Environment Department Sets Record Straight on SIRF Fund Allocations

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Diann Black-Layne making a presentation during the session on "Integrated Resilience Planning" at the GCF Global Programming Conference, photo is courtesy of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Department of Environment Clarifies Funds Programmed by the SIRF Fund)

The Department of Environment (DOE) wishes to address the erroneous information broadcasted on a local radio program regarding the Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund (SIRF Fund).

The inaccuracies mentioned include the amount of funds channeled via the SIRF Fund as well as the grants to individuals.

The allegations claim that the SIRF Fund has received over 200 million Eastern Caribbean Dollars (ECD) since its inception. This is incorrect. I

n reality, the SIRF Fund has received approximately 20 million ECD. These funds have been effectively utilized in several key areas, including:

Revolving Loans for First Responders: Funding resilient housing projects to ensure that first responders have secure and durable homes.

Grants to Churches and Schools: Supporting the enhancement of these institutions’ resilience to climate impacts.

Loans to Small Businesses:   Providing financial assistance to small enterprises that depend on climate conditions for their operations.

Note:  The Fund does not provide grants to individuals or businesses, but grants to community based organization. 

The financial statements of the SIRF Fund are publicly available online via the Department of Environment’s website, ensuring transparency and accountability. The audits of the SIRF Fund are conducted by BDO and the Accountant EBAS, with internal Auditor ACM. All these companies are external to the Government. The evaluation process further ensures that the SIRF Fund is effectively serving the public.

The fund has just completed its first operationalization phase and all initial funds are exhausted.  The DOE and the SIRF Fund Board is taking steps to access additional financing.   

The DOE and the SIRFF is aware of the keen interest of the public and the need for these resources and will provide additional information when more funds are available. 

The funds access is related to Biodiversity, Chemicals management and Climate change Mitigation and Adaptation only and cannot be used for any activities outside of these.  The DOE would like to note that there are many other donors that provide funding in other areas of interest but the DOE is not an expert in accessing those funds. 

The DOE sincerely apologizes to all our media houses for any misunderstandings that may have arisen from these inaccuracies.  We value the role of the media in our work and we will try our best to continue to ensure that you receive accurate information as we move forward.

For further information, please visit our website at www.environment.gov.ag, or contact the DOE at 4644625. 

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24 COMMENTS

  1. Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive. You reap what you sow. You have sown wickedness to innocent people and you will reap wickedness on your own head. Master manipulator. Am I reading correctly, That the first responders in Antigua and Barbuda collected 20 million from the fund? Look, we need to call in forensic auditors. I wouldn’t touch this with a 10 foot pole.

  2. explain how your sister and brother and PS abd friends are able to get loans when under normal circumstances they would not be qualified?
    100,000
    200,000
    75,000

  3. Why not provide the link to the financial statements? What about the money for the Path to 2020 project that has been ongoing for years but has not been revived by the selected participants??? Just lies and more lies and deception.

  4. Check out the DOE website:

    Building Climate Resilience through innovative Financing Mechanism for Climate Change adaptation (SCCF)

    Description
    Vulnerable communities and sectors are threatened by the impacts of an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events caused by climate change. The proposed solution to the problem is to promote the implementation of cost-effective adaptation measures in Antigua and Barbuda by: i) developing innovative financing mechanisms for funding adaptation interventions; ii) demonstrating adaptation interventions focused on ecosystems to reduce vulnerability of local communities; iii) building institutional and technical capacity to identify, implement, maintain and upscale adaptation interventions; and iv) strengthening the national and regional knowledge base for climate change adaptation.

    Objectives
    The objective of the SCCF project is to establish the Adaptation window of the SIRF Fund (Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund) and demonstrate the funding of resilience in the building and waterways management from the Fund. The project will also provide the foundation for the scaling up of the SCCF project.

    Questions:
    1. Were the beneficiaries organizations or individuals?
    2. Did the Director get a loan of $150,000 from thus project?
    3. Did the Director’s brother got a loan of $200,000 from this project?
    4. Did the Director’s sister get a loan of $100,000 from this project?
    5. Did the Director’s permanent secretary get a loan of $75,000 from this project?

    Can the DOE make public the list of individuals who benefitted from low interest loans from this project and the amounts they received?

  5. No financial statement is on the DOE website! What a damn lie, Send them to antiguanewsroom.com for everybody to see. The department financial statements are always delayed and in shambles full of inaccuracies by the accounting firm and nobody is checking them because the person who should be is being paid to look the other way. where are the monies to complete the project after you allocated funds to supporters, family and friends. we won’t stop digging. we want to know the truth.

  7. I worked at the Department and I had to run. In the last year the entire project team except for a few have left. They don’t want to be caught up in the corruption. The turnover is just too high. Only a small group of ass kissers and arpund 10 are there. Every single project is behind and they are trying to get more money to finish ongoing projects that should have been closed years and years ago. The head needs to be fired for the inefficiencies and poor running of those projects.

  8. Antigua people do not research or ask the right questions

    https://www.greenclimate.fund/countries/antigua-barbuda

    Since the doe reach accreditation status over 5 years ago, how much money has the green climate fund given to Antigua? how many projects are programmed? how many projects are completed?

    Climate change is real but the financing of projects is a scam a money grab. These folks do not care about our environment

  10. Cabinet says the sirf Fund received $12 million (US or EC?) but the DOE says EC$20 million very conflicting somebody can’t count

  11. antiguanewsroom.com from what I hear the well-to-do people they give loans to are not paying back

  12. The same evaluators who grade the DOE procurement and financial management practices as high risk?

  14. the department of environment is one big ponzi scheme get access to more funding to finance aged projects and get more funding to finance what they just get funding for
    one big ponzi scheme and one day everything will explode

  15. “The financial statements of the SIRF Fund are publicly available online via the Department of Environment’s website, ensuring transparency and accountability.”

    I went to the Department of Environment’s website and there are no financial statements. Did anyone find them?

  16. well all dem people dem give money to? who else get money? a now me interested to see them financial statement so put them up for transparency and accountaibility

  17. The PS of Health is the deputy chair of the SIRFF board and the Director is a member of the SIRFF board, did they approve their own loans?

  18. is all these things going on why they force the head to step down from ambassador
    dem things can not be right?

  19. LOL this link finally made its way to me and I came straight to the comments section I am not disappointed. I am waiting like everyone for the financial statements (financial position, income and cash flow) ended Dec 31, 2023.

    Please and thank you DOE

  21. my way of helping by putting all the questions together for the DOE

    • We have sent these questions directly to her for a response. The questions contain serious allegations and if untrue this could be defamation.

  22. thank you editor, this should be interesting mrs. black-layne don’t take too long and do not come with the lies because the truth will come out

Comments are closed.