Kingston, Jamaica, 30th July 2021: The Nineteenth Intergovernmental Meeting on the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme and Sixteenth Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region began on Wednesday 28th July 2021 with a welcome by Ms. Lorna Inniss, Coordinator of the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat, to over 100 delegates from contracting parties, observer countries, regional and international partners and agencies, and members of the media present.
Ms. Inniss expressed appreciation to all participants for their support during the previous two days’ Conferences of Parties of the LBS and SPAW Protocols. She introduced the following who would deliver Opening Remarks:
- Her Excellency Liliam Lizeth Rivera Hipp, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment for Honduras, as outgoing President of the COP, and Chair of the Bureau throughout the intersessional period;
- Honourable Pearnel Charles Jnr., Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change of Jamaica, host government of the Secretariat;
- Ms. Joyce Msuya, Deputy Executive Director of UNEP;
- Honourable Kirk D. M. Humphrey, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy of Barbados, host government of the meeting, would deliver the Feature Address.
Her Excellency Liliam Lizeth Rivera Hipp, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Honduras, stressed that Honduras continues to work with the Secretariat on projects and activities to promote regional co-operation for the protection and development of the Wider Caribbean Region and its long-term objective of achieving sustainable development of marine and coastal resources through effective, integrated management that allows for economic growth and sustainable livelihoods. She reminded that Honduras is still a relatively new party to the Convention, having become the 26th country to ratify the Cartagena Convention, the 14th country to ratify the LBS Protocol, and the 17th country to ratify SPAW. She noted that since ratification, they had become much more engaged with the Secretariat, at all levels. She remarked on the establishment of the working groups under the SPAW Protocol as being very significant, as the International Decade of Ocean Science has begun. These efforts to improve knowledge, information and data management, she stressed, are all necessary for improved decision-making, as well as for the communications needed to enable needed behaviour change.
Honourable Pearnel Charles Jnr., Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change of Jamaica conveyed the Government of Jamaica’s appreciation to the Cartagena Convention Secretariat for convening the meeting through virtual means, despite the challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and their pleasure at having supported the Wider Caribbean Region through the hosting arrangements for the Secretariat in Kingston since 1986. Jamaica has over the years benefitted from several projects which have enabled them to meet their obligations to the Convention and its Protocols. He detailed the most recent initiative, The Integrating Water, Land, and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (GEF-IWEco) Project, which builds on the work of previous initiatives to address water, land, and biodiversity resource management as well as climate change. More than US$80 million has been mobilised through this Project with Jamaica directly receiving US$ 3,114,685 for the execution of the project entitled ‘Biodiversity Mainstreaming in Coastal Landscapes within the Negril Environmental Protection Area of Jamaica’ - the largest of the eight national sub-projects under IWEco. This project, which is being implemented over a 4-year period, focuses upon the Negril Great Morass, the second largest wetland in Jamaica and one of the largest natural coastal wetland ecosystems in the Caribbean.
Minister Charles renewed Jamaica’s commitment to the Cartagena Convention and that the Government was continuing dialogue with the Secretariat to accelerate its progress towards SPAW ratification. The Government of Jamaica is amending the Wildlife Act to include flora and several endemic species which are currently not covered. Additionally, they are updating their protected areas policy and working on the promulgation of omnibus legislation governing protected areas, recognizing the importance of this in their efforts to achieve environmental sustainability as one way of minimising the expected impacts of climate change. Jamaica is also updating its climate change policy framework in accordance with the tenets of the Paris Agreement and taking into account issues related to the 2030 and 2050 Global Biodiversity Objectives.
The pandemic has presented the ideal opportunity for reflection on the fragile nature of Caribbean economies and to rethink the need for continued strategic innovation towards finding solutions. In that regard, Jamaica fully supports the Cartagena Convention Secretariat, the development of a new Strategy for the Caribbean Environment Programme, noting the key objective of promotion of ocean-based economies or Sustainable Blue Economy, particularly important for post-COVID-19 recovery. He stressed that the Secretariat cannot function without the continued support and voluntary contributions to which Parties have committed and therefore implored all Parties to honour their commitments to the Caribbean Trust Fund. He anticipated that the three days of negotiations to follow would be productive and fruitful, and beneficial to participating countries.
Minister Charles then made a special presentation to Mrs. Coral Fernandez, Senior Secretary, who in June 2021, retired after 31 years of service to the Cartagena Convention Secretariat. He thanked and congratulated Mrs. Fernandez on behalf of the Convention’s 28 member states and 16 staff members, noting that she had served under all five Coordinators of the Secretariat during her tenure.
Ms. Joyce Msuya, Deputy Executive Director of UN Environment Programme, expressed thoughts and prayers for the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Haiti, as well as all the countries in the region negatively impacted by the start of the hurricane season. She stressed that the Cartagena Convention is as relevant today as it was upon its adoption in 1983. The current trajectory is worrying as the cumulative impacts of pollution, over-fishing and climate change in the Caribbean are taking their toll on ocean productivity and this trend needs to be reversed urgently. UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme plays such a crucial role, in that it provides the solid platforms for multilateral action to protect and sustainably manage the use of vital coastal and marine resources. As such, the Cartagena Convention and its protocols are a unique regional legal instrument which provides the governance framework through which countries can ensure the protection and sustainable use of their marine environment in their development paths. The Convention would on the 11th October 2021 celebrate its 35 years of existence; and UNEP, she said, takes great pride in this Convention, one of the first of its kind globally. UNEP is grateful for the partnership that has evolved through the years with the Parties to the Convention.
In order to provide the Parties with the information needed to strengthen the Convention and place it on a sustainable financial footing, UNEP commissioned an independent Strategic and Functional Review of the Cartagena Convention Secretariat in early-2021. The review had, she said, shed light on operational issues which should be improved and strengthened. She was convinced that by the end of the week’s negotiations, the Parties would have taken the decisions needed to strengthen the Convention and improve the services of the Secretariat.
Finally, she noted that the COVID-19 pandemic adds to the urgency of rethinking and redesigning new sustainable economic opportunities for the region. It is necessary to move away from a linear model to a more circular approach which values and recognizes the importance of the sustainable use of marine and coastal resources – a blue economy approach. Today, more than ever, there is a need for innovative and creative solutions at the forefront of policy and decision making. This COP would be an opportunity for the Contracting Parties to negotiate such strategies and solutions with the aim of increasing regional synergies and efficiency, while paving the way for prosperity and inclusive growth – to achieve a vision of not just living – but thriving – in peace with nature.
Honourable Kirk D. M. Humphrey, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy of Barbados brought greetings on behalf of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Her Excellency, Mia Amor Mottley. Barbados was honoured to have been invited by UNEP’s Cartagena Convention Secretariat to host this important and timely regional meeting, though being conducted in a virtual setting. The Meeting, he said, is critical and the ideal regional forum for discussions amongst Member States to analyse, share experiences, and find solutions for common marine environmental challenges in the Wider Caribbean Region.
The Government of Barbados affirmed its continued support of the Secretariat’s initiatives, all of which are geared towards implementation of the Cartagena Convention and are supportive of Barbados’ national Blue Economy and sustainable development pursuits. Fundamental among these is the overarching objective of promoting regional cooperation for the protection and development of marine and coastal resources in the Wider Caribbean Region through effective, integrated management that allows for economic growth and enhances sustainable livelihoods opportunities. Barbados was one of the earliest member states to formalise its commitment to the protection of the Caribbean Sea, having ratified the Cartagena Convention and the Oil Spills Protocol in May 1985; followed by the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (also known as the SPAW Protocol), in October 2002. Given its aspirations to be a value-driven economy, on the 1st April 2019, it joined several other Member States of the Convention, in establishing and enforcing an outright ban on the importation, retail, sale and use of petroleum-based single-use plastic products, as well as polystyrene - Styrofoam items. It subsequently, on the 29th June 2019, became the fifteenth Contracting Party to ratify the LBS Protocol.
Barbados’ strategies and policy interventions solidify its unwavering commitment to reduce marine degradation and enhance the ecosystem services derived from the coastal and marine environment in its gradual transition to a blue and green economy. These efforts include encouraging and enabling management practices that are founded on the five principles defined in its National Sustainable Development Policy: Quality of Life; Conservation of Resources; Economic Efficiency; Equity; and Participation.
Minister Humphrey expressed the Government of Barbados’ gratitude for the financial and technical assistance received from the Secretariat through several Global Environmental Facility-funded projects implemented by UNEP. Most recent of these is the IWEco Project which is mobilising approximately US$100,000 for the Hedgerow Rehabilitation Project in Barbados’ National Park, National Botanical Garden, and along highways and gully slopes, aimed ultimately at reducing agricultural run-off and minimizing its impact on ground water aquifers and coastal and marine ecosystems. Such interventions are critical, as Barbados is considered one of the most water-scarce Small Island Developing States in the world, as well as being particularly vulnerable to the compounding stresses of sea level rise and global climate change, already being experienced by coastal ecosystems.
Barbados had, he said, taken systematic steps to protect its precious marine environment through the establishment of the Coastal Zone Management Unit, the enactment of the Marine Pollution Control Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act. They had more recently initiated a review and update of the Integrated Coast Zone Management Plan in order to incorporate climate change and other emerging hazards to coastal infrastructure. Their vision is to have:
“a coast to be proud of, which is valued, appreciated and safeguarded as a place to live, work, use and relax; a place where economic activity and the use of its resources are sustainably utilised and managed, is resilient to climate change and other hazards, and where the natural environment is protected and enhanced to keep its essential and unique place in the Barbadian heritage and economy.”
He explained that to make this a reality, the Government of Barbados has prepared a suite of legislative instruments to clarify for investors how certain marine resources will be accessed, used, protected and preserved in the interest of all. These steps will form the foundation for future work in a sustainable blue economy. It has also supported the Cartagena Convention Secretariat in discussions regarding the development of a new Caribbean Environment Programme Strategy that includes the Sustainable Blue Economy or Sustainable Ocean-based Economies. This must be one of the main supporting pillars in the strategy going forward, given that countries like Barbados have more than 400 times more marine space than terrestrial space. Clear policies for access and benefits are important and this framework encourages better stewardship of our ocean or ‘blue’ resources and presents opportunities for island states like Barbados to extend the benefits from these resources to all. Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers are urgently calling for the national roll-out of a Sustainable Blue Economy, as it is crucial, now more than ever before, to pursue greater economic diversity and expansion. It is the view of the Government of Barbados, he said, that the Secretariat’s role in supporting Sustainable Blue Economy initiatives across the Wider Caribbean Region, should continue to focus on promoting the advancement of work already ongoing with respect to the implementation of the Marine Pollution and Biodiversity/Ecosystems Protocols consistent with the decisions already taken by Contracting Parties to the Convention.
Barbados highly commended the important role that the Cartagena Convention has played in the economic and social development landscape of the Wider Caribbean Region. Minister Humphrey joined his fellow ministers in urging Contracting Parties to maintain, and where possible increase, their support to this critical regional framework. He stressed that if the Contracting Parties appreciate the technical and financial support provided over the last thirty-five years, they must demonstrate their appreciation by ensuring the Secretariat’s financial sustainability over the next thirty-five years and beyond.
Noting that the Secretariat is about to celebrate its thirty-fifth anniversary, he encouraged all Member States to actively participate in the discussions and negotiations during the sessions of the COP, particularly as the outcomes will dictate the work of the Secretariat in protecting the Caribbean Sea over the 2021-2022 biennium. He added that this responsibility is even more pressing given the devastating impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, on our economies and the driving demand for our collective efforts in building back better – ushering in a new era of economic prosperity that is considerate of, and in alignment with, the sustainable use and management of the region’s marine and coastal resources.
He concluded by wishing delegates a very fruitful meeting and declaring the 19th IGM 16th COP officially open.
Three intense days of deliberations by the Conference of Parties to the Cartagena Convention got underway immediately following the Opening Ceremony. This included reviewing the status of activities undertaken by the Secretariat and Contracting Parties in the last biennium, setting priorities and approving the 2021-2022 work plan and budget, and strengthening relationships with Member States and partners. Given the challenges faced by Member States in the last two years especially, the Secretariat remains focused and constructive as it approaches the 35th Anniversary of the Cartagena Convention’s existence.
About the Cartagena Convention
The Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment in the Wider Caribbean Region was adopted in 1983 in Cartagena, Colombia. Known as the “Cartagena Convention”, it became legally binding in 1986.
The Convention is supported by 3 technical Protocols, or sub-agreements, namely the Protocol Concerning Cooperation in Combating Oil Spills, the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS or Pollution Protocol) and the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW or Biodiversity Protocol).
The Secretariat for the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols is based in Kingston, Jamaica and is supported by specialized Regional Activity Centres (RACs). The RAC for marine biodiversity is hosted in Guadeloupe (SPAW RAC), the one for Oil Spills is hosted in Curacao (RAC REMPEITC Caribe) while the LBS RACs are hosted in Trinidad and Tobago (Institute of Marine Affairs) and Cuba (Centre of Research and Environmental Management of Transport-CIMAB).
For more information please contact:
Cartagena Convention Secretariat
Ecosystems Division
United Nations Environment Programme
14-20 Port Royal Street
Kingston, JAMAICA
E mail: unep-cartagenaconvention@un.org
Tel. 1 876 922 9267-69
Website: http://www.unenvironment.org/cep
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