Representatives from 19 Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) of the European Union and the United Kingdom Monday began a five day workshop here as part of the ongoing activities of the Green Overseas Programme (GOP) dedicated to energy transition and climate change resilience.
The organisers said that the GOP supports OCTs in their transition towards more resilient development models in the face of climate change. It promotes capacity building, experience sharing and cooperation between territories on key themes such as water management, climate resilience, energy transition and climate finance.
The international workshop organised by the GOP will combine targeted training sessions with a peer-to-peer space for exchanging on shared challenges and concrete solutions related to water management, ranging from drinking water supply to ecosystem protection and adaptation to climate change.
‘In many island territories, water is a limited and fragile resource. Declining rainfall, more frequent and prolonged droughts, saline intrusion into groundwater and increased flood risks are making water management increasingly complex. These challenges have direct impacts on daily life, agriculture, economic development and ecosystem preservation.
‘The GOP’s Barbados workshop aims to address these issues by focusing on practical and territory-specific approaches, through the sharing of operational experiences, existing initiatives and solutions that can be transferred from one territory to another.’
The organisers said it is designed to encourage concrete and operational exchanges and that the workshop is be structured around territorial presentations, thematic panels and collective exercises, enabling participants to compare practices and discuss their on-the-ground realities.
It brings together primarily representatives of OCT governments and public administrations, alongside water service managers, engineers, public operators, environmental and climate experts, as well as a limited number of representatives from international organisations and local elected officials.
Barbados was selected as the host territory due to challenges widely shared across many OCTs, including limited water resources, strong dependence on groundwater, high tourism pressure, population growth and visible impacts of climate change.
‘To address these issues, Barbados has implemented a range of initiatives to better manage and valorise its water resources. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to discover several local initiatives through site visits, including desalination facilities, wastewater treatment plants, flood protection infrastructure and wetlands.’