AMEP QUARTERLY. Assessment. Management of Environmental Pollution. APRIL-JUNE Issue 27

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1 AMEP Assessment QUARTERLY and Management of Environmental Pollution Working to control, prevent and reduce pollution of the coastal and marine environment from land and marine-based sources and activities thereby enabling countries of the Wider Caribbean to meet their obligations under the Land-based Sources of Marine Pollution and Oil Spills Protocols of the Cartagena Convention. APRIL-JUNE Issue 27 In this issue: Programme Coordination GEF Project Updates:CReW, IWEco RAC REMPEITC Caribe-Highlights

2 Programme Coordination Trash Free Waters in the Wider Caribbean Region Mr. Christopher Corbin, AMEP Programme Officer of UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Peace Corps participated in discussions with national agencies in Panama and Jamaica respectively on the development of activities for the Trash Free Partnership International. The aim of this partnership is to significantly reduce marine litter entering the Caribbean Sea resulting in benefits to public health and the environment. Meetings with stakeholders in Kingston, Jamaica. In both countries, meetings were held with government representatives, community-based and non-governmental organizations including women and youth groups as well as private sector, who are involved with waste management. The official launch of the Trash Free Partnership International will take place in August for Jamaica and in September for Panama. Recycling collection point for solid waste in Panama. The representatives from the Trash Free Partsnership International engage in discussions with Fisherfolk in Oracabessa, St. Mary. in Jamaica Celebrating the Global Days of Oceans and Environment Conservation The UNEP CEP Secretariat commemorated World Environment Day and World Oceans Day on 5th and 8th June respectively by supporting the 3rd Annual Caribbean Sea Fan Online Festival. UNEP CEP with Caribbean Maritime Organization, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and several leading NGOs were featured in the Festival and Telethon which was aired for 8 hours. The Campaign, Life Needs the Caribbean Sea, promoted awareness and showcased the work of many partners, agencies, community and non-govern mental organizations throughout the Region working on ocean-related projects and activities. To view the festival, visit UNEP CEP also participated in activities with the National Environment and Planning Agency of Jamaica (NEPA). An Open Day and Environmental Fair were held on 3rd June 2016 and visitors to the UNEP CEP booth made pledges to take personal actions to preserve our oceans and marine life. Kids at the NEPA Open Day and Environmental Fair in Kingston, Jamaica show their support for the ocean environment and marine life. The Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) is a voluntary open-ended partnership for international agencies, Governments, businesses, academia, local authorities, nongovernmental organizations and individuals. The Marine Page 2 Litter Network has been designed to facilitate collaboration among supporting partners.

3 GEF CReW Mr. Corbin & Mr. Alfredo Coello, Project Coordinator of the GEF CReW Project participated in the signature learning event for the Global Environment Facility s International Waters portfolio, the Eighth GEF Biennial International Waters Conference (GEF IWC 8) from 9th-13th May 2016 in Sri Lanka. IWC8 facilitates cross-sectoral and portfolio-wide learning and experience sharing. Ongoing projects shared experiences and lessons learnt and provided inputs on urgent and emerging issues. Participants benefitted from capacity building in key management and technical areas. There were approximately 300 participants in attendance comprising of GEF IW project managers, representatives of beneficiary countries, non-governmental organizations, transboundary management institutions, UN Agencies and the private sector. According to GEF IW LEARN, about 90 active GEF IW projects, 80 countries and the various GEF Agencies were represented. For more information on our participation, visit GEF CReW website ( gef-crew-participates-in-the-8th-global-environment-facility-biennialinternational-waters-conference). One of the IWC8 Posters for the Conference in Sri Lanka. Mr. Corbin and Mr. Coello shared lessons, expectations and achievements of the GEF CReW project at the Conference. As the Regional Executing Agency for the GEF CReW Project, UNEP CEP completed and launched an Environmental Resource Valuation Video which can be accessed on the GEF CReW website. The valuation methodology, an important tool for use in the Wider Caribbean Region and a summary of the CReW Project Outputs and lessons learned to date has also been placed on the CReW Website. Participants of the IWC8 Conference in Sri Lanka. Mr. Corbin participating in the panel discussion on Navigating the Jungle of Indicators at GEF IWC8 Conference in Sri Lanka. GEF CReW Valuation video entitled The Value of Action. Page 3

4 GEF CReW+ UNEP CEP and the GEF CReW Project Management Unit continued to work on the development of a Project Identification Form (PIF) for a new project proposal entitled CReW+, which was submitted to GEF Secretariat in July 2016 for consideration. The objective of GEF CReW+ is to implement and upscale Wider Caribbean-specific financial mechanisms and the use of integrated and innovative solutions for Water and Wastewater Management within the Wider Caribbean region. The Project is proposed to have four main project components. These include: 1) Reform of the institutional, policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks for Integrated Water and Wastewater Management; 2) Development of sustainable financing options for urban and rural Integrated Water and Wastewater Management; 3) Implementation of small-scale local, community-based and national solutions for Integrated Water and Wastewater Management;4) Knowledge Management and Advocacy, including the importance of water and wastewater management for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Page 4

5 GEF IWEco The Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystem Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States - GEF IWEco utilizes an integrated approach to water, land and ecosystems management to improve access to clean and improved water supply within the Caribbean region. UNEP CEP continued preparations for full implementation of the GEF IWEco project. An Interim Project Manager has been recruited to assist in preparations for the First Project Steering Committee Meeting and Inception Workshop scheduled for September 2016 in Kingston, Jamaica. The Secretariat wishes to advise that the recruitment for the staff of the IWEco Project Management Unit which will consist of a Project Manager, Programme Assistant, Administrative Assistant and Communications Specialist will take place in late August Vacancy notices will be posted on the CEP website and on social media pages. Off the Shelf: New & Updated Information Resources An updated Caribbean Regional Action Plan for Marine Litter (RAPMaLi) was launched on World Oceans Day. It provides background information on the institutional, legal and policy arrangements for the management of marine litter and recommendations on specific actions needed to address this pollution challenge. Check our UNEP CEP website ( to access the RAPMali. New Fact Sheets are available on the objectives of the AMEP Sub-programme and Oil Spills. To review or download these or other fact sheets please check our UNEP CEP website. This quarterly features these two latest fact sheets. Page 5

6 State of the Convention Area Report A Regional Technical Workshop covering the development of the State of the Convention Area Report (SOCAR) will be held from 15th-17th August 2016 in Kingston, Jamaica. The SOCAR Workshop will build upon discussions of the Working Group on Monitoring & Assessment over the last two years. It will enable face-to-face discussions to inform the further development of SOCAR and will include a review of the methodologies including indicators for inclusion in the report. The workshop will bring together government technical representatives of the Working Group, regional experts, regional research institutions, representatives of selected GEF projects, and UNEP to present on experiences from the development of the state of regional and /or global environment reports. Discussions will also focus on challenges regarding the collection and/or sharing of national and regional data especially on water quality. SAVE THE DATE: LBS & SPAW Scientific, Technical & Advisory Committee Meetings See our Facebook page for links to different cleanup Page 6

7 Oil Spills Response/RAC REMPEITC-Caribe Highlights Eighth Meeting of the Ordinary Steering Committee Meeting Ms. Lorna Inniss, Coordinator of the UNEP CEP participated in the Eighth Meeting of the Ordinary Steering Committee of RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe convened in Willemstad, Curaçao from May 19-20, The meeting focused on the approval of the revised mission, vision and values of the Centre as well as RAC/ REMPEITC-Caribe s long term strategic plan; review of the work plan and expenditure report and the development of the biennium work plan and budget. Recommendations were made that will be presented to the 17th Intergovernmental Meeting on the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme and the 14th Meeting of the Contracting Parties of the Cartagena Convention scheduled to take place in the first quarter of One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the formal signing of the host country agreement between the Government of Curacao and UNEP for hosting of the Centre. Please check the RAC REMPEITC website ( for the final report. Participants at the 8th Steering Committee Meeting of the RAC REMPEITC-Caribe held in Curacao. try. Page 7

8 Social Media Good News! We increased our CEP Facebook likes from 2000 to 300O and achieved our target of 2000 Twitter Followers over the last quarter. Help us double these figures by the end of the next quarter by continuing to share and like our posts. CEP also has a YouTube page! Check out our videos on the CEP You tube page. Visit the new RAC REMPEITC-Caribe website and boost likes on the Facebook page. Help them reach 300 likes! Show your support on their Twitter feed too! Continue to support efforts to share information on Wastewater and sewage through the GEF CReW Facebook page. Help us to get to 600 likes. Focal Point Updates The Secretariat will be sending out invitations shortly for our upcoming Intergovernmental Meetings. Governments should submit to the Secretariat any updates on contact details for their country focal point (National, LBS & SPAW). Keep updated on upcoming meetings and events by checking out the CEP online Calendar. ******** Governments should also submit focal points news items, pictures and/or stories for inclusion on CEP s website and/or Facebook page. We also encourage countries to submit stories and photos for the period July-September for inclusion in the next AMEP Quarterly. ******** Keep on the lookout for our new UNEP CEP website to be launched in the coming months. Under the GEF IWEco project, governments are reminded to submit the revised national project document, workplan and budget along with written justifications for any proposed changes no later than 15th August *********** Looking for a specialized laboratory to conduct monitoring and analysis? Check out the CEP lab capacity database. ********* Governments are reminded to complete the on-line questionnaire for the Global Programme of Action (GPA) 4th Inter-governmental Review by 30th August, Please click here to access the link. ******** Is your government meeting all the obligations of the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols? Look out for National Country Reports coming soon to our CEP Page 8

9 Changes in Secretariat Staff Updates Mr. Martin Adera Okun joined the Cartagena Convention Secretariat on June 8th, 2016 as a Administrative/Fund Management Officer on temporary assignment from UNEP Nairobi, where he worked in a similar capacity with the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE). Welcome to the family! Mr. Keith Donahue joined RAC REMPEITC-Caribe as the Senior IMO Consultant. Ms. Donna Henry Hernandez completed her assignment as Administrative Assistant for the GEF CReW Project at the Cartagena Convention Secretariat and she has assumed duties as the Programme Assistant for the Assessment and Management of Environmental Pollution Sub-Pro-gramme also for the Cartagena Convention Secretariat since July 1, Congratulations on her new position!. Page 9

10 Upcoming Events July 5-7. UNDP/GEF CLME+ Communications Workshop- Miami, Florida July Regional Policy Dialogue on Environmental Permitting and Compliance in the Caribbean- Kingston, Jamaica August 12. International Youth Day (UN) August SOCAR Meeting of Working Group - Kingston, Jamaica August 30-Sept 10. Training of Trainers on Marine Protected Area Management Regional Course- Dominican Republic September 1-6. World Water Week September 6-7. CLME+Project Executive Group Meeting-Miami, USA September 8-9. CLME+ Strategic Action Programme Meeting-Miami, USA September CARICOM Council of Trade and Environment Ministers Meeting (COTED)-George-town, Guyana September 16. International Ozone Day September th Caribbean Biodiversity Fund Annual Meeting and CBF 18th Board Meeting-Saint Lucia September IMO 38th Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties (London Convention 1972) and 11th Meeting of Contracting Parties (London Protocol 1996)-London, United Kingdom September st GEF IWEco Project Steering Committee Meeting and Inception Workshop-Kingston, Jamaica September 21. International Coastal Clean-Up Day September Sustainable Ocean Initiative Global Di-alogue with Regional Seas Organizations (RSOs) and Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs) on Accelerating Progress Towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets-Seoul, South Korea September Sustainable Ocean Initiative Global Di-alogue with Regional Seas Organizations (RSOs) and Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs) on Accelerating Progress Towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets-Busan, South Korea September 27. World Tourism Day September UNEP Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean Waste to Resource Workshop-Willemstad, Curacao September 25-Oct 5. 17th Conference of Parties to the CITIES Convention -Johannesburg, South Africa September 30-Oct 1.Annual Meeting of Regional Seas Programmes-Korea October 4 to 6. Regional Workshop on Port Reception Facilities and Waste management-trinidad & Tobago October Caribbean Border Control and Invasive Alien Species Management Workshop- Kingston, Jamaica October CWWA Annual Exhibition and Conference-Trinidad & Tobago October GWP C and CWWA Ministerial High Level Fora for Ministers with responsibility for Water-Trinidad &Tobago October 31-Nov 4. 3rd LBS & 7th SPAW STAC Meetings-Miami, Florida Page 10

11 VISION Assessment and Management of Environmental Pollution (AMEP) FACTSHEET JULY 2016 Sustainable development of coastal and marine resources in the Wider Caribbean Region through effective, integrated management that allows for economic growth & sustainable livelihoods Control, reduce and prevent pollution of the marine environment of the Wider Caribbean from land and marine based sources and activities GOAL Protocol on Land Based Pollution Sources Reduce pollution through establishment of effluent and emission limitations. Exchange information on land-based pollution through cooperation in monitoring and research Climate Change Water quality Oil spills Wastewater Watershelds Protocol on Combatting Oil Spills Protect the marine and coastal environment from oil spill incidents Establish and maintain means to respond to oil spill incidents and to reduce the risks associated with such incidents

12 Strategic objectives Expected Outcomes Outcome Indicators Pollution Reduction and Prevention States increasingly integrate an ecosystem management approach into national development and planning processes that include pollution reduction and prevention States increasingly use pollution prevention and reduction tools and innovative/appropriate technologies to reduce degradation of priority ecosystems States increasingly implement their obligations under the Cartagena Convention and related MEAs while achieving their national environmental priority goals, targets and objectives. States increasingly implement local and/or national plans of action for pollution prevention, reduction and control. Reduced pollution load and improved environmental quality Mainstreaming of integrated watershed and coastal area management approaches Pollution prevention and reduction policies & plans adopted and incorporated into National Environmental Strategies and/ or National Planning Processes National and local legal, institutional and policy reforms adopted and implemented Tools, innovative technologies and management practices for pollution prevention and reduction implemented Ratification/Accession of the Ca6rtagena Convention, its Protocols and related MEAs Legislation and institutional mechanisms to fulfil MEA/ GPA obligations established Information Management and use of Decision-Support Tools States and the Secretariat increasingly partner with NGOs, private sector and civil society to achieve national and regional environmental priorities States and other stakeholders have increased capacities to assess, manage and reduce risks to human health and the environment posed by land and marinebased sources of marine pollution and associated activities including harmful substances and hazardous wastes Increased information disseminated on impacts of climatic variability and change for pollution reduction measures Enhanced partnerships for the development and implementation of activities and projects Use of tools, mechanisms, strategies and technologies for monitoring, analysis, evaluation and dissemination of environmental data and information Improved knowledge of the state of the coastal and marine environment Enhanced public awareness and capacity to use decisionsupport tools e.g. GIS Enhanced capacity for integrating issues of climate variability and change in pollution prevention and reduction measures

13 OIL SPILLS: Did you know? The Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) is one of the largest oil producing areas in the world, producing approx. 20,000,000 barrels per day in 2012, of which the USA produces: FACTSHEET JULY 2016 [1] 41.2% 1 Barrel =42 gals =159 liters Approx. 5,000,000 ships frequent Caribbean waters every year. [2] [3] Oil tankers transport an average of 5,000,000 barrels of crude oil per day in the Wider Caribbean Region. Even though the risk for open sea collisions may be elevated in congested waterways, there have been very few open sea collisions in high traffic density passage such as Yucatan Channel, the Bahamas Channel and the Florida Strait due to the advent of ARPA radars and other collision avoidance mechanisms. [4]

14 [5] Deepwater Horizon was the largest marine spill in the Gulf of Mexico and it occurred over a period of 87 days starting on April 20 th Approximately 49,000,000 barrels or million liters of oil was spilt. Oil pollution has been shown to have detrimental effects, both physically and chemically, on a wide range of marine life. [6] Coastal and Marine Environments can take several decades to recover from oil pollution. [7] The total annual release of petroleum (oils) from all known sources to the sea is estimated at 1.3 million tons globally. Of this amount, 46% is from natural seeps. [7] Approx. 14,000 ships and 70 million tons of oil pass through the Panama Canal annually. Oil spills spread rapidly especially in rough sea conditions allowing only a fraction to be recovered. [9] [8] Chemical dispersants are used to reduce potential shoreline impacts. Even though they are NOT toxic in themselves, they can affect marine species. [10]

15 In the four year period there have been 35 spills of 7 tonnes and over occurring throughout the world. [11] Pipeline sabotage has resulted in a near continuous succession of oil spills in the Catatumbo River Basin (Colombia/ Venezuela). [8] More than 75% of the Caribbean s coral reefs are threatened by landbased and marine-based pollution and damage after land and also after marine (e.g. Nutrients and sediment runoff, coastal development, overfishing and water discharges from cruise ships and vessels, leaks and spills from oil infrastructure. [12] The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) developed a Regional Used Oil Strategy and work continues on oil spill contingency planning at the national and regional levels. [13] The Oil Spills Protocol of the Cartagena Convention provides a regional framework for cooperation in combating spills in the Wider Caribbean Region. All Caribbean countries, except Haiti, Honduras, and Suriname have ratified this Protocol. [14] The Regional Activity Centre for the Oil Spills Protocol, RAC/REMPEITC Caribe in Curaçao provides training in oil spill response and contingency planning.