The inclusion of green policy objectives in Barbados can be traced to the National Strategic Plan (2006-2025) and the Budget Speech of 2007. The process was given further impetus in 2009 when the then Prime Minister laid down the challenge of committing Barbados to become the “most environmentally advanced green country in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
It was against this backdrop that the government engaged the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the establishment of a partnership to support the country’s transformation. After an initial scoping mission, the government and UNEP commissioned the Barbados' Green Economy Scoping Study (GESS), conducted in partnership with the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.
The goals of the study were to consider the steps that would be necessary to move towards a greener economy and the resulting net benefits that might accrue. The project focused on five sectors – agriculture, fisheries, building/housing, transportation and tourism – and four cross-cutting issues: waste, water, energy and land. From its inception, an integrated approach to assessment was applied. One of the key actions of this process was the establishment of the Green Economy Technical Steering Committee (GETSC,) whose role was to undertake the technical oversight of the study. The Committee consisted of members of the technical team, government, NGOs and business. Data gathering involved consultations with key government agencies and stakeholders in the five sectors and four crosscutting issues. In addition, a series of technical seminars were held to facilitate the articulation of the requisite enabling environment.