Kingston, October 4, 2023 – The Coalition for Forests in Jamaica is launching a national campaign targeting local government actors, forest management agencies and key Ministers and Members of Parliament to increase the budget allocation for forest conservation and management; to promote incorporation of participatory budgeting and public finance management approaches by the Government of Jamaica at every level; and to ensure that the value and economic benefits of civil society’s work on forest conservation and management are recognised and supported by the Government of Jamaica.
The Coalition for Forests is an alliance of 27 civil society organisations (CSOs) in Jamaica working together to engage in collective analysis, advocacy and dialogue to promote participatory budgeting for the forest sector. This will lead to strengthened citizen engagement in and support for sustainable management of forest ecosystems and biodiversity in Jamaica to benefit livelihoods, socio-economic development and human well-being.
Coalition members are advocating for increased budget allocation by the Government of Jamaica for forest conservation and management to benefit Jamaican people, environment and economy. They also want more funding to go towards supporting the important work being done by CSOs which are delivering results on the ground. David Walters, Executive Director of JCDT, noted that, “CSOs need to be part of the [forest budget] conversation. It’s not a competition. Partnership between CSOs and Government presents a stronger case for funding on the global stage.”
The Coalition for Forests is being supported under the project Building civil society awareness and capacity to engage in participatory budgeting and financial management for the forest sector in Jamaica with support from the European Union (FED/2021/428-620) which is being implemented by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), in partnership with the Caribbean Coastal Area Management (C-CAM) Foundation and the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT).
For more information on this project and work of the Coalition, see: https://canari.org/green-economy/jamaica-participatory-budgeting/
See here for full press release.
Photo credit: Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT)