"Management of E-waste in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago" Project

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has allocated a proposed USD 270,000.00 towards the development of a technical project entitled “Management of E-waste in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago” (Project: RG-T3726). This three (3) year, project was developed in collaboration with the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer in the Caribbean (BCRC-Caribbean) with the main objectives being to:

• collect data on e-waste generation and composition, identification of stakeholders and of existing pathways of disposal and market conditions for the recovery of recyclable materials;
• develop of updated national e-waste assessment reports for the participating countries; and
• design a Sub Regional E Waste Management Plan, including training modules for the staff that will run the Plan and a business plan for the proposed management solution.

The last component of this project will involve the BCRC-Caribbean developing and disseminating project results and facilitating knowledge dissemination (public awareness and education elements) to a wider audience example, through social media graphics, posters, flyers, brochures, so as to aid the sustainability of the project’s initiatives.

The project will be executed through a collaborative effort between the BCRC Caribbean and the Institute of Waste Management of the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU in its German acronym) from Vienna, Austria. BOKU has extensive capacity, tools and resources for developing scientific methods and approaches as well as implementation plans for the management of collection and treatment systems of e-waste in a global and local context. The project will also enlist the skills of a National Project Assistant, as well as Legal and Environmental Economics experts.

The Regional Kick-off Meeting was hosted virtually on August 17, 2021 by the BCRC-Caribbean in collaboration with BOKU, with attendance by all the participating countries as well as the funding agency (IDB). The Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) delegation consisted of members from the Ministry of Planning and Development (MPD) and the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), as the National Focal Point and Competent Authority, respectively. The MPD chairs the project’s now established National Working Group and was represented at the meeting by Ms. Keima Gardiner, Waste Management Specialist and Ms. Tushara Maharaj, Environmental Engineering Specialist.

Trinidad and Tobago’s National Inception Meeting to officially initiate in-country activities is carded to be held in November, 2021.

“Global Agreements for a Healthy Planet: Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste” 2021 Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

 The environmentally sound management of hazardous materials to ensure protection of human health and the environment is the common objective of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions. From July 26 to 30, 2021 over 1,000 delegates convened in the first ever online instalment of the Conference of the Parties to the BRS Conventions, as a result of the exceptional circumstances posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. Keima Gardiner, Waste Management Specialist, Ministry of Planning and Development and Head of Delegation, along with Ms. Jiselle Joseph of the Environmental Management Authority and Mr. Hasmath Ali, Ministry of Health represented Trinidad and Tobago in the discussions of the prioritised agenda items in the virtual sessions. These were on: the interim programmes of work and budgets to ensure the continued operations of the Secretariat and the implementation of the Conventions; the financial mechanism and resources under the Stockholm Convention; and the election of officers to the Stockholm Convention Effectiveness Evaluation Committee and the Rotterdam Convention Compliance Committee. In so doing, it provided the country with the opportunity to contribute to proposals, actively influence final decisions adopted, and take note of the substantive and emerging matters to be addressed under the Conventions at the face to face segment, tentatively scheduled for June 2022. Upon suspension of the meeting all of the agenda items were adopted.

Launch of the BES-Net TT Project, December 15, 2021

On Wednesday 15 December 2021, the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network Trinidad and Tobago project or BES-Net TT project, was virtually launched. The two-year project is administered by the Ministry of Planning and Development (MPD) with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is financed by the BES Solutions Fund of the Global Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network. A Project Management Unit (PMU) has been created within the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD), MPD to facilitate implementation of the Project.

In keeping with the country’s commitments under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, this project will focus attention on a special group of organisms that play an important role in plant productivity: our pollinators. The ecosystem service performed by these animals – bees, beetles, butterflies, birds and bats among others – cannot be overstated as they perform a critical role, with pollination being a first step in plant reproduction, leading to fruit and seed formation.

Yoko Kurauchi, Policy Specialist and Coordinator of BES-Net Global underscored this fact, by stating at the launch the urgency and importance of the project for pollinator conservation and food security. This sentiment was echoed by other speakers at the launch event, among them Ms. Rosemary Lall, Programme Officer at the UNDP and Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh, Head of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit, MPD.

The launch was attended by over one hundred (100) persons including Government agency representatives, members of local environmental groups and members of the Trinidad and Tobago Beekeepers Association. Dr. Lena Dempewolf, Biodiversity Specialist in the EPPD provided an overview of the project, outlining its focus on three key areas of research, policy and knowledge management and dissemination. Dr. Dempewolf also provided information on the composition of the Project’s multi-stakeholder Steering Committee.

Immediately following the launch, a virtual workshop for stakeholders was facilitated by Ms. Pippa Heylings, Global Facilitator UNDP-BES-Net, which gathered views and feedback on the project’s activities and yielded information on other relevant and related initiatives that are underway by others. Dr. Floyd Homer, Bureau member for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) spoke on the regional context and Mr. Shane Ballah, BESNet-TT Project Manager, provided additional details on the project activities Over the next few months, several on-the-ground activities will be initiated including a bee survey, establishment of pollinator gardens at three locations and the completion of a public survey on pollination and pollinators. The PMU looks forward to the public’s sustained interest and engagement in the project. More information on the BES-Net TT project can be found at this link.

Screenshot of some participants at the virtual launch of the BES-Net Project