Earth Today | Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund hosts mid-term assessment meeting

THE EXPLORATION of future partnership opportunities is among the objectives of the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot Midterm Assessment Meeting of the Caribbean Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), which closes in the Dominican Republic today.

The CEPF is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, Fondation Hans Wilsdorf, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan and the World Bank. Its Phase II investment (August 2021–July 2026) in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot is financed through the CEPF – Caribbean Hotspot Project of the World Bank, using funds provided by the Government of Japan.

More than70 grantees, partners, and representatives of the World Bank, the CEPF Secretariat and the Regional Implementation Team at the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) have been gathered for the meeting since Monday (November 18).

Participants have the opportunity to review programme progress, collaborate and network as well as to provide feedback on the CEPF grant management process. There is also a field visit to allow attendees to see on-the-ground impacts of two CEPF-supported projects in the Dominican Republic.

“The Midterm Assessment Meeting offers an invaluable opportunity for CEPF’s conservation partners from across the Caribbean to come together and reflect on the progress, address challenges and share insights for strengthening our collective impact in the region,” noted Nicole Brown, CEPF RIT Manager for the Caribbean Islands at CANARI.

“We are deeply grateful to Fondazione AVSI, a three-time grantee in the Dominican Republic, for their dedication, expertise and essential on-the-ground support in making this event possible,” she added.

The CEPF has so far awarded 37 small and large grants in five Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, totalling over US$5.6 million under its current investment in the region.

These grants support practical action projects that strengthen the protection and management of globally important biodiversity in the Caribbean, build local capacity for conservation and promote sustainable livelihoods.