Healthy and Environmentally Friendly Youth call for more effective waste management

Bridgetown, July 26, 2024, (PAHO/WHO) – Backed by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), European Union (EU)-funded CARIFORUM climate change and health project, Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean, the Healthy and Environmentally Friendly Youth (HEY) Campaign created by the Ashley Lashley Foundation, has released the results of recent beach clean-ups and called for stronger policies and greater accountability for the preservation of natural heritage.

HEY Ambassador, Maria Marshall, spearheaded the "Blue Green and Everything in Between" clean-up in Barbados in April.  Volunteers collected and categorised garbage, cleaned the area, and assessed the environmental state of a section of the shoreline near the boat yard and its beach in Oistins, Christ Church. This initiative was also co-funded by the Canadian High Commission, the Clara Lionel Foundation, and UNICEF.

Miss Marshall highlighted the changes in the types of waste collected over the years noting that in 2023 plastic beverage bottles were the main items collected, followed by food wrappers and metal bottle caps.  In 2024, food wrappers, plastic bottles and plastic bottle caps were collected, with an increase in the total amount of garbage. More small pieces of plastics, glass, paper, fishing net, and lines were also collated.  She called for more youth to get involved, proper waste management, and greater visibility of the legal ramifications of littering.   

Dean Chambliss, Director of the PAHO/WHO Caribbean Subregional Program Coordination Office, congratulated Maria and Ashley for their dedicated work, and noted that PAHO was happy to support their efforts to respond to the effects of climate change, along with its development partners.  “You are all part of a formidable movement that is calling for climate action across the globe and in your local communities.  It is often said that the youth are the leaders of tomorrow, but in fact you have demonstrated that you are the leaders of today… It is our hope that this information will be shared and will lead to greater understanding of the repercussions for those on land and at sea, and result in people changing their habits that harm our environment,” Mr Chambliss said.

Quentin Peignaux, Project Officer at the Delegation of the EU, highlighted the EU/CARIFORUM project’s role in fostering meaningful youth action as well as the creation of communication materials around climate change and its impact on health.  “These efforts support better understanding of the climate change and health nexus and will bring more meaningful action in the future,” he underlined.  Mr Peignaux also noted that this initiative builds on the EU's ongoing work with youth on climate and environment in schools and with other youth organisations.

Miriam Van Nie, Political Counsellor at the Canadian High Commission, described the project as a timely and practical conservation effort. “One group engaged by this initiative, the Oistins fisherfolk, experienced Beryl’s destruction firsthand. Its strength so early in the Hurricane season demonstrates how storms are changing and intensifying as the world gets warmer. So, our call is for individuals, communities and nations to take climate action must be louder and more coordinated than ever,” she urged.

Kareem Smith, UNICEF Communications Officer, also expressed support to the youth advocates.  In commending their efforts, he emphasised: “When it comes to the burning issue of the climate and the degradation that we are seeing in our environments the need for urgent action has serious implications for the world that children and young people will inherit…It is important that even in the face of difficulty our children and young people remain undaunted.”

The event culminated ended with a call to action issued by young climate activists Shakeem Howell, Jasmine Sealy, and Kyla Nurse: “We, the youth, call for stringent regulations and necessary funding for effective waste management systems to ensure our beaches remain pristine and free from waste.”

The Ashley Lashley Foundation’s efforts are part of the broader “Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean” project, which is enhancing the capacity to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change on public health across Caribbean nations, employing a One Health approach.  It acknowledges the interconnectedness between humans, animals, plants, and their shared environments.

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For further information please contact Lisa Bayley - bayleylis@paho.org, PAHO/WHO Office of the Subregional Program Coordination (Caribbean).

About the Pan American Health Organisation:  The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) works with the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of its population. Founded in 1902, it is the world’s oldest international public health agency. It serves as the Regional Office of WHO for the Americas and is the specialized health agency of the Inter-American system.

The PAHO Subregional Program is responsible for providing subregional technical cooperation and to strengthen PAHO’s engagement with the Caribbean Subregional integration mechanisms, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and its various bodies and organs; and to build synergistic partnerships with the West Indies (UWI), among others. PAHO’s subregional technical cooperation specifically focuses on public health issues which would benefit from economies of scale and for which agreement on proposed collective responses and actions would produce a far greater impact rather than individual country responses. The Subregional Program also plays a role in coordinating among the different PAHO country offices.