Consultants sought for sustainable goals policy
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government recently began a search for consultants to help PACT set out a policy around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency is looking for experts to conduct a twelve-week project to facilitate discussions around sustainability both in individual ministries and across the entire government.
The successful applicants will make recommendations to Cabinet about targets under those goals that should be considered as the priority areas of focus for the remainder of this administration, which ends in May 2025.
While sustainability has been pushed by the government as PACT’s overarching theme, almost two years into the administration what that actually means has not been defined.
In an address to a business audience at the Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting last week, Premier Wayne Panton, who has responsibility for the SCR ministry, admitted that the goal to grow the economy in a sustainable way and ensure Caymanians are not left behind was a delicate balance, and the government isn’t always getting that balance right.
He said the government is formulating a comprehensive Cayman Sustainability Agenda that will make the islands a place for Caymanians to “live and thrive while ensuring that it is a welcoming place for newcomers who wish to become part of our diverse social fabric”.
But over the first 22 months of this government, development has largely continued unchecked while the population has soared to unprecedented levels, putting pressure on infrastructure and the natural world. The significant amount of roads under construction and the development of luxury condos continues, while projects relating to sustainability seem elusive.
The long-anticipated climate change policy, which was expected last September, has still not been unveiled. The proposed development plan remains under wraps. The landfill project remains stalled, with the recycling project set back recently after Dart announced it would no longer recycle glass for use in construction.
No plans have been rolled out for reducing car imports or introducing a new transport system, and ideas floated some ten months ago about the government taking ownership of renewable energy projects have not been fleshed out. The problems of both beach access and beach erosion have yet to be tackled, and the proposal for a true line in the sand on development too close to the sea on Seven Mile Beach also hasn’t materialised.
The Cayman Islands Airports Authority’s long-term plans don’t appear to be taking climate change into consideration. And news of a new cargo port in George Town that will involve dredging or building an entirely new dock in an untouched part of the island to accommodate evermore imports suggest that the political promise of sustainability is a long way from being met.
And while the National Conservation Council is still acquiring land for preserving critical habitat and has enhanced protections for local flora and fauna from alien species, no other government entity appears to have made any notable headway or created new policies relating to sustainability, though the Health Service Authority has installed solar panels on the hospital roof.
The tender process for consultants to conduct this review appears to be about a broader look at the concept of sustainability and engaging with the senior civil servants as well as ministers across all 22 ministries and portfolios.
According to the request for proposals, the selected consultants will be expected to facilitate discussions and focus groups in the civil service framed around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to familiarise each entity with the framework those goals are based on.
The aim is to create an inventory of completed and ongoing work and explore where it can be mapped to the goals and to any planned works for 2023 and future budget periods. The report will also look at other priorities that align with the goals that are recognised in the 2022-23 Strategic Policy Statement.
The consultants will identify local and global trends and issues related to individual entities, explore and unpack the areas of the work relating to the goals that can be included in the 2022 Annual Report, and prioritise five to seven goals for the next two years.
An overall summary of the findings from the discussions, with the recommendations and a final report of the overall conclusions, will be delivered by the end of May.
See the RFP on the government’s procurement site here.
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Category: Climate Change, Policy, Politics, Science & Nature
Here we go again. CIG wants to waste money or I should say give it away to some foreigner who will only tell us what we already know. Furthermore, this report will more than likely be shelved like so many others.
Utilize home grown expertise please! Atleast the monies will remain in the country even if the report is put on the top shelf in the minister’s office for looks only.
How many “panels” will it take before any action is undertaken? No one wants to figure on these panels unless there is any real commitment to action and that can only happen if there is any political will for action! For years anyone interested in sustainability has repeatedly stated that installing solar panels should be a right to every homeowner on the island! Nothing happened on that front for over a decade! But our dear CIG is diddling around the issue for fear of ruffling feathers at CUC , same thing for internet service via satellite! And the list goes on !
How about we kick the cruise industry that pollutes our shores and endanger the sea life diversity on our island ? You hear crickets on that one as well ! During Covid you saw sea life spring back up in a hurry !
Banning single-use plastic seems a straightforward first step in meeting the UN sustainability goal. While a lot of the beach plastic is washing ashore from elsewhere try going for a walk in any street or park without stepping over restaurant trash that locals have literally thrown out their car windows not to mention all the illegal dumping. Visitors are coming from other countries where plastic has already been banned and they are shocked to see how the islands are treated like dumpsters instead of homes that are cared for. Education and the establishments play a role but government can fix this eyesore with a ban.
Activate the District Councils and ensure that membership is inclusive of those foreign nationals who have a vested interest in the continued orderly and sensible development of our society. And by this I mean the solid, well meaning residents who for years have shared similar values to Caymanians.
By doing this the political directorate can save tons of money which will otherwise be wasted on reports which will wind up on the thrash heap…unless of course these reports further the cause of an already endemic corruption.
Inclusive like our public schools? Wink wink.
totally agree with your views Mr Bodden. Besides there are many young and intelligent caymanians who have earned varied degrees and can be contributors for their country. Alot of them live quiet lives throughout our community. I always wonder why past and present Governments believe that in order for this country to progress we need outsiders who don’t have a job in their own country to come and analyze our matters. It is a crying shame!
Fingers crossed the consultants come back and say we need more intelligence in government. That would be amazing and accurate.
Why dont they just ask caymanians what they want. Could it be that they dont care. I think that the population should be reduced to about 50,000 so I could afford a house and we wouldnt need a bigger port or any new roads. If a few multi millionares loose their azz I dont really care.
Well, enjoy being poor again.
Again, yes, I’ll take the economy the Cayman Islands had 50,000 people. (Go on, we’ll wait for you to check what the economy was then; I remember it)
What would you get rid of first-Hospitals, Restaurants, Construction, Housekeepers, Tourism, or Financial services?
Again n again….more money paid for more consultants for years and….nothing done or will be done bcos all been destroyed…just more for more concrete! Who getting ‘commission’from this lot now.
Maybe they can fix the damn dump while they’re here? Since Wayne clearly can’t do that either.
“Dithering Wayne” is certainly a good nickname for our Premier. What a royal mess his Premiership and his government are.
P eople
A rguing
C onstantly
T o no avail.
The dump that constantly has a smoldering fire is a world famous landmark!
I can help advise.
Free of charge.
Here you go:
1) one car per household. NO exceptions for doctors, politicians and gov workers especially.
2) ban all plastics being imported. Severe penalties for plastic bags, straws, polystyrene packaging.
3)make it illegal to clear any more land. Prison for those operating backhoes or leaf-blowers
4) $1000 fines for anyone found throwing any food out. Regular garbage collectors will be rewarded some of this fine for finding anything edible in human’s trash.
5) complete ban on any future hotel building or prospective land development or more roads. Fines linked to developer’s personal wealth. We all know who we’re talking about here..
6) Every hour spent in church must matched by either picking up litter island-wide, or equal hours spent tree-planting.
7) all alien species to be exterminated, or kept inside or on leads when outside the house.
You realise that referring to cats as an alien species has problems. Cats were kept onboard ships as ‘ratters’ and likely landed here at the same time as that other alien species to the Cayman Islands – People.
A collapse of the economy fantasy.
7) all alien species to be exterminated, or kept inside or on leads when outside the house.
Haha – even the Boddens probably came from Jamaica
Great another consultant’s report to ignore.
It will be interesting to see who gets appointed for this one…
I love the government’s strategy for the last 30 years. Make promises, hire consultants to tell you what you already know, ignore it and then kick the can down the road.
Nearly 35 years, the first consultant report on the dump was started in 1986 and final draft handed to CIG in 1989. If anyone out there knows where this M.M. Dillon, now Dillon (Canada) study is please chime in. Then again don’t bother, it’s most likely shredded and in the deepest regions of the dump.
I nominate Protect Our Future for this contract.
At the very least it will be an eye-opening experience for both sides of the “discussions and focus groups in the civil service framed around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to familiarise each entity with the framework those goals are based on”.
Although I’m sure Protect Our Future group has good intentions they are made of of teenagers and young adults with little to know scientific knowledge or university education or experience. Passion alone is not enough.You need qualified adults to deal with this. If they go off to university and come back with the relevant degrees in sustainably and environmental protection then we can rethink it.
I will await the scientific knowledge of the accounting firm consultants hired to manage this process.
We need a consultant to tell us how to search for consultants.
Fly them all in and have Wayne take the out fishing on his 60′.
Spending money studyong a non-existent problem.
Don Quixote is proud.
Tip #1 – please stop local supermarkets from wasting paper every week on the sale item flyers. They can encourage traffic to their websites by pointing people to the page with the sales items and post these items on their social media.
Tip #2 – Also, implement laws that supermarkets must mark-down items a minimum of 50% off at least 3 days before the expiration date of the product. Walking in to a supermarket and finding an item that expires THAT SAME DAY marked down for sale is completely ridiculous.
https://www.energy.gov.ky/
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The CIG (again) looking to hire anyone that can read, transcribe published unpopular recommendations, that the CIG and Chamber members can then ignore. This is the same government stumped on whether they need to acquire a replacement municipal glass crusher.
I am surprised by this news. I thought the government would engage consultants to determine whether they need consultants to advise on this topic.
laughable update but its far from funny….
free solution:
direct rule for 2 years while a new raft of political candidates are selected/vetted based on qualifications, experience and integrity. then we have new elections.
caymanians elect these people so you have no-one else to blame but yourselves.
and to make things worse, you also prevent the most qualified and successful people on island from being elected…
welcome to wonderland.
You don’t need a consultant.
Phase out diesel generated electrical with a well thought out sensible plan using combination of wind and solar renewable energy. Target maybe 5% a year for next 10 years and you’ve exceeded the goals.
Your welcome.
2 years in …and all we have is empty words about making plans for a plan…..zzzzzzzzzzzz
wayne/pact are a fraud…but the dumb electorate deserves what it gets for voting in a bunch of unqualified, small minded nobodies with no common goals of manifesto….
cayman as usual spending millions trying to re-invent the wheel.
just more soon-come nonsense….thanks for nothing no-plan-pact.
There’s also this other thing that works, – ‘going out in the community’.
Unbelievable, – PACT is looking at the employee that carries an empty box all day just to look busy, PACT is asking the employee how heavy the box is and whether they could carry one themselves, PACT needs advise on which box to choose and on how much air is needed to fill it. PACT has about as much sense as an empty box 📦
Make some space on the dusty shelf in the Glasshouse basement!
I love the smell of asbestos in the morning.