Above: Grenada

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell and British Virgin Islands Premier Dr Orlando Smith will co-host Leadership Summit for the Caribbean Challenge Initiative in May.

The conference, which will bring together environment ministers, heads of government and CEOs from around the region, will look to “set a new course for the management and preservation of the region’s marine and coastal environment,” according to Grenada’s government.

The conference, which will take place from May 17 to May 18, will also be receiving support fro Sir Richard Branson and the Nature Conservancy

Mitchell received an update on preparations for the summit this week.

In a release, Mitchell “noted with interest” the practice of debt-for-nature swaps, where creditor countries forgive portions of the public bilateral debt in exchange for environmental commitments from the other country.

The Caribbean Challenge Initiative was launched in 2008.