25 October 2023—Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund (SLUNCF) with the support of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) and in affiliation with REDLAC will host the XXVI RedLAC Congress in October 2024. The announcement, that Saint Lucia is the next host country, was made during the closing of this year’s congress in Cusco, Peru.

This annual congress, which will be held in the Eastern Caribbean for the first time, is the premier regional gathering for environmental funds of Latin America and the Caribbean to exchange experiences on environmental finance and opportunities in the world of environmental conservation. In the Caribbean, conservation trust funds fill an important financing gap at national level to manage and conserve biodiversity. These organizations support conservation of biodiversity projects, including investment in equipment and infrastructure; establishment of councils and training and community participation programs; and scientific research and biodiversity monitoring.

The in person four-day event is expected to attract approximately 250 delegates from 19 RedLAC member countries and others around the world. The theme for next year’s event: 30x30x30: The Path to 2030 and aims to bring into focus and emphasize the relentless drive to achieving these global targets within our national contexts and more importantly, on a collective basis. Thirty-by-thirty (30×30) refers to efforts by the global community to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine habitat by 2030. The movement started with international calls for setting aside portions of the globe as protected, and countries reached a landmark agreement during the 2022 UN biodiversity conference, COP15. The event theme highlights the actions we take; decisions we make; the networks established to combat the environmental challenges we face as the Caribbean region. This global Congress promotes the exchange of knowledge and experiences between member funds and nurture alliances with other environmental funds and networks such as CAFE (Consortium of African Environmental Funds).

Saint Lucia: The Venue for RedLAC2024
Saint Lucia is a tropical island located in the Eastern Caribbean that despite its relatively small landmass, possesses a high degree of biodiversity earning it international recognition as a biodiversity hotspot. The island and its waters support a vast array of globally important habitats and species, including 17 major vegetation types and over 200 endemic species.

About the Organizers
Founded in 2016, the Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund (SLUNCF) accommodates a diverse range of funding flows that catalyze and support the conservation, restoration, and effective management of Saint Lucia’s biodiversity and natural resources. Today, the SLUNCF is more committed than ever to its mandate which has expanded to support other focal areas including sustainable livelihoods. As a sustainable finance mechanism, the SLUNCF raises and invests funds to provide grants for local sustainability projects and actions. The SLUNCF was designed based on internationally recognized best practices for conservation trust funds and is confident that its governance and operational structures will help it not only attract large-scale funding from various sources but also become more responsive to a complex external environment.

The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) is a regional umbrella environmental fund that implements innovative solutions and consolidates regional conservation impacts in the Caribbean through a range of financial instruments. Working towards a Caribbean where both its natural environment and people thrive, the CBF mission is to ensure continuous funding for conservation and sustainable development in the region. Funding for participation in this year’s Congress and preparation for RedLAC Congress 2024 was provided by French Agency for Development (AFD) and Fonds français pour l’environnement mondial (FFEM) through the Caribbean Regional Architecture for Biodiversity (CRAB) Project. The CRAB Project is designed to contribute to the development of sustainable and sufficient resources for the conservation of ecosystems in the Caribbean and is being implemented by the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund.

RedLAC is a network of Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Funds (RedLAC) dedicated to promoting the interrelationships of Environmental Funds in the LAC region through capacity-building and knowledge management initiatives that favor the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development in the region. RedLAC’s environmental funds are leaders in the development of financial mechanisms that generate measurable impacts at local, regional and global levels. Established in 1999, the organization has 27 members from 19 countries in the region.

Save the date and learn more about the event redlac-congress2024.org.