See below excerpt of the Hon. Adrian Forde’s statement at CBD Cop16. The full statement can be read here.

“Distinguished Delegates, the theme of ‘Peace with Nature’ is the articulation of a concept that has long sat deep within the social and cultural subconscious of the Caribbean region, and I would like to thank the Colombian Presidency for elevating it to the surface of our consciousness for discussion during these upcoming dialogues.

As a Small Island Developing State within the Caribbean, Barbados has always been sensitive to the important balance between environmental stewardship and economic and social development, and we have been especially weary of the negative impacts that imbalances in the relationship between nature and people can precipitate. 

Barbados therefore wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) as well as to the monitoring and reporting on its implementation, and, in this regard, it is aligning its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) to the Global Biodiversity Framework. Importantly, recognising the importance of Biodiversity Conservation, the Barbados NBSAP was laid in Parliament in 2022 as the guiding policy document for conservation and management in Barbados.”