Regional Project Inception Workshop – Update of National Implementation Plans (NIPs), Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Inventories and Related Capacity Development for Eight Countries in the Caribbean

As part of the continued implementation of the five (5) year regional project, Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Management Mechanism for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Caribbean, the services of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) was procured for a two (2) year period in support of fulfilment of Output 1.1 of the project: ‘Updated NIPs including the conduct of in-country inventories of new POPs added to the Stockholm Convention’. To this end, a Regional Inception Workshop was hosted by the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean Region (BCRC-Caribbean) at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre, Port of Spain, Trinidad from November 8^th to 10^th, 2016, with the primary function of formally initiating CARPHA’s duties.  

Workshop participants at the Regional Project Inception Workshop.
Ms. Gardiner is pictured in the front row, fifth from the right.

The key objectives of this Workshop, which was facilitated by the team from CARPHA, were to:

Introduce CARPHA to the regional project team; Provide an update on the status of implementation of existing NIP action plans; Present CARPHA’s draft work implementation plan for updating the NIPs, POPs inventories and Capacity Development; and to Train the regional project team on the assessment of newly listed POPs.

The Project Steering Committee members, that is, the Chairperson and National Project Coordinator from each of the eight participating countries, as well as CARPHA’s Thematic Task Team were the key attendees at this session. On the opening day each country was invited to present on the national status of their NIP, the legal and regulatory situation of POPs, the status of their POPs inventory, and a general overview of chemical and waste management in their country.

Ms. Gardiner, the Chairperson of the national Project Working Committee.

 presenting on behalf of the delegation from Trinidad and Tobago

Public Awareness Campaign for the NIP begins!

In fulfillment of the obligations under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), in 2013 the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD), through funding from the United Nations Development Programme, completed and submitted Trinidad and Tobago’s National Implementation Plan (NIP). The NIP is a five (5) year road map that identifies mechanisms to measure, manage, reduce or eliminate the threat of POPs in the country.

A critical component of the NIP is the roll out of a public awareness campaign, with the aim of sensitizing the nation on the adverse effects of POPs, the mechanisms to reduce their exposure to such toxins, and to provide information on the recommended activities outlined in NIP.  As such, a limited but comprehensive public awareness campaign has been developed to target policy makers, the industrial sector and the general public. 

The main elements of the public awareness package include:

• Distribution of the NIP (hard copy and electronically).
• Dissemination of informational material including brochures, flip cards,and posters.
• Publication of articles on POPs in industry magazines and newsletters such as the Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce's (TTCIC) "Contact" Magazine and the Energy Chamber's "Energy Now" Newsletter.
• Publicizing of a 45 second advertisment on POPs on local TV stations and MovieTowne, Port of Spain and Caribbean Cinemas Southpark and on various social media platforms.
• Showcasing of information on POPs and the NIP on the EPPD's Blogspot: http://eppd-tt.blogspot.com/ 

Promotional material will be distributed to key actors in the waste and chemicals field, schools across the nation as part of an education campaign and the general public during the EPPD's public awareness. 

Be on the look out for information like the promotional material below, on 'what are' and 'how to protect yourself and the environment against' POPs!

It’s official! The NIP has been submitted

As a signatory of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the Government of Trinidad and Tobago submitted its National Implementation Plan (NIP) as required under Article 7 of the Convention on January 22nd, 2015.

 

The National Implementation Plan for Trinidad and Tobago can be found via the following link:

• Trinidad and Tobago NIP

For more information on the Stockholm Convention on POPs and to view Country Parties' NIP submissions including Trinidad and Tobago's NIP, visit the Stockholm Convention's website.

 

Caribbean Sub-Regional Workshop on the Updating of NIPs and POPs Wastes under the Stockholm Convention

On December 8 - 10th, 2014 the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer (BCRC-Caribbean) hosted the Caribbean Sub-Regional Workshop on the Updating of National Implementation Plans (NIPs) and Persistent Organic  Pollutants (POPS) at the Hilton Hotel, Port of Spain. 

The Training Workshop was facilitated by representatives from the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions; Ms. Jacqueline Alvarez and Ms. Tatiana Terekhova and the International POPs Consultant, Dr. Roland Weber.

Eight (8) English speaking Caribbean countries who are signatory to the Stockholm Convention participated including representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis,   St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago was represented by Ms. Keima Gardiner (Environmental Engineering Specialist) and Ms. Amrita Bhagan (On-the-Job Trainee) from the Environmental Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

The Workshop involved:

• a preparatory webinar session prior to the commencement of the workshop
• presentations that facilitated discussions amongst participants on case studies and group exercises
• awareness building of the available support tools that can be acquired for reviewing and updating of their NIPs and inventories as well as toolkits for use particularly with consideration of the POPs newly added to the Convention and the implications of utilizing these chemicals, and strategies for developing appropriate management actions for their sound use.
• a site visit to Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) in Claxton Bay
  
  

Participants of the Caribbean Sub-regional Workshop including Ms. Bhagan and Ms. Gardiner (front row, from L-R)

 

 

Official Hand-over of the NIP on POPs

With an aim to further enhance the management of toxic and harmful chemicals affecting human health and the environment, Trinidad and Tobago fulfilled one of its obligations as a signatory to the Stockholm Convention through the development of a National Implementation Plan (NIP) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The completion of the NIP was commemorated through an official handover ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Friday 23 May, 2014.

  

The official handover of the NIP between the UNDP  represented by Ms. Rosemary Lal (left) and the MEWR  represented by the Honourable Minister Ganga Singh, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (right).

This NIP was developed with grant funding provided through the United Nations Development Programme – Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF) and with technical support from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

 As part of completing the NIP, an assessment of the major types and sources of POPs in the country was conducted. Some of the main findings arising from the study include:

• there is no production of POPs pesticides or  chemicals in the country; 
• importation of POPs is effectively prohibited; 
•  there are no POPs chemicals presently on the market apart from some PCB transformers that are reaching the end of their useful life and; 
•  Trinidad and Tobago’s main concerns relate to the unintentional release of POPs (uPOPs) primarily through flaring in the petrochemical industry and open burning  of waste and agricultural residue. 

To minimize the risks posed not only by the original “dirty dozen” (an initial twelve chemicals or chemical groups identified by the Stockholm Convention needing priority action) but also the latter additions of POPs, the NIP recommends a series of actions to be implemented over a five (5) year period.  These measures outline the main actors involved in each process, estimated budgetary requirements, as well as a metric for evaluating  implementation success.

4th National Workshop to Discuss and Endorse the NIP for Trinidad and Tobago

The fourth national stakeholder workshop for the development of the national profile for the Stockholm Convention convened on  September 11, 2013 at the Capital Plaza Hotel, from 8:30am – 4:00pm. 

The intention of the fourth of a series workshops was to update  stakeholders on the progress of the POPs Project, while engaging them in the process of endorsing the National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention. Key actions which are intended to occur over the next  five (5) years (2014 to 2018, inclusive) were recommended in this NIP project document and also indicates the timing of each action, as well as the budget requirement for each. 

These key actions included: 

• Strategic legislative actions including the enacting of local enabling legislation for the Stockholm Convention and the amendment of the negative list to include Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) consequently revising customs regulations;
• Providing technical assistance and capacity building opportunities for industries, farmers and other relevant stakeholders;
•  Investigating the effects of POPs while promoting alternatives and remediating sites contaminated by POPs;
• Implementing a public awareness and information exchange programme.

 

  >> Report on the Draft NIP Workshop Report 

 

L-R: Ms. Rosemary Lall (UNDP), Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh (Head, Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources - (MEWR)), Honorable  Minister  Senator Ganga Singh (MEWR), Ms. Vidiah Ramkhelawan (Permanent Secretary, MEWR) and Mr. Hans Schulz (Project Manager, NIP) at the fourth and final National Workshop to  Support the Implementation of the Stockholm Convention in Trinidad and Tobago hosted by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at Capital Plaza, Port of Spain.

Second Stakeholder Workshop for the Development of the National Profile for the Stockholm Convention

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, with support by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recently hosted the Second National Stakeholder Workshop for the Development of the National Profile for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in Trinidad and Tobago.

Permanent Secretary, Vidiah Ramkhelawan giving welcoming remarks on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources

As a signatory to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), Trinidad and Tobago is required to prepare a National Implementation Plan (NIP) which will guide the implementation of obligations of the Convention in the country. This project commenced in September 2011 and will continue for a period of two years.

There are two major components of this project. The first component is the Socio-Economic Assessment (SEA) for management of POPs. The SEA was a complete evaluation of the potential social and economic impacts of POPs in order to provide a basis for the minimisation of the negative effects on all sectors and population groups as well as provide a baseline to measure the effectiveness of planned interventions that form part of the NIP.

The second component of the NIP project is the development of a National Profile on Chemical and Waste Management in Trinidad and Tobago. This involved a comprehensive assessment of the national capacity and infrastructure for chemical and waste management, along with gaining an understanding of the nature and extent of chemicals availability and use in the country.

Dr. George Sammy, consultant for the National Profile, presenting the results of his findings

The findings of these components formed the basis of the Second National Stakeholder Workshop. The workshop was also aimed at raising awareness amongst relevant stakeholders, assessing present national capacities and ensuring that there are unified cooperative efforts on a National scale as the project moves to completion.

A working group session on one of the discussion topics of the workshop

The Ministry wishes to thank all stakeholders who attended the workshop and looks forward to their continued support as the Project progresses. 

Presentations and Discussion Points of the Workshop:

• National Profile on Chemical and Waste Management
• SEA for the Management of POPs 
• Registration of Pesticides and Chemicals in T&T
• Role of the BCRC-Caribbean in the Implementation of the NIP
• Current Capacity for the Management of POPs in Coastal Areas
• Discussion Group Topics