On February 26th, 2015 the Ministry of the
Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) joined with key stakeholders to launch
the “Low Emissions Capacity Building Programme (LECB) Project.” The event was hosted
at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre, Couva by the Multilateral
Environment Agreements Unit (MEAU) of the MEWR, the designated coordinating entity to implement the National Climate Change Policy.
The LECB project is a
global programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is
being implemented through the UNDP office in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago
is the only participating country in the Caribbean. The Project seeks to:
- support and complement the activities and outputs of ongoing projects being executed to implement the National Climate Change Policy including the Carbon Reduction Strategy
- support and develop a framework for strategy implementation to identify and select the most feasible alternatives and options for low carbon development in the sectors assessed
- support key public and private stakeholders for its implementation, particularly in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventorying, reporting and verification through relevant capacity building activities
In her remarks, Ms. Vidiah Ramkhelawan, Permanent Secretary of the Environment and Water Resources highlighted the Ministry's efforts in advancing the national climate change agenda through various initiatives and studies and the LECB project is one such initiative.
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| Ms. Vidiah Ramkhelewan (Permanent Secretary, MEWR) giving her remarks at the start of the LECB Project launch |
During the launch, Technical Specialist,
LECB Programme, Environment and Energy Group Bureau for Development Policy of
UNDP in New York, Mr. James Vener provided an overview of the global programme and the expected benefits of the programme on the ground including the promotion of strategic planning, mainstreaming of climate change into national/sectoral development planning, improved data management, use of public finance to attract private investments, among others.
Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh, Head of the MEAU emphasised the improtance and timeliness of the project as it will culminate in the development of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), provide input into the formulation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (iNDCs) as well as develop capacity to conduct Biennial Update Reports (BURs) of national GHG emissions. These outputs are also part of Trinidad and Tobago's obligations as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
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| L-R: , Mr. Hans Eric Schulz (LECB Project Manager), Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh (Head of MEAU, MEWR), Ms. Rosemary Lall (UNDP, Trinidad and Tobago), Mr. James Vener (LECB Programme, UNDP) and Ms.Tanya Staskiewicz (Technical Project Assistant, LECB Project) |
The formal launch was proceeded by an Inception Workshop which provided participants from the private sector, business support organisations, government agencies, regional organisation and academia and key stakeholders with the opportunity to ask questions and offer recommendations to inform policy making on climate change in Trinidad and Tobago.
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| Cross-Section of participants at the LECB Project Launch and Inception Workshop |
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