The High Level Forum (HLF) is an unmatched regional event, being the only meeting of Caribbean Water Ministers to date. The HLF affords Ministers and senior officials involved in water resources management a unique opportunity to share experiences and ideas for addressing water issues affecting the region and individual countries.
The Ministerial Forum is a joint initiative of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) and its partner, the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) which began in 2005 as a session within the CWWA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition.
Both CWWA and GWP-C saw the HLF as a proactive approach to addressing the water resources management problems in the Caribbean in relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Moreover, it is a means of bringing Ministers and policy-makers together to engage in discussions on critical issues on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and to provide the necessary technical information to support decision-making and the development and implementation of regional approaches/policies for water sector management.
High Level Forum Overview (2005 – 2015)
HLF 1 (Barbados) – IWRM and Effective Water Governance
HLF 2 (Tobago) – Challenges and Opportunities in IWRM in the Caribbean
HLF 3 (St. Kitts) – IWRM Planning and Policies in the Caribbean
HLF 4 (Jamaica) – Water Financing
HLF 5 (St. Thomas, USVI) – Building a Water Secure Region: A Caribbean Response
HLF 6 (Grenada) – Water Crisis in the Caribbean: The IWRM Response
HLF 7 (Guadeloupe) – Water Management Financing in the Caribbean: Pricing, Efficiency, Equity and Sustainability
HLF 8 (The Bahamas) – The Water and Energy Nexus in Caribbean Development
HLF 9 (Barbados) – Water and Sanitation and the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Addressing Wastewater Policy and Financial Challenges in the Caribbean
HLF 10 (The Bahamas) – Caribbean Water Security: Risks and Opportunities
HLF 11 (Miami, Florida, USA) – Connecting Water to Climate, Economic Growth and Development within the Post-2015 Development Agenda
Key outcomes from past High Level Forums
At HLF 5, three Caribbean Ministers with responsibility for water from Guyana, Nevis and Grenada, endorsed a proposal to include water resources management as a key sector to be addressed at the highest political level in the Caribbean region.
HLF 6 helped to encourage some Caribbean countries to work toward developing Drought Management Plans to be incorporated into their overall Water Resources Management planning.
At HLF 7, five Caribbean Ministers of Water from Nevis, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Kitts, endorsed key recommendations for better water management in the region. A Decision Paper with these recommendations was signed by the five Ministers.
At HLF 8, nine Caribbean Ministers with responsibility for water resources management including 2 Deputy Prime Ministers, committed themselves to addressing regional water security and building climate resilience in the Caribbean. The Ministers present at the Forum from The Bahamas, Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Nevis, St. Kitts, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines signed a declaration which recognises that high level political leadership is key for meeting water security and climate change challenges faced by Caribbean countries.
At HLF 9, five (5) Caribbean Ministers with responsibility for water resources management from Barbados, Anguilla, The Commonwealth of Dominica, Nevis and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and five (5) senior ministerial/ government representatives from Saint Kitts, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe and Belize have endorsed recommendations for placing greater value on wastewater in the region and its role in the holistic management of water in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
At HLF 10, eight (8) Caribbean Ministers and senior government officials with responsibility for water resources management, endorsed recommendations related to the need for greater regional synergy in the water sector.
HLF 11 saw the participation of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and nine (9) Caribbean Ministers (and or their designated representatives) with responsibility for water resources management who agreed to dedicate efforts to strengthen the water sector in the region.
