Day 1: Stimulating Radical Ideas Session 3:45pm: Metrics for Sustainability Moderator: Mr Kieran Mohammed Speakers: Ms Alison K. DeGraff and Dr Shariann Henry Organized by: UNDP Rapporteur: Divani Bhimull (UWI) 1. Background/Context Sustainable management requires credible, quantifiable metrics. The effort to develop an effective system of sustainability metrics is still in its infancy. Academics, business leaders and government officials must work together to develop and refine acceptable indicators. A standardized system of data collection, verification and audit needs to be put into place. In addition to organizational level indicators, critical thinking is needed about developing and implementing multiple indicator scales that might chart local, state and national progress toward a sustainable economy. 2. Summary of Presentations by the panelists Participatory Mapping: Caribbean Small Island Developing States presented by Ms Alison K. DeGraff Participatory mapping serves as a tool to provide a visual representation of information in a particular geographical context. It allows indigenous and marginalized people to harness the power of cartography to better represent their spatial material conceptions. Furthermore, it involves community based workshops where indigenous community representatives describe, document and represent community histories, resources, territorial boundaries and other sociospatial features while working alongside cartographers. It is based on the premise that local inhabitants possess expert knowledge of their local environments which can be expressed in a geographical framework which is easily understandable and universally recognized. Participatory maps often represent a socially or culturally distinct understanding of landscape and include information that is excluded from mainstream or official maps. In this light, stakeholders can give full importance to this local knowledge which is valuable for sustainable development and growth. It strengthens public awareness and participation by involving the community as it transfers local knowledge into scientific knowledge. In order to fully engage in Participatory mapping for sustainable development, there are numerous limitations that must be addressed such as access to geo-spatial data which is limited and outdated, low literacy levels, reliable internet access, essential map skills and the cost of training. It is therefore necessary that 1 innovative tools are constructed to counter these challenges. Alison DeGraff has developed a participatory mapping project in the Caribbean nations of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada to explore the cultural and ecological heritage of the Grenadine islands. New Pathways to Sustainable Development in the Caribbean presented by Dr Shariann Henry Sustainable development is based on the premise that social, economic and environmental systems are kept in harmony however, there are numerous challenges which hinders the developmental processes such as having no long term government strategies, the challenges posed by globalization, unequitable distribution of resources, gender inequality and poverty. Dr. Henry advocated that sustainable development can be facilitated by having a migration fund to channel foreign revenue earnings, an agricultural revolution, more long term rather than short term policies, social equity, strategic economic policies, enhanced transparency, more social responsibility especially concerning the impoverished, food security, strategic planning, stakeholder involvement, proper monitoring of policy, more investment in human resource especially in the field of education, a robust approach to gender inequality and a redistribution of wealth. 3. Comments by discussants • New and radical ideas should be applied without depending on foreign models • Heterogeneous Caribbean culture can be used as a catalyst to attract stakeholders and aid in growth and development e.g. Participatory mapping • Must follow long term agendas rather than a short term ‘quick fix’ which does not stimulate growth and development in the future. 4. Questions and Answers Audience Member A Question: What is the concept of sustainability? Answer: One that provides economic security for our future without harming our natural resources. Audience Member B Question: Can we have decision making within the context of uncertainty? Answer: There is a need to have accurate data and so proper data collection mechanisms must be enforced. Audience Member C Question: Building resilience and sustainability for who? 2 Answer: To ensure that the Caribbean population can overcome challenges such as poverty and natural disasters. Audience Member D Question: There is a disconnect with new technology into the mainstream and so local people are not able to access this, why? Answer: Participatory Mapping is a bottom-up activity that starts within the community and so it is a process of using local knowledge and transforming it into a scientific knowledge. Inclusionary efforts are being made. 5. Action Points o Redirect and create a new research agenda involving civil society (local communities and private sector) in policy making coupled with research and design strategies to improve ICTs thereby improving communication, production and innovation. o Influence policy making so that a data collection framework can be established ensuring legitimacy, accountability and credibility o Advocacy for the Caribbean region to strengthen cooperation and regional integration in order to provide economic security against external shocks, to have representation and a unified voice in the international forums, to have competitive advantage in the international market and to boost trade and capital flows. 6. Personal views and opinions Conceptual and contextual definitions were not clearly defined thus presentations represented a wide range of ambiguous possibilities. In addition, many ideas were put forward without a stipulated time frame for implementation nor without measurable indicators that allowed for predictability and was not targeted towards the specific case of the Caribbean region but represented the general developing economies. Furthermore, presentations took on an implicit neo-Marxist perspective as they suggested the unequal distribution of resources due to wealth being monopolized in the hands of a few and further placed the Caribbean within a familiar historical context of dependency e.g. Colonialism and preferential treatment provisions. In order for radical ideas to come to fruition within the arena of sustainable development there must be a change of cultural attitudes from both policy makers and civil society where global economic, social and political structures do not determine the agentic nature of the Caribbean to have autonomy over themselves within a spirit of autarky. Focussing on the implementation of realistic and measurable indicators will facilitate comparative and competitive advantage and further aid in sustainable development. 3