TT in Caricom environment policy discussions

Consultations involving wide-ranging stakeholders drawn from the public and private sectors, civil society, Caricom institutions, and academia, will also be held in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States sub-region.

Two days of discussions will be held in each country starting in Barbados from August 3 and 4. The discussions will be held in Guyana on August 7 and 8; Jamaica on August 14 and 15; St Lucia on August 17 and 18 and in TT on August 21 and 22.

Under review are the Draft Caribbean Community Environment and Natural Resources Policy Framework, and First Environmental and Natural Resources Action Plan of the Caribbean Community Environment and Natural Resources Policy Framework (July 2017-June 2022).

The draft policy proposes a structure for environmental and natural resources management in Caricom, balancing the need to exploit the land, air, water and oceans for economic development while maintaining healthy environments in member states. The action plan is the first step to implement the policy.

The policy framework, a Caricom Secretariat release said, has its genesis in a 2008 decision of ministers of environment at the 25th Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) — Environment. The secretariat was mandated to mobilise resources to proceed with the development of the policy framework. The secretariat has since conducted assessments of the environmental governance structure of member states, examined the environmental dimensions of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, and held a number of regional consultations.

These served as the basis for the design of the draft policy and action plan.

This current round of discussion, the release said, is important to advance the process towards presenting the policy framework to the Caricom ministers of environment.

Successful implementation will be based on regional ownership of the policy and “a collective regional response will also be required to promote the prudent, rational management and conservation of the region’s environmental, and natural resources, the policy envisions,” the release said.