Project Entitled – “Capacity Development for improved management of Multilateral Environmental Agreements for Global Environmental Benefits.”

Project Overview:

This project is being funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme office of Trinidad and Tobago (UNDP) with the Ministry of Planning and Development as the executing agency.

The goal of this project is to strengthen the ability of the Government of the Republic Trinidad and Tobago (GoRTT) to create, leverage and maintain synergies for the national implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and strengthen integrated approaches to environmental management, including meeting MEAs guidance and national reporting requirements.

Through a learning-by-doing process, this project will implement capacity development activities in Trinidad and Tobago to improve the synergistic implementation of MEAs and, by extension, contribute to global environmental benefits.

The GEF:

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. The GEF unites 183 countries in partnership with international institutions, civil society organisations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. Since 1992, the GEF has provided over $17 billion in grants and mobilised an additional $88 billion in financing for more than 4000 projects in 170 countries. Through its Small Grants Programme (SGP), the GEF has invested $450 million and leveraged similar levels of co-financing supporting over 14,500 community-based projects in over 125 countries.

As an independently operating financial organisation, the GEF provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, sustainable cities.

This project falls under the “Cross Cutting Capacity Development Strategy” of the GEF, which has the objective of addressing important capacity needs that will enhance a country’s ability to meet its obligations under the Conventions by creating synergies, while at the same time catalysing the mainstreaming of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) into national policy, management or financial and legislative frameworks.

Multilateral Environmental Agreements of which Trinidad and Tobago are signatory include, inter alia:

Ø  Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Ø  United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Ø  United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD)

Ø  Montreal Protocol

Ø  Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

Ø  Rotterdam Convention

Ø  Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Ø  Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Ø  Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW)

Ø  Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

Ø  Ramsar Convention (The Convention on Wetlands)

Ø  World Heritage Convention

Ø  United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

Ø  Convention on Conservation & Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks on the High Seas

Ø  International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)

Project Rationale:

The analysis conducted for the formulation of this project indicates that there is a clear set of capacity barriers hampering the implementation of MEAs in Trinidad and Tobago, namely:

• Need for the capacity of individuals involved in implementing MEAs to increase their skills and knowledge;
• Need for the organisations involved in implementing MEAs to improve their structures, coordination and collaboration mechanisms and procedures;
• Need for the enabling environment for implementing MEAs to be improved via development of effective supporting policy, legal, institutional and financial frameworks.

Project Objective:

u  The project’s objective is to implement capacity development activities in Trinidad and Tobago to improve the synergistic implementation of MEAs and contribute to increase national and global environmental benefits.

u  The project will address key capacity development needs related to the implementation of MEAs, seeking to strengthen synergies to achieve maximum profitability, by re-structuring organisational relationships, strengthening partnerships, relationships and commitments, and improved coordination and collaboration.

u  The project will also strengthen the capacity of the Green Fund Executing Unit (GFEU) and of the CSOs to improve the effectiveness of this unique national environmental funding mechanism.

Project Outcomes:

1. The institutional framework of the country is strengthened and more coordinated, and more able to address global environmental concerns. Under the first outcome, the project will focus on assessing and structuring an improved consultative and decision-making process that effectively integrates global environmental objectives into the existing environmental management framework in Trinidad and Tobago. The project will support the development of capacities of decision-makers to interpret and agree on how best to govern the environment in Trinidad and Tobago that not only meets national priorities, but also global environmental obligations. This outcome will focus on the processes to facilitate these decisions and strengthen the instruments available to decision-makers and policy-makers in order to provide an adequate enabling environment for improving the implementation of MEAs in Trinidad and Tobago. Activities supported by the project under this outcome will also include strengthening the process to engage, coordinate and collaborate with non-governmental stakeholders, such as NGOs, CSOs, private sector and academia.
2. The Green Fund is effective as a funding mechanism to support the implementation of MEAs in Trinidad and Tobago. Under this second outcome, project resources will be used to support activities to better align projects funded by the GFTT with the implementation of MEAs obligations in Trinidad and Tobago; hence contributing to national environmental benefits and by extension to global environmental benefits. The project will seek to increase the effectiveness of this unique national environmental funding mechanism by unleashing its funding potential. Activities supported by the project will strengthen the technical capacity of the Green Fund Executing Unit (GFEU) and the capacity of CSOs to access project funding from the GFTT.

Major Project Outputs:

Participants at the Capacity Building Workshop

EPPD staff at the Workshop

Implementing the Green Government Policy

The official Green Government Policy (GGP), which was approved in 2011, emphasizes the need for conserving domestic resources and reducing pollution locally. More specifically, it seeks to minimize the adverse effects of Government's operations on the environment. It is ultimately envisioned that the principles set out in this Policy will be integrated into the routine operations of the government.

 

In support of the GGP, the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD) has piloted several initiatives aimed at integrating some of the Policy's elements into our everyday operations. Some of these initiatives include the collection and recycling plastic and glass bottles, styrofoam containers as well as used paper, newspapers, cardboard and ink cartridges. The recycling drive was recently formalized through the procurement and installation of recycling bins at our offices in San Juan.

A composter (as seen below) was also installed for collection of organic wastes. Composting organic materials helps to reduce the volume of solid waste entering the landfills and in the long run, reduces the production of methane and leachate formulation in the landfills. 

In conjunction with these initiatives, the EPPD along with representatives from the Green Fund and the Basel Regional Coordinating Centre, has established a Committee to evaluate and record the success of these initiatives for use by other Government offices and agencies. The Committee is also charged with investigating other mechanisms through which the policy can be actualized. 

This place is a Zoo!

World Environment Day 2012 was commemorated with an open day and petting zoo at our office building! 

Staffs of the EPPD and the Green Fund Executing Unit of the Ministry of Housing and the Environment, along with the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean Region (BCRC-Trinidad and Tobago), decided to give the public a truly hands-on experience this year as we commemorated World Environment Day 2012 at the El Socorro offices.

We held an Open Day that had a multi-pronged effect: it allowed the residents, businesses and schools within the El Socorro area to become more acquainted with the mandates and activities of the different environmental offices housed in our building, whilst also commemorating the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5^th, 2012). 

As we interacted with the public, we were able to impress upon them the need for environmental conservation, preservation and rehabilitation, as well as sensitize both adults and kids on some of the local species of biodiversity such as the ocelot. The Open Day also commemorated the 1^st Anniversary of the EPPD’s relocation to the El Socorro area from Port of Spain in 2011.

 
The Open Day was well received by all, especially the children who were most impressed with our “Mini Petting Zoo” which was provided by the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago.