Secretary-General, António Guterres scheduled to visit Suriname for CARICOM meeting

With a focus on the environment and biodiversity and on how both are being impacted by climate change, the Secretary-General will first attend the 2022 UN Ocean Conference where he will address and engage with youth at the UN Ocean Conference Youth and Innovation Forum, alongside the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. He will subsequently travel to Paramaribo, Suriname to engage with CARICOM heads during the opening ceremony of the Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM.

The Caribbean region is among the world’s hardest hit by worsening climate impacts, despite having contributed among the least to the problem, due to its very low greenhouse gas emissions.   

In the face of these severe climate challenges, and with very scarce resources, the region is taking vital steps to build climate resilience, which the Secretary-General will observe first-hand during his stay in Suriname. He will visit an indigenous community in the rainforest, to learn more about harnessing indigenous knowledge to help adapt to climate impacts.    

He will also underscore the importance of nature-based climate solutions during a visit to a coastal mangrove rehabilitation site, where he will witness the susceptibility of Suriname’s coastline’ to flooding and erosion. These threats have been heightened by sea level rise and an increase in extreme weather events resulting from the climate crisis.