The COP26 Ambassador for Asia/Pacific, the Caribbean, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) expressed his support towards Dominica’s efforts in becoming the world’s first climate-resilient nation.
In a tweet, Ambassador Ken O’Flaherty—who also serves as United Kingdom’s ambassador for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference or the COP26—said that he is “keen to work together” with Dominica to support the island’s implementation of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and on its crucial water agenda.
The NDCs “embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change,” according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A comprehensive report of Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) revealed that Dominica’s NDC “contains the most detailed emissions-reduction target specification in the region and is most ambitious.”
The Commonwealth of Dominica set a 2030 emissions reduction target of 44.7%,” the GGGI report said. “Dominica has priority sectors including energy, transport, manufacturing and construction, agricultural, forestry, and waste.”
O’Flaherty also said that “the United Kingdom is glad to be supporting Dominica’s efforts to increase resilience after devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017, which led to loss of 226% of GDP.”
O’Flaherty met with Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit during the climate summit in the Bahamas.
Pleased to meet #Dominica PM Roosevelt Skerrit. 🇬🇧 glad to be supporting 🇩🇲 efforts to ⬆️ resilience after devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017 – which led to loss of 226% of GDP
Keen to work together to support implementation of 🇩🇲’s recent NDC & on crucial 🌊 agenda. pic.twitter.com/vZpfEr64fw
— Ken O’Flaherty (@kenofl) August 16, 2022
At the two-day climate conference in Nassau, Skerrit echoed Bahamian PM Philip Davis in his call to the international community to provide the most required funding for SIDS to handle the increasing climate crisis. Skerrit reiterated that several countries, especially those in the Caribbean, are being seriously affected by climate change, with hurricanes, storms, and cyclones increased annually.
As his promise to the residents of Dominica who survived the horrific devastation of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015 and Hurricane Maria in 2017, Skerrit initiated his Housing Revolution Programme, which has provided more than 2,000 Dominican families with climate-resilient houses.
Skerrit has mandated most of the housing projects to the UAE-based MMC Development Ltd., the developing arm of UAE-based company Montreal Management Consultants, which has been working closely with the government of Dominica for almost a decade now.
The UAE-based company has accomplished eight housing projects in a few years, providing residents with homes that boast reinforced concrete, impact-resistant windows, and solar water heating features.
The Skerrit administration has also entrusted MMC Development Ltd to oversee the new housing initiatives to be constructed by local contractors.
In a previous interview, MMCE CEO Anthony Haiden has noted that “they continue to provide sustainable solutions that are tailored according to the recognized challenges associated with each development.”
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