Category Archives for "session"

Honorable Cozier Frederick

Minister of Environment, Rural Modernisation and Kalinago Upliftment, Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica

Hon. Cozier P. Frederick is presently the Minister for the Environment, Rural Modernization and Kalinago Upliftment in the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and Member of Parliament for the Salybia Constituency, which includes the Kalinago Territory. He presently serves on the Dominica Reparations Committee and the Kalinago Events Committee and is a former Development Officer of the then Ministry of Kalinago Affairs (MOKA). He was also a former teacher at the Salybia Primary School in the Kalinago Territory. Honorable Frederick is the holder a Bachelor of Arts degree (Hons.) in History with Political Science from UWI Cave Hill Campus and has presented locally, regionally and internationally on Kalinago Heritage as an MPhil Candidate. He was the Country Coordinator of the International Caribbean Ties Exhibition produced in the Netherlands in 2019. Minister Frederick has published numerous articles on Kalinago in magazines and online. He served as a member of The Board of Directors of the National Broadcasting Corporation (2007/8), and as a co-curator for the Kalinago “Our Lives” exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum of the North American Indian (2003/4) in Washington DC. He can be credited for being the founder of the Salybia Heritage and Restoration Project (SHARP Inc) in 2015. Honorable Cozier Frederick is a researcher, educator, martial artist, musician, and visual artist and works closely with numerous youth organizations, civil groups, the Atkinson Village Council and the Kalinago Council.

Christopher Corbin

Programme Officer with the Ecosystems Division of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Christopher Corbin is a Programme Officer with the Ecosystems Division of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He has been based at the Secretariat for the Cartagena Convention in Kingston, Jamaica, which covers all the countries of the Wider Caribbean Region since 2004.  Chris is responsible for the Secretariat’s Marine Pollution and Communications Sub-Programmes and also currently serving as Officer in Charge and Interim Coordinator of the Secretariat. Chris, a Saint Lucian national, has over 30 years of national and regional programme and project management experience.  He has been involved in the development and implementation of multi-country projects on wastewater management, solid waste management and integrated coastal zone and watershed management.  He has coordinated several GEF funded International Waters Projects and activities aimed at improving Governance of the Caribbean Sea and specifically has facilitated the development of a Regional Marine Litter Action Plan and Strategy, a Regional Nutrients Pollution Reduction Strategy and the region’s first “State of Convention Area Report on Marine Pollution”. 

Maren Headley

Programme Manager, Fisheries Management and Development, CRFM Secretariat

Dr. Maren Headley works with the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism Secretariat which is an intergovernmental organization consisting of 17 Member States. CRFM’s mission is “to promote and facilitate the responsible utilization of the region’s fisheries and other aquatic resources for the economic and social benefits of the current and future population of the region.” She is currently the Programme Manager for Fisheries Management and Development and has worked in the sector for over a decade. She provides technical and advisory support to Member States for the implementation of activities in a number of areas. Some of these include: (i) development and implementation of marine spatial plans, Fisheries Management Plans and conservation and management measures for key fisheries and ecosystems to ensure sustainable use of the resources and protection of critical habitats and ecosystems; (ii) application of sustainable management practices, including use of measures to reduce ghost fishing and by-catch, evidenced by use of best available scientific information and advice, traditional knowledge, and application of precautionary and ecosystem approaches; (iii) enhancement of  the fisheries industries’ role and contribution within the blue economy by strengthening the competitive advantage and profitability of fisheries and aquaculture; and  (iv) integration of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies and actions for fisheries and aquaculture into the national development portfolio of Member States. 

Cesar Toro (Virtual)

Former IOC Secretary for IOCARIBE, IOC UNESCO Sub-Commission for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions

Dr. Cesar TORO is a physical oceanographer, M.Sc. in oceanography and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Quebec, Canada in Physical Oceanography. Dr. Toro is a specialist in dynamical oceanography, climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable development and ocean governance and policy. He also has an extensive experience working for the oil and gas industry, the United Nations, and in project design and implementation, especially in developing countries and SIDS. From 2001 to 2022 Cesar TORO was in charge of the Subcommission for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions IOCARIBE of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC of UNESCO), based in Cartagena Colombia. Between 2009 and 2015 he was also responsible for the UNESCO Natural Sciences Programme for the Caribbean. From IOCARIBE promoted the development of marine and ocean sciences and technology in the countries of the region through the strengthening of institutional capacity, coordination of intergovernmental groups and networks of scientists and experts. He coordinates IOC of UNESCO programmes in the Latin American and Caribbean region with those of the organizations of the United Nations system, working actively with national, regional and international agencies and entities, with the financial support of the Development Banks, the GEF, the EU, NGOs and international development agencies. Dr. Toro has chaired a large number of expert groups and committees and has led dozens of large multidisciplinary projects. He is also contributing to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030, and to the IOC’s capacity development strategy and its implementation in the IOCARIBE Region- Tropical Americas region, as well as in UNESCO’s Science, Technology and Innovation strategy and science policy. He has contributed as author or co-author to more than a hundred publications.

Carla Natalie Barnett (Virtual)

Secretary-General, Caribbean Community-CARICOM Secretariat

Carla Natalie Barnett, PhD, CBE became the eighth Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on 15 August 2021. Dr. Barnett, an economist, has worked across CARICOM for over 30 years. She was the first woman to be appointed as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Belize, and the first woman and youngest person to be appointed as Deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM. She was also VicePresident, Operations at the Caribbean Development Bank. As a Consultant, Dr. Barnett has provided advisory services in public sector financial planning and strategic planning throughout CARICOM. As a politician, Dr. Barnett contested the 2015 Belize General Election, and was a Senator and a Minister of State in the Belize Government from 2015-2020. She is an advocate for gender equality as the right thing to do to create a more stable and equitable society, and as good economic policy. She has been an active Member of the Caribbean Institute of Women in Leadership (CIWiL) Belize Chapter, a President of the Belize YWCA and on the Board of Haven House, a shelter for battered women. Dr. Barnett has received several awards, including the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for distinguished public service.

Aspasia Pastra

Postdoctoral Fellow, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute

Dr. Aspasia Pastra has been appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow & Maritime Policy Analyst at the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute in Sweden. Before joining the BUGWRIGHT2 team as Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Pastra worked as Research Associate at WMU, involved in various Transport Canada and European Union funded state-of-the-art regulatory development projects. Prior to joining WMU, she worked in Greek shipping companies/organizations for two decades as an internal auditor and maritime researcher. She has also participated in the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the IMO as part of the Greek delegation. She holds a B.Sc. degree in Public Administration from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens and an MBA from Cardiff University in the UK. She was also granted a scholarship from HELMEPA, in memory of the ship-owner George P. Livanos, for the World Maritime University in Sweden. After obtaining her MSc in Maritime Administration, Dr. Pastra received a PhD in Corporate Governance from Brunel University in London. Her expertise lies in maritime policy and governance, ocean technology, environmental management and shipping management.

Shelly-Ann Cox

Independent Consultant, Founder and CEO, Blueshell Productions

Dr. Shelly Ann Cox is an experienced ocean professional, mother of a 3 year old aquatoddler and the Founder and CEO of the boutique consultancy firm Blue Shell Productions, which specialise in blue economy consulting, event planning and management, and science communication. This firm is built on over a decade of experience in the Caribbean in developing sustainable development solutions and interventions that are relevant and adapted to the specific circumstances of the region. Dr. Cox has more than 10 years’ experience in fisheries management, sargassum management and governance and applied interdisciplinary climate related research. She holds a PhD in Natural Resource Management from the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, where she has also been a Postdoctoral Research Associate until recently. Dr. Cox is currently engaged as the Coordinator and Co-editor of the Subregional Sargassum Outlook Bulletin for the eastern Caribbean. She is also the Knowledge and Information Management Consultant for the Sargassum Information Hub. Shelly-Ann has also co-authored several sargassum related publications and technical reports including the recently published article ‘Challenges of Turning the Sargassum Crisis into Gold’, the ‘UNEP-Caribbean Environment Programme 2021 Sargassum White Paper’ and the ‘Sargassum Uses Guide’. 

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