Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in Countries in the Caribbean Region: Trinidad and Tobago National Workshop

On April 28^th, 2016 at the Trinidad Hilton & Conference Centre, local stakeholders (UTT, UWI, Ministry of Legal Affairs, EMA, Ministry of Planning and Development and others) gathered together at the "Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in countries in the Caribbean Region" Project - Trinidad and Tobago National Workshop.

In order to support countries of the Caribbean to capitalise on opportunities to make the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS Protocol) operational in their national jurisdictions, the UNEP in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has developed a  Caribbean Regional Project entitled "Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in countries of the Caribbean Region".  

This 3 year Project is to be implemented in 8 CARICOM countries including Trinidad and Tobago with grant funding from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and is being executed by the IUCN Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (ORMACC). 

Matters discussed at the Workshop included:

• ABS and the Nagoya Protocol;
• ABS in the Caribbean Region;
• The IUCN ABS Caribbean Project;
• The Project Work Plan for Trinidad and Tobago;
•  The role of National Agencies in Project Implementation 

>> For more information on the Project and the Trinidad and Tobago National Workshop visit the Nagoya Protocol Regional Project Page.

Dr. David Persaud addresses attendees at the Trinidad and Tobago National Workshop on April 28th, 2016.

NOU Trade Show on Technolog using alternatives to ODS

The National Ozone Unit (NOU) of the Ministry of Planning and Development hosted a Trade Show on Technology using Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) Alternatives in the Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning (RAC) Sector on October 13^th and 14^th, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm each day.

The Trade Show aimed at sensitising stakeholders both locally, and across the region, on new and emerging technology in the RAC sector. The technology exhibited make use of HCFC-alternatives, mainly Hydrofluorocarbons and Hydrocarbons. Exhibitors included companies with experience using ODS-free RAC equipment; international, regional and local experts including those from Cuba, Brazil, United States of America and Germany; and manufacturers and distributors of new RAC technology.

The NOU also had a booth where participants gained information on ozone layer depletion and about the NOU and its efforts to phase out ODS. Additionally, there were also short presentations and technical information sharing sessions which were approximately thirty (30) minutes each and led by select exhibitors.

This two (2) day Trade Show was well attended by  members of the RAC Sector, technical /vocational and secondary schools and other interested members of the public. Participants gained new and improved technical skills and knowledge on environmentally-friendly RAC technology, in addition, they were provided with a unique opportunity to interact with local and foreign manufacturers, importers and retailers to address any questions or concerns, and to forge new professional relationships. Ultimately, the event was an avenue that supports the efforts of region in making further strides to becoming HCFC-free. 

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE NOU TRADE SHOW

Caribbean Thematic Workshop on Enabling National Conditions for the Adoption of Standards in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector

The United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean  (UNEP ROLAC) hosted the Workshop on Enabling National Conditions for the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) Sector during the period  October 14 - 16, 2014 in Panama City, Panama.

The Caribbean Region was represented by delegations from Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago. The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was represented at this three (3) day Workshop by Mr. Javed Lakhan,  Environmental Policy Analyst, Environmental Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of Environment and  Water Resources.

The meeting focused on the sharing of experiences among Caribbean countries with respect to the formulation and  adoption of National Standards in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector, in the context of the Montreal Protocol and each country’s Hydrochlorofluorocarbon Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP). Other important issues discussed included the drafting and adoption of regional standards in the RAC sector as well as which countries would take the lead in formulation of these regional standards.

Overall the workshop was very productive, in that, it laid the foundation for considerable progress to be made in terms of collaboration between Caribbean and Latin American countries in creating, adapting, adopting and implementing proper standards within the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector.

 

Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Management Mechanism for POPs in the Caribbean

A Regional Validation Workshop was hosted by the Basel Convention Regional Centre for the Caribbean on  September 25th, 2014 to  September 26th, 2014 at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, Port of Spain. 

The workshop was attended by one Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Operational Focal Point and one Stockholm Convention National Focal or Official Contact Point from each of the following eight (8) Caribbean territories: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

These countries represent the member states involved in the GEF funded full-sized project “Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Management Mechanism for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Caribbean”. Ms. Keima Gardiner, Environmental Engineering Specialist, Environmental Policy Analyst represented the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources at the Workshop.

The workshop was convened to:

• finalise all technical administrative and financial elements of the project as discussed in the Town Meetings held in July, 2014 in the respective territories 
• refine the budget and work plan for the project 
• provide an official forum for consensus building and project validation 

 

Representatives from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) were present to facilitate information sharing among project member states and foster collaboration in advance of official project implementation. This was done by providing participants with resource material and empirical information on UNIDO's experiences with POPs and unintentional POPs (uPOPs) in other countries. The Regional Consultant for the Project, Ms. Camille Roopnarine, gave an in-depth review of the project components as it related to the expected outputs, affiliated activities and budgetary allocations for each. 

At the end of the Workshop, regional stakeholders agreed in principle with the outcomes and this was to be confirmed through the provision of individual co-financing agreements.

Group photo of the participants including Ms. Gardiner (front, 4th from the left) at the GEF funded Regional POPs Project with representation from Caribbean states, UNIDO and BCRC-Caribbean.

Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Management Mechanism for POPs in the Caribbean

The Town Meeting for the Global Environmental Facility/ United Nations Industrial Development Organization (GEF/ UNIDO) Project entitled “Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Management Mechanism for Persistent Organic  Pollutants (POPs) in the Caribbean” was held on Thursday 10^th July, 2014 at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources’ Conference Room, Tower D, International Waterfront Complex, Port of Spain.

 

The Project was approved by the GEF Council in November, 2013 and is being coordinated by the Basel Convention Regional Centre for the Caribbean (BCRC-Caribbean). It seeks to enable the  region to reduce and/ or eliminate the threat of POPs as part of the obligations under the Stockholm convention, within the context and realities of eight (8) Caribbean countries, inclusive of Trinidad and Tobago.

  

As part of the Project Preparation Phase, one of the associated activities was the hosting of a Town Meeting, for liaising with the relevant stakeholders in an attempt to refine and solidify their roles and responsibilities at this phase as well as to garner preliminary information for preparation of the full sized project document. In attendance at this Town Meeting were a wide cross-section of representatives from government, public sector, private entities, NGOs and academia.

Participants at the Town Meeting for the GEF/UNIDO Project:

 Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Management Mechanism 

for POPs; July 10th, 2014.

The Meeting was opened by the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Vidiah Ramkhelawan, who provided some brief introductory remarks. Following which, the Regional Consultant, Ms. Camille Roopnarine spearheaded the session by providing presentations on the  Project and then engaging participants eliciting their feedback on the relevant project Components for the country.  The Town Meeting coordinator, Ms. Keima Gardiner (Environmental Engineering Specialist, Environmental Policy Planning Division) then brought the meeting to close with a vote of thanks.

 

 

IUCN/TNC Scientific Forum on the BIOPAMA Programme

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Nature Conservancy (TNC) are the two largest global NGOs which have the conservation and protection of biological resources as their core role. Together they have collaborated on the Biodiversity and Protected Area Management Programme (BIOPAMA) for African, Pacific and  Caribbean (ACP) states, the main aim of which is to establish a database on Protected Areas (PAs).  

This Scientific Forum, which was held between February 19 – 21^st, 2014 in St. Lucia, was intended to familiarise the Caribbean sub-region on the objectives of the BIOPAMA programme and to inform on its utility by providing  information on available tools for the management of protected areas. 

Two representatives from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources attended the Scientific Forum. They included Mr. Julius Smith, Environmental Biologist in the Environmental Policy and Planning Division, along with Rhona Jitta, Assistant Conservator of Forests (Ag.), Forestry Division.

The Forum provided an opportunity for the IUCN/TNC to assess the capabilities of the Caribbean States in terms of  Protected Area management, monitoring and enforcement as well as their availability to participate in the BIOPAMA initiative.  The second part of the Forum focused on working group sessions that sought to get the participants to formulate projects that would assist BIOPAMA in carrying out its mandate.   

These sessions sought to solicit information from Caribbean states regarding how data is currently being used, existing data gaps, impediments to the acquisition of data, the accessibility of available data and the administrative bottlenecks to data management as well as decision making based on the use of geospatial data.