www.fao.org/sids The presentation will be made in the context of the Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Caribbean towards the Third International Conference on SIDS 2014. FAO is hosting a special event: "Addressing major threats for improved livelihoods and sustainable development in the Caribbean SIDS"

1. Strengthening coordinated
and effective partnership
for sustainable development of SIDS
A civil society perspective on making partnerships work
Anna Cadiz
Caribbean Natural Resources Institute
(CANARI)

2. CANARI’s mission
To promote and facilitate equitable participation and effective
collaboration in the management of natural resources critical
to development in the Caribbean islands, so that people will
have a better quality of life and natural resources will be
conserved, through action learning and research, capacity
building, communication and fostering partnerships.

3. Effective partnerships in the Caribbean
Consorcio Ambiental Dominicano (CAD) is a national level,
strategic and multi-sectoral partnership in the Dominican
Republic focused on natural resource management and
conservation.

4. Learning from the CAD experience
SHARED VALUES: all stakeholders have an important role to play
in natural resource management / conservation and results will
be improved by working collaboratively
SPECIFICITY: members work in different geographic areas, have
different responsibilities and interests (law enforcement, on the
ground management, research, education, etc)
EQUITY: even with their formal legal mandate,
government partners do not have greater power
in the partnership... all partners have a voice

5. EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE: CAD also implements its mission through
strategic alliances and partners with international and
inter-governmental agencies, universities and the private sector.
A clear governance structure allows for joint decision-making and
mechanisms to avoid and resolve disputes.
VALUE ADDED AND CLEAR PURPOSE: All members are environmental/
conservation oriented. Strategic areas of focus complement the
member organisations but do not overlap with individual
workplans. “Unity in diversity”. As a national network, they are
able to access funding that individual members may not
be able to access. CAD retains a strong voice
in national policy development and
implementation.

6. Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk
Organisations (CNFO)
Informal regional network of fisherfolk operating in all of the
CARICOM countries to build the capacities of fisherfolk to play
an effective role in fisheries governance.
Their four areas of strategic focus are:
– Information
– capacity building
– policy advocacy
– policy engagement

7. Key lessons learned from CNFO
STRUCTURE: Even though informal, CNFO has a coordinating body of
elected representatives from each member country. This structure
enables the regional network to reach out to the national and local
levels.
LINKAGES: 3 key and value-added partners (CANARI, CERMES and
CRFM) that have opened doors for CNFO to take part in global
negotiations on fisheries policies. In addition, they have direct links
with national fisheries divisions and national fisherfolk organisations.

8. KEY SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES:
• CNFO is focusing on building leadership skills of all members
of the coordinating team
• CNFO recently built its technical knowledge about how
climate change will affect the fisheries sector and potential
adaptation strategies through an ACP Fish II project
implemented by CANARI
• CNFO updated its Communication Strategy and built capacity
of members of the coordinating team
in effective communications (media
releases, participatory videos, etc.)

9. Caribbean voice
in global civil society partnership: IRF2015
• Share knowledge to build capacity and effectiveness of work
• Collective global voice for advocacy on the post-2015 SDGs
• Coordination
• Resource mobilisation

10. In conclusion, partnerships…
• must be developed taking into account these core values
and principles;
• must involve civil society at the development stage and
throughout their engagement and implementation of key
actions;
• should link global, regional, national and local levels.

11. Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)
www.canari.org
Anna Cadiz
anna@canari.org
THANK YOU