The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Amazon Project, the Global Environment Facility International Waters Learning Exchange & Resource Network (GEFIW:LEARN), the Caribbean Aqua-Terrestrial Solutions (CATS) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the United Nations Environment Programme Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (UNEP Car/RCU), convened the Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) Knowledge Network Forum, which was held in Saint Lucia at the Bay Gardens Inn from 21st -23rd October, 2014.
The main purpose of the forum was to share knowledge, research, and good practices on RWH systems as a means of providing decision-makers with adequate models of RWH systems that promote access to safe water supply. In addition, the forum sought to update the document “A Programme for Promoting Rainwater Harvesting in the Caribbean Region”, which was developed by the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI, now CARPHA) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2006.
The regional programme in this document comprises four major strategic areas_ (1) Awareness Raising, (2) Capacity Building, (3) Legislative and Policy Formulation and (4) Infrastructural Development with objectives and key actions detailed for each strategic area. This came about after almost a decade of consultations on water resources management in the Caribbean, following Hurricanes Ivan and Emily in Grenada (out of which they developed a national RWH plan); this raised awareness for the need for RWH systems in the region. A total of 50 participants attended the forum. This included 8 regional and 4 international organisations, representatives of water organisations, engineers, government ministries, and representatives from the private sector. The regional and international agencies included the University of the West Indies (UWI), Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), the Caribbean Council for Science and Technology (CCST), the Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association Inc. (CAWASA), GWP-C, the Global Water Partnership-Central America (GWP-CAM), and the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA). The international agencies included the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNEP, and the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med).
