Saint Lucia
Participation in the sub-project -Resilient School Feeding Programs
School feeding is an important food and nutrition security strategy and safety net program to address all forms of malnutrition in many parts of the world and in the Caribbean. Beyond being a policy instrument for access to food, in some countries efforts have been made to adopt a "healthy eating" approach, to address aspects of both overweight and undernutrition and achieving adequate physical and cognitive development. This is particularly important since eating and nutritional habits are mainly acquired during childhood and adolescence.
Thus, in the current context of COVID-19, ensuring the continuity and improvement of SAPs that include the participation of local agriculture and fishing, both during and in the post-COVID19 period, is a valuable strategy, not only to guarantee access to healthy food, but also to stimulate local economies. The Resilient Caribbean Initiative supports this effort.
Participation in Component 2 - Facilitation of access to climate and environmental financing for resilience and adaptation to climate change
The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Caribbean are particularly vulnerable to global systemic risks, due to their small territories, dependence on food imports and the tourism industry, as well as their exposure to extreme hydro meteorological events. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has added a new layer of vulnerability to the economies and livelihoods of these island countries, completely affecting the well-being of their inhabitants and further evidencing their fragility in the face of external risks.
Likewise, there is abundant documentation on the fact that the Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to climate change, having to face important and extensive climatic variations, changing rainfall patterns and the increasing occurrence and force of natural disasters in the region.
Saint Lucia, like other countries, has a high need to promote resilience and adaptation measures to climate change. To this end, through the Resilient Caribbean Initiative, work is being done, on the one hand, on strengthening the capacities of government technical teams in the design of technical cooperation or investment projects to access climate and environmental financing and in the exchange of experiences between countries in the case of multi-country proposals. On the other hand, technical assistance is given to the governments of the countries, in the design and presentation of proposals for technical cooperation or investment projects, whether national or multi-country, to be presented to the Fund for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (FVC).
The Resilient Caribbean initiative also technically supported Saint Lucia, along with seven other countries, in the design of the Soilcare proposal that was endorsed by the Executive Director of the GEF.