13th Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the UNCCD

The thirteenth (13th) Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 13) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) took place from the 25-27 March, 3015 in Bonn, Germany. CRIC 13 was preceded in Bonn by meetings of the Regional Implementation Annexes, from the 23-24 March, 2015. 

A bird’s eye view of the dais during the discussion on “Formulation, revision and implementation of action programmes in view of the post-2015 sustainable development framework”  Photo credit: IISD Reporting Services ( March 26, 2015)

Delegates included representatives from governments, intergovernmental organizations and civil society organizations, attended the meeting. Trinidad and Tobago was represented Mr. Julius Smith, Environmental Biologist, Environmental Policy Analyst, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

At CRIC 13, informed  by country reports, other reporting entities and goals of the UNCCD’s Ten Year Strategy (2008-2018), discussions focused on assessing the implementation of the Convention based on five (5) operational  objectives; advocacy, awareness-raising and education; policy framework; science, technology and knowledge; and financing and technology transfer.  Additionally, CRIC participants reviewed financial support for the implementation of the Convention, and implementation of action programmes in view of the post-2015 sustainable development framework.

Of the submitted reports reviewed at the CRIC 13, it was ascertained that there were gaps in implementation which left participants questioning whether the Convention was collecting the right information to instigate further action and whether other tools, could enhance implementation.

Some tools that were suggested included, studies on the costs of inaction in addressing land degradation, enhancing synergies with the Rio Conventions, or adopting a global  target such as land degradation neutrality.

At the end of CRIC 13, a draft report was produced which included recommendations for further consideration at the CRIC 14 and the twelfth (12th) session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP-12) which will take place on October 12 - 23, 2015 in Ankara, Turkey.

 

Reginonal Workshop for the Caribbean Sub-Region of GRULAC for the UNCCD

The Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Land Management (PISLM) in conjunction with the Global Mechanism held a regional workshop on May 12 – 16^th, 2014 in Port of Spain for the Caribbean Sub-Region of the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). 

Trinidad and Tobago was represented by Mr. Julius Smith, Environmental Biologist, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. The purpose of the workshop was to orient CARICOM party states to the Convention on the use of the revised Performance Review Assessment of Implementation System (PRAIS II).  The PRAIS II is a secure online database where country parties are expected to input their information and data to compile their national reporting. 

The second aspect of the Workshop was the meeting of the PISLM Task Force which was concluding its two (2) year term in 2014. The Task Force is comprised of Caribbean party states including Spanish speaking territories and the committee  provides oversight and directives to the activities of the PISLM. The current 2014-2016 biennium’s Task Force would consist of the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Jamaica,  Grenada  and Trinidad and Tobago. It should be noted that Trinidad and Tobago has been appointed chair for the current term. 

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago had pledged financial support for the operational costs of the PISLM for the first 5 years of its establishment. September 2014 marks the end of that commitment period and the Task Force was therefore required to agree on modalities for the PISLM to generate income to bridge any possible funding gaps.

In summary, it was decided that the PISLM would act as an implementing agency for the revision of National Action Programmes as well as facilitate National Reporting across the CARICOM region as the primary option for winning revenue.  Furthermore, the PISLM would provide  technical backstopping for Sustainable Land Management projects on a regional  basis.

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.

 

UNCCD COP 11

The Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP-11) was held Windhoek, Namibia during the period 9 - 27 September, 2013.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was represented at the  meetings by Mr. Julius Smith, Environmental Biologist, who attended the regional  preparatory meetings, the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) and the Conference of Parties (COP), along with Ms. Candace Amoroso, Biodiversity Specialist, who attended the Committee on Science and Technology (CST) only.

The objective of the Convention to Combat Desertification is to combat land degradation and desertification and to mitigate the effects of drought by taking effective action at all levels through international cooperation and partnership agreements in order to achieve sustainable development in the affected areas. This year the theme for the COP was “A stronger UNCCD for a Land Degradation Neutral World.” 

Mr. Julius Smith (right) in discussions  with  delegates of the Latin American region at the regional preparatory  meetings for the UNCCD COP-11; Namibia, 2013

Ms. Candace Amoroso at the start of a plenary session at the CST-11; Namibia, 2013.

It was convened at the halfway point of the 10-Year Strategy of the UNCCD (2008-2018), and reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the Strategy of the Convention. Delegates also considered the outcome of the second and preparations for the third UNCCD Scientific Conferences, and reports of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST) and the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC).

 At the end of COP-11 delegates adopted a total of forty-one (41) decisions. Among these decisions, nine (9) were developed by the CST,  twelve (12) recommended by CRIC, and twenty (20) from the Committee of the Whole (COW). 

  >>For more information on the UNCCD COP 11 and the its outcomes visit  ISSD  RS @ UNCCS COP11.

Capacity Building Workshop on the NAP/IFS Alignment Process in the Caribbean

A Sub-Regional Capacity Building Workshop on the National Action Plan/Integrated Financial Strategy (NAP/IFS) Alignment Process in the Caribbean Community Sub-Region was hosted by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago the Workshop at Capital Plaza, Port-of Spain from August 13-15, 2013.

The workshop was organised by the EPPD, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in close collaboration with the UNCCD Secretariat, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD) Support Staff.

Several Caribbean Parties of the Convention were in attendance. Trinidad and Tobago was represented by Environmental Biologist, Mr. Julius Smith and Biodiversity Specialist, Ms. Candace Amoroso, both from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

The workshop aimed to provide technical support, training and guidance to CARICOM countries for the strengthening of national capacity to facilitate and give impetus to the alignment of their National Action Programmes (NAPs) for the implementation of the UNCCD. 

It was important also in identifying or re-defining priority actions and strengthening cooperation at national and sub-regional levels through NAPs as well as in identifying modalities for financing these NAPs.

The outcomes of this workshop will serve to inform Trinidad and Tobago's national efforts at building capacity to meet its obligations under the UNCCD as well as allow the country to meet out our socio-economic developmental needs through the use of sustainable land management.

NBSAP Revision Workshop

The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) is the principal instrument for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the national level. The strategy is a mechanism to ensure that biodiversity, its sustainable use and conservation is mainstreamed into the planning and activities of all those sectors whose activities can have an impact (positive and negative) on it.

The Regional Workshop for the Caribbean Region on Updating and Revising of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) was held at the Hyatt Regency, Trinidad during the period September 5th -7th, 2012. The Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting to the 11th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was subsequently held on September 8th, 2012 at the same venue.

Both sessions were attended by representatives from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources; these being Ms. Candace Amoroso, Biodiversity Specialist, Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit and Mr. Julius Smith Environmental Biologist, Environmental Policy and Planning Division.

The Regional Workshop was held to address various issues that countries in the Sub-region may have or will encounter when updating their NBSAPs. Specific problematic areas garnered focus, such as target setting, stakeholder engagement and the development of country-specific plans for mobilizing financial resources for the implementation of NBSAPs. 

The COP Preparatory Meeting, coordinated by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), was the first meeting of its kind in the Sub-region, aimed at establishing a common Caribbean position on major issues to be negotiated at the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (COP-MOP) in Hyderabad, India during October 2012. As such, the meeting would better enable the Sub-Region to prepare for meaningful participation at the COP.

Representatives from over 11 Caribbean countries attended both sessions, along with representatives from Governments, non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs), financial organisations, research institutions and tertiary education institutes.