Panama City, Panama, December 1, 2025 – The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), along with various representatives from Caribbean SIDS from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Haiti, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia, is participating in the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23), held under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Panama City from December 1-5, 2025.
PISLM’s and the Caribbean’s participation in this international meeting reflects the commitment to advancing sustainable development of lands and soils for the Caribbean and providing a platform to show our priorities to the UNCCD.
Reporting the organization’s contributions to the Caribbean, under the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) mechanism and the UNCCD Strategic Framework 2018–2030, Executive Director Dr. Ronen Francis highlighted the significant progress made.
Among those listed include “Successful development of updated soil maps and data sets for five Caribbean SIDS; maps that represent an essential tool for national planning, environmental management, and evidence-based decision making.”
Other accomplishments raised by the Executive Director include the approval of the CSIDS SOILCARE Project Phase 2 by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), 14 Caribbean SIDS will begin to benefit from the creation of updated soil maps and comprehensive soil data sets. This new generation of soil information will enhance the capacity of countries to meet their reporting obligations for LDN and to effectively participate in the PRAIS.
“PISLM is still committed to advancing Land Degradation Neutrality in the Caribbean and ensuring that Small Island Developing States (CSIDS) are equipped with the data, tools, and institutional capacity needed to safeguard their land resources for future PISLM generations,” Dr. Francis added.
Opening remarks at CRIC23 in Panama were made by other Caribbean representatives, including Enrique Monize (Guyana), Dr. Eric Browne (St. Kitts and Nevis), Joseph Noel (Grenada), and Karl Augustine (St. Lucia), who all championed the cause for continued support for achieving land degradation neutrality within their respective countries through initiatives such as the:
- The CARICOM “25 by 25+5 Initiative,”
- Caribbean SOILCARE Phases I & II and
- CARSIS – the Caribbean Soil Information System.
CRIC23 is also a momentous occasion for PISLM, as it is the first time that the organization is serving as a regional help desk for Caribbean SIDS in the PRAIS reporting. This will serve to address the lack of capacity in the various parties in efficiently reporting to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
CRIC23 runs from December 1-5, in Panama and follows a training of trainers workshop on the 27th and 28th of November, followed by a UNCCD SIDS Forum workshop on the 29th of November 2025.
