LATEST UPDATES
Inception Meeting held for the GEF UNEP/FAO implemented Child project “Implementing Sustainable Low and Non-chemical Development in Small Island Developing State” (ISLANDS)
October 2021
On the 5th October the virtual inception meeting was held for the child project “implementing Sustainable Low and Non-chemical Development in Small Island Developing State”. In May of 2021, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council approved the second phase of the UNEP/Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)-implemented GEF ISLANDS child project for execution. The ISLANDS project aims for the safe management of, and preventing future buildup of, chemicals and wastes, and hopes to stimulate knowledge sharing and inter-regional cooperation. The virtual meeting presented detailed project information to participants from project countries and stakeholders from regional and international organisations.
At the inception meeting, the head of the UNEP Caribbean Sub Regional Office, Mr. Vincent Sweeney, welcomed the “milestone” that this project represented as the largest GEF investment in the region, and looked forward to UNEP “working collectively with relevant governments, agencies, organisations and the private sector in Caribbean countries in order to identify technologies, approaches and resources” that lead to improved waste management.
The meeting was hosted by the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean Region (BCRC Caribbean), which is also the executing agency for this project, and was co-hosted by UNEP and FAO. The child project is being implemented in 9 Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Blog post- Time to heal: Why restoring ecosystems is essential to human health
July 2021
The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has begun. The UN has appealed to leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean — a region containing seven of the most biodiverse countries in the world — to scale up commitments made to restore our much-needed ecosystems. This plea comes as Caribbean countries brace for an active hurricane season. In this blog posted on the UN Sustainable Development Group website, Vincent Sweeney, head of the UNEP CSRO and Didier Trebucq, UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, make the case for restoring ecosystems in the Caribbean to help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
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EVENTS
Panel Discussion: United Nations Jamaica Partnership Forum
“Integrating the principles of environmental sustainability to support the transition to a healthier, resource-efficient green and circular economy”
When: 20th October, 2021 (Day 1)
Where: Online, register here
About: Moderated by head of the UNEP CSRO, Mr. Vincent Sweeney, this panel discussion will take place in the context of the wider United Nations Partnership Forum convened in recognition of UN Day 2021 in Jamaica, and aims to serve as a platform to strengthen engagement and relationships across all relevant UN stakeholders and sectors. The panel will discuss how we can work in partnership to achieve for a resource- efficient green and circular economy.
Lunch time webinars: Marine Litter Webinar Series
Webinar #6 Marine Litter in the Caribbean: Legal Tools to Address the Crisis
When: 21st October, 2021, 12pm (GMT-5)
Where: Online, Register here
About: The Environmental Governance subprogram of UNEP in Latin America and the Caribbean is hosting a series of webinars to promote the implementation of national and regional regulations, policies and programs to address the challenge of marine litter in the region.
This series seeks to inform, sensitize and raise awareness amongst civil society, NGOs and governments about the urgent need to undertake regulatory action to turn the tide on marine pollution, a problem that threatens biodiversity and coastal communities.
For more information please contact Emma Skehan at emma.skehan@un.org
