CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (October 18, 2010) — Ministers of the Environment and their technical staff from the nine member states of the Organisation of East Caribbean States began arriving on Nevis on Monday, for the October 19-20th meeting of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU), based at the Secretariat in St. Lucia.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning Mr. Ernie Stapleton told the Department of information in an interview on Monday that in excess of 35 delegates were expected for the meetings at Mount Nevis Hotel.

“Across the region we are expecting delegates from the nine member states of the OECS and so we are expecting about 35 delegates from the region plus participants from Nevis.

“We are the host so we will take the opportunity to invite members of the Environmental Committee Meeting to be present at that meeting also,” he said.

In an invited comment as to how Nevis was selected to host the high level meeting, Mr. Stapleton explained that at the last meeting which was hosted by Dominica in 2009, Minister responsible for the Environment and Physical Planning on Nevis Hon. Carlisle Powell, extended an invitation to the Environmental and Sustainable Development Unit to have the 2010 meeting in Nevis.

“To our pleasant surprise, they took up our offer and here we are this week hosting that very important meeting,” he said.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning on Nevis Mr. Ernie Stapleton, will chair the 18th Technical Advisory Committee of the OECS Environment and Sustainable Development Unit at the Mount Nevis Hotel

The Official opening ceremony is slated for the evening of October 19^th from 6-8pm. However, the ESDUs Technical Advisory Committee meeting would commence from 8:30 am to 1:15pm. At 2:15-4:15pm there will be a panel discussion on the topic “Implications of Climate Change for Eastern Caribbean Islands: Working towards solutions/resiliency”.

All recommendations would be presented to the Environment Ministers at the Wednesday meeting for consideration. Mr. Stapleton said once they were accepted and approved by the Ministers, they would be implemented through the Environmental and Sustainable Development Unit of the OECS.

“The OECS ESDU is the body that coordinates the implementation of these recommendations in the various member states.

“There are certain recommendations that are implemented through donor agencies who provide funding to the OECS Secretariat. In turn these projects would roll out in the various member states which would mean that each member state would have responsibility to implement the various projects or programmes that the committee would approve,” he said.