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Friday, November 17, 2017

Local NewsRegional/InternationalNews

The Grenadian Voice

Seeking international aid for vulnerable islands

The Secretary
General of theCommonwealth,
the Right Hon Patricia Scotland, QC, hascommitted to trying to
get the international
community to understand the vulnerabilityof small island developing states and theirneed for aid.
Before visiting
Grenada last
Wednesday, Baroness
Scotland visited theCaribbean islands thatwere recently ravaged
by hurricanes Irmaand Maria.

Speaking to themedia following ameeting with Prime
Minister Dr the Right
Hon Keith Mitchell,Baroness Scotland said,“I think I will be leaving here with a great
deal of hope because
despite the tragedy andunimaginable devastation I witnessed in
Antigua and Barbuda

and Dominica, I also
saw an unbreakablespirit of resilience andrevival.” This, she said
making reference tothe speeches she heard
from those countries’
leaders, who expressed
determination to riseagain.

From Grenada, theSecretary General wasexpected to attend theCOP 23 – the UN
Climate Change
Conference2017 inBonn, Germany, from
November 06-18.
There, she said she willtake the pictures showing what has happened,“in the hope that wewill help the international community tobetter understand thetrue long-term consequences of what hurricanes and storms can
do to small and vulnerable islands.”

She said from hermeeting with PM
Mitchell she felt thesame determination to
do all possible to better
protect Small Island
Developing States(SIDS).
Returning to herhomeland Dominica,
Baroness Scotland said
she was deeply
touched as she could
hardly recognise thecountry, which she
said lost 200% of itsGDP.
Speaking to the issueof making aid available
for SIDS, Baroness
Scotland said theCommonwealth has

Secretary General of the Commonwealth, theRight Hon Patricia Scotland, QC

been working with theWorld bank andEconomic
Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD)
to create a Climate
Change Finance Fundthat countries in needcan tap into. She

announced the creation of a Finance
Access Hub for theregion, which is basedin Belize. She said theHub is expected toprovide technical assistance to help applications be successful.

The Baroness wenton, “I think we have toimplement the Paris
Agreement,” notingthat the consequences
being suffered by theregion were not madeby this region “andtherefore getting
everyone to understand that we are all inthis together is going
to be remarkablyimportant….”

She noted that inaddition to theCaribbean, countries
in other parts of thecommonwealth sufferfrom mudslides, flooding, fire, etc.
She said this COP isabout implementation
and action.
In addition, theSecretary General saidin Bonn theCommonwealth will
launch a Climate
Change Toolkit tobring together the legislative and other provisions that will implement and put into law
the aspirations that arein the 2015 Climate
Change Paris
Agreement.
Grenada was a participant in the preparation of the tool kit.
The Paris Agreement
is an agreement within
the United Nations

Framework
Convention on
Climate Change(UNFCCC) dealing
with greenhouse gas
emissions mitigation,adaptation and financestarting in the year
2020. It aims torespond to the global
climate change threatby keeping a global
temperature rise thiscentury well below 2
degrees Celsius above
pre-industrial levels
and to pursue efforts
to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees
Celsius. Each country
determines, plans andregularly reports its
own contribution it
should make in orderto mitigate global
warming. There is nomechanism to force acountry to set a specific target by a specificdate, but each target
should go beyond previously set targets.

Japan, rich in Culture and Heritage

Participants dressed in Kimonos – Japan’s traditional dress

By Anisha Samuel
MATSUSHIMA,
Japan - Japan is not
only known as thecountry with theworld’s third largest
economy, but it is also
known for its rich culture and heritage that
dates back thousandsof years ago.

The way of life for
the Japanese people isdemonstrated in everyday living and it ispassed on from generation to generation.
Tourists get to experience this culture
when they visit Japan’snational heritage sites
and buildings, exhibits

and ceremonies. Inaddition, Japan’s culture is demonstrated
and preserved in its
sculptures, paintings,
calligraphy, architecture, clothing, cuisine,gardens, etc.
The journalists participating in the 2017
APIC-FPCJ Journalists’Programme got a better understanding ofJapanese religious
beliefs and practices
when they visited temples in Kyoto andSendai during theweekend of October 20.
A visit was also madeto the Nijo-Jo Castle –a world heritage site,

Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan
enjoyed Washoku
which was built 400
Rikyu in the 16th cen(food of japan) andyears ago.
tury, can be held anygained a deeper appre- where, at any time;Throughout the visciation for Japanese
however, it is often
its, tour guides
cuisine after dining atheld according to a
explained the layout of the high-classtheme of a specific seaeach temple and theMatsushima-based
sonal event. It is said
significance of each
Japanese styled restauthat the essential spirit
painting and room.
rant, Un-gai.
of Chanoyu represents
harmony, purity,
The group was in
Probably the mostrespect and tranquility.
awe of the intricate
memorable activity fordetails of the design
the journalists thisAt Wak Japanand material used thatweekend was being(Women’s Association
make the temples,
dressed in Kimonos –of Kyoto), the journalwhich are also national Japan’s traditional
ists learnt the proceheritage, so unique.
dress, for a few hours
dure in hosting the Tea

The temples are surrounded by blooming
gardens, filled withflora and fauna thatadds to the rich history.
The journalists

and participating in
the authentic Tea ceremony, known as
Chanoyu.

Chanoyu, which wasestablished by Sen noceremony, the types ofutensils used, how tomake green tea, themanners of drinking
tea and the manners of
the guests.