The third Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting of the Capacity Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean, and the Pacific Countries (ACP MEAs) Programme was held from 19-20 October in Brussels, Belgium.
The aim of the Programme is to empower key stakeholders to address environmental challenges and to reap the benefits of improved environmental management at the national and regional levels. During the 3rd PSC, the implementation status of the programme was reviewed and strategic priorities and cross-cutting issues of the programme were identified. These included strengthening the science-policy interface, enhancing south-south exchange, and the alignment of actions among implementing partners using emerging opportunities.
Regional Seas representatives from the Abidjan, Cartagena and Nairobi Conventions reported on their progress to build capacities for the management of coasts and oceans in the West, Central and Southern African, Wider Caribbean and Western Indian Ocean Regions, respectively, highlighting their actions on preserving marine biodiversity and addressing marine pollution. The meeting also launched a Toolkit on Pro-Environmental Youth Engagement, developed by youth for youth, which provides hands on guidance on how to engage in pro-environmental change.
The third PSC brought together representatives from the European Commission, the OACPS Secretariat, UNEP, FAO and its Partners, African Union Commission (AUC), the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the European Environment Bureau, the Noumea Convention Secretariat, the Nairobi Convention Secretariat, Abidjan Convention Secretariat and Cartagena Convention Secretariat. The meeting was also attended by MEAs Secretariats for the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna, and Flora (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The ACP MEAs Programme is a joint partnership between the European Union, the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
