UNITED


NATIONS


Tenth Intergovernmental Meeting on the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme and the Seventh Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region

Montego Bay, Jamaica, May 7-11 2002

REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE MONITORING COMMITTEE AND PRESIDENT OF THE BUREAU OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

UNEP (DEC)/ CAR IG 22/INF 3

Page 1

REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE MONITORING COMMITTEE AND PRESIDENT OF THE BUREAU OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

Introduction

This report covers the period 2000-2001 since the Ninth Intergovernmental Meeting on the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme and the Sixth Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Kingston 14-18 February 2000). The Ninth Intergovernmental Meeting and Sixth Contracting Parties Meeting elected the members of the Bureau of Contracting Parties (Jamaica, Belize, Venezuela, Dominica, Kingdom of the Netherlands) as well as the members of the Monitoring Committee (Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, United States, France, Haiti, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago).

As the President of the Bureau of Contracting Parties and Chairman of the Monitoring Committee for this past biennium, I have had the privilege to preside over the Ninth Intergovernmental Meeting in February 2000 and the 13th Meeting of the Monitoring Committee and Bureau of Contracting Parties convened in San Jose in June 2001. Though at this meeting, I am passing on the Presidency to another, I take this opportunity to highlight a few of the accomplishments of the Programme over the past biennium and offer some observations for the 2002-2003 biennium.

I would also like to note the importance of this particular meeting – the Tenth IGM – and 20-year history of the CEP. It is a momentous occasion upon which we should all reflect on what the Programme has accomplished and where we would like to see its continuing development. In this regard, I note the information paper developed by the secretariat that reviews the 20-year history of the CEP, marking the important milestones, while giving recommendations to meet the continuing challenges that the programme faces.

Legal Status

I am pleased to be able to say that the legal framework of the CEP continues to advance.

In late 1999, though reporting now, Belize became the 21st government to ratify the Cartagena Convention and Oil Spills Protocol. This leaves just seven more governments and the European Union that have not yet ratified the Convention and we hope that these ratifications will continue to move ahead.

I am also pleased to report, that during the 2000-2001 biennium we were able to see the entry into force of the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol). St Lucia became the ninth government to ratify, bringing the protocol into force on 18 June 2000. I can further announce that France has just ratified as well, bringing the total number of Contracting Parties to 10. I hope this trend continues.

The Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities has yet to be ratified and we still stand at six signatories to that Protocol. However, we do hear that a few governments are working on their ratification packages.

Clearly we would like to see 100% ratifications, so I urge all governments to work toward this objective.

Financial Status

While still below full participation, in the year 2000 contributions to the Caribbean Trust Fund improved significantly, including the payment of arrears. Unfortunately, this was not repeated in 2001 and contributions fell well below the amount necessary for the basic operations and functioning of the secretariat and CEP meetings. Nonetheless, with the additional funding from 2000 we were able to implement some additional activities and meetings that had been approved in the 2000-2001 workplan, but for which funding had not been previously allocated.

In addition, with some extraordinary contributions and grants to the CEP, the secretariat was able to convene both the First Meeting of the Interim Scientific, Technical and Advisory Committee of the LBS Protocol, the 13th Mon Com and the First Meetings of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee and Conference of Parties for the SPAW Protocol.

The secretariat was also able to raise a significant amount of funding during the biennium for the implementation of activities. We hope that this success will continue into the future.

In regard to the future of the Caribbean Trust Fund, I encourage all CEP members to continue to keep their contributions current and their arrears paid. I also encourage the secretariat to continue their work to bring the issue of contributions and payment of arrears to the governments’ attention at the highest level.

Development of projects

The secretariat has been actively involved in the development of a portfolio of different projects within the three sub-programmes, AMEP, SPAW and CEPNET. While they have also implemented activities in the area of Education, Training and Awareness (or ETA), the lack of funding for a Programme Officer in this area continues to hinder full implementation.

I would like to recognize funding support for the 2000-2001 workplan from the Global Environment Facility, the UN Foundation, the Swedish International Development Agency, and the Government of the USA, and the International Fund for the Animal Welfare among others.

The GEF has funded two project development activities for CEP and we hope that we will soon see those projects approved by the GEF for full implementation. Rehabilitation of coastal areas and coastal planning activities will continue to occur as will their funding from the GEF and from Sweden.

In the area of biodiversity, attention has been given to the strengthening of marine parks and protected areas, conservation and sustainable use of major ecosystems, capacity building and the monitoring and evaluation of fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs. The secretariat has been successful in securing US$1.5 million from the UN Foundation for the next four years, for activities related to coral reef conservation and management.

The strengthening of the information management for CEP and CEP countries is also a very important area, in which we will continue to see improved actions as the CEPNET Programme Officer continues to implement the CEPNET workplan. In particular, emphasis continues to be directed to CEP web site development. I believe you would agree with me that the CEP website has become a key source of information and networking for the Caribbean. I urge all of you to continue to use this important tool and urge the secretariat to continue to keep it current.

I also take note of the new CEP brochure that so far has been produced in English and Spanish as well as the new CEP logo, which helps to raise awareness of CEP and its activities.

Governance

A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the Ramsar Convention, and several activities have been co-ordinated with the CBD and CITES Conventions, and the Global Programme of Action (GPA). In addition, and as we requested at the Ninth IGM, the secretariat has formalized an agreement with IOCaribe to cooperate in areas of mutual interest.

A number of activities were undertaken in collaboration and/or coordination with different organisations, in particular The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the World Bank, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), the Escuela Agricultura de la Region Tropical Humeda (EARTH College), International Fund for the Animal Welfare (IFAW), Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), UNEP-World Conservation and Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), the World Fish Centre (ICLARM) and the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) to name a few.

Co-ordination with other UNEP and UN agencies such as UNDP, GIWA, ROLAC and GOOS (global ocean observing system) has also taken place. In particular, I was pleased to represent CEP on your behalf at the Intergovernmental Meeting of the GPA in Montreal last November, where, as President and Chairman, I was asked to present the work of the Wider Caribbean in controlling pollution from land-based activities. This presentation was well received and highlighted, once again for me, the advancements that we have made in this area, relative to other Regional Seas Programmes.

Also in 2001, again following a decision of the Ninth IGM, we have added a new Regional Activity Centre to CEP by converting REMPEITC into an official RAC of the CEP in collaboration with the International Maritime Organization.

Conclusion

Challenges lie ahead of us for the next biennium and beyond. As I pass on the leadership of the CEP to the newly elected President, I would like to call your attention to a number of key issues:

  1. The issue of the Rules of Procedure must be addressed and is well overdue. Though this may seem bureaucratic to some, as our governing structure continues to grow and develop as more countries ratify, new protocols enter into force and new Regional Activity Centres are established, we must be clear about the linkages of all these separate entities. As the greater global arena struggles with the issue of international environmental governance, we too must deal with it at the regional level. It is to all our advantage to have these bodies clearly defined.
  1. Member governments should be active partners in the development and implementation of the programme (i.e., participate throughout the year, not just at meetings). This is particularly true for the Bureau of Contracting Parties and the Monitoring Committee as they are elected by the full CEP Membership to represent them and guide the secretariat in the interim years between the IGM.
  1. I predict that financial resources will continue to be scarce. We must continue to sharpen CEP´s activities to focus on the highest priority areas within the scope of its mandate and continue to look toward national implementation of the Convention and protocols and not overextend the Programme.
  1. In order to have a CEP that is fully operational, it must have the full political, programmatic and financial support of Member Governments so that it can fulfil its obligations with the governments. I urge you to continue and strengthen your support.

CEP was established to provide a mechanism whereby the diverse States and Territories of the region could collectively address the protection and development of the marine and coastal resources of the Wider Caribbean, the base for the economic development of the region. The achievement of this goal is dependent upon the commitment of the Governments in providing support to UNEP-CAR/RCU as the working secretariat of the Cartagena Convention. In the Cartagena Convention we have a unique regional tool for addressing the deteriorating health of our marine environment. We need to commit ourselves to supporting the Cartagena Convention if we want to fulfill the objective set by us through the Caribbean Environment Programme.

Thank you for your support over the last biennium and all the best to the new President.