Preparedness to Climate Variability and Global Change in Small Island Developing States, Caribbean Region (SIDS-CARIBBEAN Project)

As a part of Finland’s international development co-operation, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland finances a three-year meteorological project in the Caribbean region. Preparedness to Climate Variability and Global Change in Small Island Developing States, Caribbean Region (SIDS-CARIBBEAN) project will be implemented during 2001-2003 by World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Geographically the project covers the following countries: Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, St. Lucia, Commonwealth of Dominica, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Christopher and Nevis, Anguilla, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas and Netherlands Antilles.

The overall objective of the SIDS-CARIBBEAN project is to provide tools for better planning for sustainable development in the Caribbean region. This is to be done by strengthening the National Meteorological Services (NMSs) in the region so that they will be capable to provide the information needed for planning purposes in national and international levels, and the information and expertise needed in order to make the countries capable to fulfil their international commitments such as Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) etc.

The project purpose is to develop better meteorological and climatological knowledge in the project countries. Improved capacities will benefit not only the project countries but also all the Caribbean region as a whole. The project purpose is to be reached by implementing six intervention components. These components are the following:

• Improvement of the telecommunication systems at national and regional levels
• Rehabilitation and upgrading of the observing network
• Renovation of the regional technical laboratory for the calibration and maintenance of instruments
• Upgrading of the database management systems
• Implementation of data rescue programmes
• Training and awareness building

The project office is located at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology in Barbados.

For more information, please contact:
Mikko Kivikoski, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, PO Box 176 FIN-00161 Helsinki, Finland,
Tel +358-9-1341 6584 Fax +358-9-1341 6190
mikko.kivikoski@formin.fi

Mr. Steve POLLONAIS, Project Team Leader (PTL) SIDS-Caribbean project
c/o Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) P.O. Box 130 BRIDGETOWN Barbados West Indies
Tel: (1246) 425.13.62 Fax: (1246) 424.47.33
E-mail: sidsptl@inaccs.com.bb