On the evening of Tuesday, July 11th, on the gallery of the Teacher’s Resource Centre, regional Ministers of the Environment were welcomed to Anguilla in an Opening Ceremony for the 10th Environmental Sustainability Conference which took place at the Aurora Resort from Wednesday, July 12th to Thursday, July 13th.
Anguilla played host to what is officially dubbed the OECS Commission’s 10th Environmental Sustainability Conference. The Opening Ceremony featured an Environmental Sustainability Exhibition displaying environmental characteristics which were exhibited inside of the Resource Centre proper. The theme of the Exhibition was: “Positioning our OECS States for Accelerated and Sustainable Transformation – Faster, Better, Stronger Together”.
Under the distinguished courtesies of the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Sustainability and the Environment, Mrs. Quincia Gumbs-Marie, the visiting Ministers were given a warm and cordial welcome to Anguilla, and she explained the purpose of the conference in light of current environmental challenges.
“The Government of Anguilla is pleased to host this 10th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Environmental Sustainability and to assist the OECS Commission in staging this Environmental Sustainability Exhibition that has become a feature of these annual meetings.
“While the Ministers gather to engage in meaningful dialog regarding a sustainable future for environments in our region, this Exhibition provides an opportunity for public education and engagement. It seeks to showcase and celebrate the rich biodiversity of the countries within the OECS and to increase awareness and an understanding of the environmental challenges faced by the region, as well as to devise innovative solutions, even as we seek to address our challenges here in Anguilla…
“There is a need for harmony between people and the environment. There needs to be a shared responsibility to take care of our environment…Whether it is planting a tree, throwing an immature lobster back into the ocean, not killing our ground lizards, taking your own reusable bag to the supermarket for groceries, refusing to accept sand from questionable sources, or even purchasing an electric vehicle, your actions make a difference [for the environment].”
Visiting delegate, the Honourable Chamberlain Emmanuel, Head of the Environmental Sustainability Division of the OECS, made an address in which he focused on the Environmental Exhibition.
“It is my pleasant duty and honour to welcome you to the opening of this 10th OECS Exhibition on Environmental Sustainability,” he said. “With each annual meeting of the OECS Council of Ministers on Environmental Sustainability, the Commission endeavours to organize, in collaboration with the host country – and other partners – an exhibition that reflects the theme or focus of the Council. This year is no different.
“We are pleased to be able to collaborate with the Government of Anguilla to present an exhibition under the theme: “Positioning our OECS States for Accelerated and Sustainable Transformation – Faster, Better, Stronger Together”. This exhibition not only focuses on our hazards and issues, but rather it showcases the positive actions that are being taken to rebuild our region’s environment with more resilience.”
Other features at the Ceremony included a poem by Farah Banks, entitled “Mr. Sand Miner”, as well as a poem by her daughter, Nailah Gumbs, entitled “I Love Our Beaches”. A flute selection was played by a female trio of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School Concert Band. The Environmental Sustainability Exhibition was opened as young Ke’ijuah Isaacs cut the ribbon at the entrance to the Teachers’ Resource Centre, where spectacles of interesting scenes depicting the environment were on display.
