British Virgin Islands Joined GLISPA Organization

The British Virgin Islands has officially joined the Global Islands Partnership (GLISPA), with the aim to strengthen the government’s efforts to preserve the natural environment and accelerate the sustainable development of the BVI Territory.

At the GLISPA 2013 steering committee meeting, which took place in February in Washington, DC, and brought together officials from many agencies of the United Nations, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governments, GLISPA’s strategic plan for 2013 was discussed, which includes strengthening the link between sustainable development and conservation under the theme Blue/Green Growth; and preparing for the United Nations Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in 2014.

Deputy premier and minister for natural resources and labour of the British Virgin Islands, Dr Kedrick Pickering, made the announcement during the meeting, speaking on the benefits of GLISPA as a “United Nations recognised partnership and a platform for islands to cooperate on conserving their biodiversity and to promote sustainable development.”

Pickering held individual meetings with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), as well as with Hawaii and Seychelles officials.
Also, at a briefing organized by GLISPA, Pickering made a presentation on the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI).