By Robert A Emmanuel
Young Antiguan lawyer Jeniece St Romain has been selected as one of eight individuals globally to take part in a capacity-building fellowship programme in Germany, aimed at improving the skills of young negotiators in addressing climate change.
The Capacity Award Programme to Advance Capabilities and Institutional Training in one Year (CAPACITY) Fellowship Programme was launched under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat which aims to resolve key issues surrounding the environment.
The CAPACITY fellowship was created to address climate change in small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) by promoting a network of experts who can bring creativity and innovation to the issues.
As a trained attorney in the field of international trade law and legislative drafting, St Romain said that she hoped to combine her experiences in the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the New York Office of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to bring a unique, local perspective to the global climate crisis.
“My general modus operandi in life is always that ‘you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be’ and I am always inspired when I see others, like my friends and those around me, excelling and doing well in their careers.
“So I’ve been working within the ministry and I am uniquely positioned to understand where the government’s policy is going, what is best for the Global South and what the policy on SIDS is, because we’re living it… but what I’ve realised is, even from my brief stint at UNCTAD, is that the persons that tend to be making the decisions aren’t always the ones that are informed by our lived experiences,” St Romain explained.
St Romain will be part of seven other fellows who have been recruited to travel to Bonn, Germany, where the UNFCCC Secretariat is located for a period of one year (renewable to two years).
The programme’s website said it is targeting mid-career professionals already in a government’s employment.
Antigua and Barbuda has been a key player in the fight against climate change, having been at the forefront of several global triumphs, including the establishment of an international loss and damage fund, the multidimensional vulnerability index (MDVI), and seeking an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the obligations of states on climate change.
“Even within my studies of trade law, a lot of my focus has been on the environmental aspects; in fact, my dissertation for my Master’s was focused on international trade law and the environment so it just kind of ties together why this fellowship at the UNFCCC was of interest to me,” she added.
Observer reached out to Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Legal Affairs Hildred Simpson who both congratulated St Romain on being accepted onto this prestigious fellowship.
“Ms St Romain is extremely talented, intelligent and has represented the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Attorney General’s Office exceptionally in all of the United Nations’ conferences and international forums,” Benjamin said.
Simpson added that St Romain “has the ambition to reach for the stars” and wished her all the best in Germany.
