By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas will host Caribbean Heads of Government at the Baha Mar resort later this month, Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis announced yesterday.
The event is scheduled for August 16 and 17.
Prime Minister Davis said the meeting will focus specifically on climate change and allow for regional leaders to come together to lobby for change against the issue.
He also said it will be geared towards establishing a unified Caribbean response to better reflect common geographical and geopolitical issues facing regional states.
“This meeting will position the Caribbean region to take control of our fate and present a unified position to the world at COP 27 which will take place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November,” Mr Davis said during a press conference at the Office of The Prime Minister yesterday.
“The government of The Bahamas intends to establish the meeting as an annual event that will seek to have an institute as a regular meeting on the United Nations Framework and Climate Change Convention.”
“I’ve said repeatedly that what happens in this region doesn’t stay in this region. We must take the brains in ending our suffering and replace our position of vulnerability with that power.”
“It is past time to go on the offensive against the painful blows climate change has landed in the region, but we must be united in the fight and convince the world that for better or worse, we are in this together.”
Mr Davis said he expects all countries in the region to participate, adding that he will also be making personal calls to invite Caribbean leaders to the event.
“We hope for this to be an annual event,” he also said. “It might not be hosted by our countries always but it is important and I think that in garnering ourselves up for this fight, we need to have a unified voice in this region.”
Since taking office last year, the Prime Minister has been among the leading voices with regards to climate change, often travelling to various countries to attend special conferences to speak about the issue.
He has repeatedly called for multilateral organisations to forgive those debts of small countries that are related to climate change, noting the consequences of natural disasters has added some $5bn to the country’s national debt in over the last several years.
Asked yesterday about the government’s progress to advance discussions on the issue, Mr Davis said the country “was gathering momentum in that regard.”
According to Mr Davis, the conference is being sponsored by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
He said the government will only be responsible for providing security.