are Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St Lucia and Saint Martin.

Karayib Klima is a regional programme designed and implemented by the Guadeloupe-based consultancy firm, Unite Caribbean, and in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, it aims to strengthen climate resilience in the Caribbean by developing the capacities of civil society in terms of advocacy and project implementation.

Karayib Klima encourages the deepening of regional co-operation by financially supporting the creation of multi-country coalitions between Creole-speaking civil society organisations in Haiti, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Martin.

It is funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Agency for Energy Transition (ADEME) and the ‘Fondation de France’.

According to an official statement, 27 projects bringing together more than 60 organisations had been submitted for consideration with 13 being selected.

It said that the selected projects fall into two categories. The first brings together innovative activities to experiment with technical solutions in areas like restoration of coral reefs, agro-ecology, rainwater harvesting, the creation of sustainable circuits and increasing food safety and security.

The “Haïtukubuli” project being conducted by associations from Dominica and Haiti, for example, has the dual objective of promoting the use of resilient traditional species and agroforestry while providing a source of additional income to communities through eco-tourism.

The second category includes advocacy or awareness raising projects on climate resilience aimed at young people, the private sector, or the general public.

For example, the objective of the “Marine Junior Rangers” project (Haiti / Grenada) is to train young people from remote rural areas in the environment and marine biodiversity and to sensitise their communities to issues of climate resilience.

“Through co-operation, the entire Caribbean can benefit from sustainable adaptation solutions that will enable us to cope with the consequences of climate change,” said Pascal Hajaali, who is responsible for co-operation at the French Embassy in Haiti.