The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment, as the National Designated Authority to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), Galen University and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) participated in a field trip organized by the San Ignacio/Santa Elena (SISE) Town Council to flood prone sites in the Twin Towns on September 2, 2021.
The field visit was part of the due diligence process for the SISE Town Council’s application through the CCCCC as the accredited entity to the GCF for a US$10 million-dollar grant for flood mitigation in the towns. The grant will cover infrastructure improvements of drains and culverts to climate-resilient levels, a disaster risk management community education campaign, and a review of necessary relevant policy and planning corollary actions to protect the Macal River. The CCCCC will submit a Project Preparation Facility Request to the GCF at the end of September 2021 to complete the designs for the infrastructure improvement, the disaster risk management education campaign, and the necessary policy revisions.
It is the vision of Dr. Osmond Martinez, CEO and the National Designated Authority (NDA) in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment, along with PACT as the accredited entity, to submit a similar proposal to address issues at the New River in Orange Walk Town.
Present on the field trip were Leroy Martinez, Ministry of Economic Development; Vanessa Figueroa, Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management; Ryan Zuniga and Ian Morrison, CCCCC; Jason Duan, Taiwan ICDF; and Dr. Sherry Gibbs, Galen University. The SISE Town Council was represented by Mayor Earl Trapp, Deputy Mayor Matthew Preston, councilors Aaron Mai, Shirlene Neal, Bernadette Figueroa, and Omar Rodriguez, and Town Administrator Geraldo Flowers.
