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Departments, Specialised Units and Centres Highlights

INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The work of the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) includes Policy Studies and Environmental Management and Disaster Risk Reduction. ISD supports international networks, chairs the Caribbean UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and hosts the Violence Prevention Alliance. Students read MSc, MPhil, or PhD degrees and ISD carries out research and teaching with other universities. The ISD provides the secretariat to the newly-established Global Institute for Climate-Smart and Resilient Development (GICSRD) and this report includes the activities of the GICSRD. In addition to full time staff, the ISD had two honorary research fellows in this period.

REVIEW OF 2020 TO 2021

ISD and GICSRD focused on strategic objectives AC3, AC4, AL1, AL2, AG1 and AG4. The Global COVID-19 pandemic seriously hampered operations, teaching and research. ISD operated under changed staff routines with most staff working from home. While staff was able to access the IT resources required to function, many students had insufficient access to IT resources to operate effectively.

The GICSRD was formally approved by the Council of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) in January 2021 and launched on October 2021. This virtual Institute is an important platform for harnessing the expertise of The UWI on issues related to climate, resilience, sustainable development and disaster risk reduction for increased coordinated response, resource mobilization and impact; it is focused on strategic objectives AC3, AC4, AL2 and AG4. The Executive Director is Professor John Agard.

During the reporting period, GICSRD held virtual Management Committee meetings in September and November 2021 and in January and April 2022. The Management Committee notes with great regret the death of Committee member, Professor Hugh Sealy and the death of a close family member of Professor Michael Taylor.

The OGA facilitated meetings and assisted with secretariat duties including updating the website (https://uwi.edu/gicsrd/) and drafting operational documents. In July 2022 the ISD hired a Project and Resource Mobilization Officer, thus providing dedicated human resources to support the GICSRD and enabling the phase out of assistance from the OGA team.

GICSRD Management Committee meeting top to bottom left to right: Professor John Agard, Dale James, Dr. Stacy Richards Kennedy, Dr. David Smith, Dr. Donovan Campbell, Professor Michael Taylor, Dr. Hugh Sealy (deceased), Dr. Emily Dick-Forde, Kevin Manning, Jeremy Collymore, and Dr. Patrick McConney.

Access

Improved quality of teaching and learning and student development

Eight of the nineteen students in the MSc in Environmental Management graduated in 2021; the remainder were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and will graduate in 2022.

ISD staff teach programmes and courses in other departments and universities including: Environmental Economics, Environmental Management, Advanced Certificate in Leadership for Sustainable Development, BSc Gender and Development, MSc in Tourism and Hospitality Management, MSc in National Security and Strategic Planning and MSc in Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health, MSc National Security and Strategic Planning in the Mona School of Business and Management at The UWI, and the MSc in Sustainable Energy and Climate Change at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Professor Clayton trains Jamaican and regional constabulary, government agencies and security forces and the Jamaican Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency in security. DRRC staff train regional disaster management agencies in response and prevention.

Improved quality, quantity, and impact of research

ISD staff supervise twelve research students; most MPhil students intend to upgrade to PhD. Students participate in the fortnightly online seminar series.

Disaster Risk Management and Climate Resilience

Supported by a grant from the IDRC , the ISD is working with the Seismic Research Centre and the Department of Geology and Geography at Mona to assist the Office of Disaster Management in Dominica to reduce disaster risk from climate-related and seismic hazards. In July 2022, GICSRD and the Office of Global Affairs secured two interns from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) regional internship programme. They were assigned to work with the Mona Climate Studies Group on Climate Modelling; and the Open Campus project to develop a Climate Justice virtual knowledge portal.

ISD is implementing the following projects:

PROJECT NAME AMOUNT PI DURATION FUNDERS STATUS
CCCDRiP CDN $1,000,000 Dr. Smith 3 years IDRC Ongoing
Climate & Health Network for SIDS US $50,000 Dr. Smith 2 years Stockholm University Ongoing
Plastic Reduction £16,633.36 Prof. Clayton 2 years UKRI Ongoing
Future Cities US $24,000 Prof. Clayton   Inter-American Network of Academies of Science Ongoing

Alignment

Support to international and national public bodies

ISD adjunct faculty and staff are members of the Steering Committee for the Association of Commonwealth Universities Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network. ISD coordinates the Caribbean chapter of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

Dr. Inniss-Springer is a Mentor in the International Association of Emergency Managers Featured Mentor Program and a member of the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), the Network of International Policies and Cooperation in Education; the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency Grant Approval Board for the Country Directed Fund and the Dubai Cares E-Cubed Research Envelope Advisory Panel.

Mr. Mason is a member of the Jamaican National Agenda Oversight Committee which monitors the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including the Roadmap for Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr. Smith and Professor Taylor from the Climate Studies group worked with Cambridge University to produce the Jamaica document for the https://www.futureswewant.world/ contribution to COP26.

Dr. Smith and Mr. Collymore are members of the Steering Committee for the Association of Commonwealth Universities Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network. Dr. Inniss-Spinger, Dr. Smith and Mr. Collymore work with the Regional Scientific and Technical Advisory Group for the Sendai Framework as members of the Education and Capacity Development subgroup.

Professor Clayton carries out briefing and training sessions for the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the Jamaican Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency, other Jamaican government agencies, and some regional police and security forces. He is Deputy Chairman of the JCF Oversight Committee, and on the Consensus 2020 – Crime Monitoring and Oversight Committee (Jamaica).

Details.

Dr. Inniss-Springer

  • Mentor, International Association of Emergency Managers Featured Mentor Program
  • Member of:
    • Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)
    • Network of International Policies and Cooperation in Education
    • Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency Grant Approval Board for the Country Directed Fund
    • Dubai Cares E-Cubed Research Envelope Advisory Panel

Professor Clayton

  • Chairman of the Membership Advisory Committee in Social and Economic Sciences for The World Academy of Sciences, and of the Energy Committee for the Inter-American Network of Academies of Science
  • Member of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences and the Rule of Law Committee for the Government of Jamaica

Dr. Smith

  • Member, Science-Policy Advisory Committee for the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research.
  • Caribbean Chair, UN-Sustainable Development Solutions Network and member, Advisory Committee for the SDG Academy and the SDSN Amazonia Chapter.

Agility

Improving the global presence of the university

ISD, Farmingdale State College (SUNY) and Stony Brook University hosted the International Energy and Sustainability Conference 2021 in March along with UWI STAT and the Jamaican and Long Island chapters of the IEEE. The event was held online over three days and included poster presentations and online presentations by policy makers, researchers and students. The meeting was opened by the Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York. Presenters were from SUNY and The UWI as well as the private sector from Jamaica and New York . The conference featured the new energy system on the Mona Campus as well as the ZEN+ building and other work from workers throughout The UWI. The IESC is an annual event; this is the first time it was hosted by The UWI. ISD staff were involved in the following presentations and discussions:

  • Comprehensive Climate and Disaster Risk Management: The Caribbean Snapshot presented at the Comprehensive Climate and Disaster Risk Management Webinar. (December 17, 2021)
  • PERN Cyber Seminar on The Demography of Sustainable Human Wellbeing. (March 2022)
  • UNDRR Regional Scientific and Technical Advisory Group of the Americas and the Caribbean; presentation on Systemic Risk in the Caribbean. (March 2022)
  • Singapore Cooperation Programme-UNDRR, Nanyang Technological University. Customized Course for the Caribbean with The UWI: Understanding Risk Management and Risk Financing for Disaster Resilience Comprehensive Climate and Disaster Risk Management: The Caribbean Financial Coherence Snapshot. (Feb to March 2022)
  • Fireside Chat with the President of the UN General Assembly and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction on Women Reducing Disaster Risk as part of the 66th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. (March 2022)
  • Training on the Use of Guidelines on Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls Across the Disaster Risk Management Cycle. (March 2022)
  • Executive Training Course for Policymakers on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (UN Office for Sustainable Development). (April 2022)
  • UN Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. (May 2022)
  • Three years with the COVID-19 pandemic – success stories and missed opportunities. What is the handprint of the GSDR2019 framework? And Opportunities for research and training at the nexus of climate, environment and health in Latin America and the Caribbean at the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2022. (June 2022)

In July 2022, GICSRD met with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the IDB to discuss regional CARIB-Smart projects, Climate Change and the Blue Economy. Photo below.

Professor Clayton was involved in:

  • An international collaboration on the management and elimination of plastic waste with the University of Surrey, the University of Beyreuth and the University of Nairobi
  • Two projects for the members of the Inter-American Network of Academies of Science to map out the future for cities. Professor Clayton is a Founding Editor and member of the Editorial Board of The Caribbean Journal of Strategic and Security Studies. Dr. Smith is an Associate Editor for Environmental Policy and Law and a member of the Editorial Board of Caribbean Quarterly.