ACP-MEAs

About the ACP MEAs

The programme on capacity building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries resulted from a partnership between the European Commission (EC), the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP Secretariat), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The aim of this 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. Learn more

Teshia JnBaptiste, Project Coordinator - MEAs in ACP Phase III Project discusses Biodiversity

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity will hold a sub-regional dialogue and workshop to discuss national biodiversity strategies and action plans. The event will be held at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, Guyana, 15 – 19 April 2024. Representatives of indigenous peoples, youth, non-governmental organisations, regional and international organisations, local communities, and key sectors including agriculture and fisheries will participate in the dialogue and workshop. Teshia JnBaptiste, Project Coordinator – MEAs in ACP Phase III Project, Directorate of Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, CARICOM Secretariat, provides an insight into the event.

Hon. Vickram Bharrat, Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources at the Opening of Biodiversity Workshop

The Hon. Vickram Bharrat, Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources said that Guyana can be used as a model of how to create balance between the extraction of natural resources and the preservation of its biodiversity. The Minister was at the time delivering the feature address at the opening of a sub-regional Biodiversity Dialogue and Workshop that the CARICOM Secretariat and the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity held at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, from 15-19 April 2024, to discuss national strategies and action plans on biodiversity

Message by the CARICOM Secretariat on the Occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May 2023

Best Practices on Handling, Storage, Safety of Mercury Added Products

Clean-up of household mercury spills. See interactive version here

Media Gallery

Publications/ Fact Sheets / Briefs

Press Releases / In the Media

  • The Caribbean Region faces existential threats, including biodiversity loss which continue to be a major challenge for global leaders and conservationists. Many plant and animal species in the Region are critically endangered, including the Grenada dove, the hawksbill turtle, the Antiguan racer, and the Saint Lucian racer—the rarest snake in the world. These are just a few among the over 200 critically endangered species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and plants in the Caribbean Region. Conserving biodiversity is fundamental to sustaining life on Earth. Biodiversity is crucial to produce essential medicines, food and water security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, cultural values, and economic development, making it indispensable to achieving a sustainable future. This recognition is crystallized in the United Nations Convention on Biological (UNCBD) which will be convening the 16th Conference of Parties on Biological Diversity (COP 16), 21 October–1 November in Cali, Colombia. A regional workshop to prepare Caribbean negotiators to effectively participate in COP 16 will be held in Miami, Florida, from 11 – 13 September. The workshop is organised under the Caribbean Hub of the Project for Capacity Building for Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Countries. The three-day session will be coordinated by the CARICOM Secretariat in partnership with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission’s European Union (EU)-funded Biodiversity Support Programme for ACP Coastal Environments – BioSPACE Project, and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund’s (CBF) Effective Marine Protected Area Activities for the Caribbean (EMPAC) Project. At COP 16, governments will review the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Parties to the Convention are expected to demonstrate the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework. COP16 will also address critical issues such as the monitoring of and resource mobilization for the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. To this end, the regional workshop will apprise participants of the COP 16 agenda and the issues that will be discussed and negotiated, and enable them to identify and analyse issues most relevant to their national and/or regional interests. It will facilitate the development of national and/or regional positions on key COP 16 agenda items by allowing discourse among participants.   Participation in COP 16 is essential for the Caribbean Region to be able to advocate for stronger international commitments to biodiversity conservation, secure resources for protecting its ecosystems, and collaborate on global strategies to preserve its natural heritage. By being involved, the Region can ensure that its specific challenges and needs are considered in global biodiversity policies, enhancing its resilience and sustainability. Global meetings such as COP 16 provide the framework for the people of the Region to effectively protect and manage their biodiversity. Editor’s Note The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) following a four-year consultation and negotiation process. This historic Framework, which supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and builds on the Convention’s previous Strategic Plans, sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. Among the Framework’s key elements are four goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030.  In adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, all Parties committed to setting national targets to implement it, while all other actors have been invited to develop and communicate their own commitments.

  • Our Caribbean Community is one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world, home to plants and animals that are found nowhere else. We are proud of that accolade and are steadfast in our efforts to manage and protect our biodiversity. Listen as Julius Smith of the Ministry of Planning and Development of Trinidad and Tobago describes the Caribbean. Mr. Smith was among a large contingent of regional stakeholders at a five-day event in Georgetown, Guyana, earlier this month that focused on the environment and the status of national plans to protect biodiversity in Member States. https://vimeo.com/938674843

  • Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General, on Monday outlined the ongoing initiatives the Community is undertaking to tackle global challenges, especially those related to the environment. The Secretary-General was at the time delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony of the Sub-Regional Dialogue on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and Workshop on Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework for the Caribbean Countries. The event was held in Georgetown, Guyana, from 15-19 April. Listen as Dr. Barnett highlights the initiatives and achievements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fRHqflBEs0

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