The Caribbean Leadership Project (CLP), funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), Canada, aims to strengthen strategically the next generation of Caribbean mean and women leaders to contribute more effectively to regional integration and economic growth.
As part of the programme participants consisting of senior government officials are challenged to tackle “wicked problems” defined as those which are difficult to grasp and change as you try to solve them; involve multiple stakeholders with different interests; include a tangled web of causes; and have no precedent for dealing with them and no apparent right answer.
Energy, in particular, sustainable energy and energy security were determined by the principals of the CLP as a priority ‘wicked problem’ affecting the Caribbean, and was assigned to two teams.
After months of exploring the issues, the participants were required to make presentation of their findings inclusive of their observations and recommendations, to panels of experts at a Forum held on July 24th, 2013 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica. The teams assigned the energy problem were tasked with exploring the issues of energy sustainability and security in the Region including an analysis of the Regional Energy Policy. The expert energy panels included Mr. Joseph Williams Programme Manager, Energy, CARICOM Secretariat; Mr. Leonard Deane, Project Coordinator for the Sustainable Energy Technical Assistance (SETA) Project; Senator the Hon. Dr. James Fletcher, Minister with responsibility for Energy, Saint Lucia. Mr. Williams considered that the team, which had no previous experience or specific training in energy, had a good grasp of the issues and had done an excellent job of analysing the CARICOM Energy Policy. He, however, pointed out some of the specific challenges faced by countries making the transition towards a more sustainable energy pathway. He further challenged the participants to become advocates for sustainable energy in their territories.
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