The main objective of the sub-regional project ‘Development of Mercury Initial Assessments in the Caribbean' is to use scientific and technical knowledge and tools to gain a clearer understanding of
the mercury status, and to facilitate the ratification and early implementation
of the Minamata Convention. Trinidad and
Tobago, recognising the potential benefits from such a project participated in
the Project Inception Meeting and Mercury Toolkit Training Workshop hosted by the
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the
Caribbean Region (BCRC-Caribbean) from the 10th to 13th
October 2016.
This two-fold
session was convened at the Hilton Trinidad Conference Centre, Port-of-Spain,
Trinidad and comprised national representatives from the three other project
participant countries namely: Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia.
Ms. Keima Gardiner, Environmental Engineering Specialist represented the
Ministry of Planning and Development at the workshop.
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| Participants at the Project Inception and Mercury Toolkit Training Workshop Report (Ms. Gardiner is pictured in the front row, fourth from the right) |
The objective of
the Inception Meeting were to: (i) develop a regional strategy for outreach and
awareness raising aimed at national/international stakeholders throughout the
project; (ii) identify key stakeholders and assign respective roles; and (iii)
establish and adopt a National Coordination Mechanism for mercury management. This
took place on the opening day and involved presentations on the project from the
BCRC-team, the project implementing agency the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), as well as, country presentations on the national preliminary
mercury sources in the respective territories.
The training component which ensued on the
three remaining days was conducted to ensure that the
participants had a clear grasp of the requisite project scope and activities,
while setting the tone for the project. The training, which was conducted by
Dr. David Buck of the Biodiversity Research Institute, examined elements of the UNEP Practical Sourcebook on Mercury
Waste Storage and Disposal, in particular as it related to the development of
national inventories, and also included practical exercises on Levels 1 and 2
of the inventory. On the final day each participant was presented with a
certificate of participation in the training session.
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| Members of the Trinidad and Tobago cohort receive their certificates of participation (Ms. Gardiner of the Ministry of Planning and Development stands at the centre) |
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