Port of Spain, (November, 22, 2012) – The Secretary General Alfonso Munera and the Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean States convey profound condolences on the untimely passing of Dr. Angela Cropper, founder of the Cropper Foundation, former director of CARICOM, Deputy Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme.

Dr. Cropper was relentless in her service to her country and the region especially in matters relating to the environment and sustainable development. She had been instrumental in pioneering the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005 and conducted numerous studies and assessments including those on the Northern Range in Trinidad and the Caribbean Sea.

Dr. Cropper’s commitment to the environmental cause led her to establish the Cropper Foundation, a non-governmental organization focussed on the promotion and sustainable development of natural resources, which has collaborated with the ACS in areas of mutual interest. Indeed she has left an exemplary legacy in her work which still commands the respect of her fellow environmental professionals in memory.

The Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean States again extends its sincerest condolences to Dr. Cropper’s family, friends and loved ones at this time of sorrow and reiterates to the Foundation, the assurances of its highest consideration.