The following newsletter provides quarterly updates on the European Commission funded programme on Capacity building related to multilateral environment agreements in African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries (the ACP MEAs Programme). With a focus on institutional and national capacity building as well as a synergistic implementation of the MEAs clusters, the programme combats biodiversity loss and promotes the sound management of chemicals, waste, pesticides. Coordinated globally by UN Environment, the programme is possible through a partnership between the European Commission and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States Secretariat (ACP Secretariat) and the regional hubs: the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM, Caribbean Hub), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP, Pacific Hub), and the African Union Commission (AUC, Africa Hub) as well as global implementing partner, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), along with select NGOs and collaborating centers.
Annual Programme Steering Committee concludes with participants re-energized to complete the last stretch of Phase 2
An annual opportunity for all partners to present their recent achievements their planned activities for the upcoming year, assess the status of implementation; and looking forward, discuss the sustainability of the programme, this year marked the third Steering Committee meeting for ACP MEAs 2. It served as a platform to share insight on impact, challenges and realize points of synergy that could be explored in the remainder of the programme.
Through this engagement, the ACP Secretariat and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO), beneficiary and donor of the Programme respectively, gained a better understanding of the programme’s progress in the regions.
Highlights:
- The regional hub coordinators from Africa, Caribbean, and the Pacific gave the big picture on the programme’s presence in the regions with a focus on assessing the impact of the Programme over the years;
- The feasibility study initiated by the European Commission for Phase 3, and which was carried out in conjunction with the independent mid-term evaluation – recommended for the continuation of the programme.
- The programme partner, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its associate partner, the European Environmental Bureau/Zero Mercury Working Group, presented on the progress made in their component of the programme in the clean-up of obsolete pesticides, pesticides management, sustainable pest management as well as mercury phase out;
- An engaging round of thematic discussions on the status of implementation (in the regions) of the biodiversity and chemicals and waste clusters of MEAs indicated the continued relevance and need for the programme to continue its capacity building work;
- With the programme formally ending in December 2017 and looking forward to a potential Phase 3 of the programme, discussions were held on the issue of the sustainability of the programme. It was reiterated that sustainability is a concept that is being tackled differently in the three regions. In the Pacific hub, the current Programme triggered greater funding by supporting and co-funding a newly approved GEF project that will ensure long-term continuity for part of the ACP MEAs activities.
- Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the creation of knowledge and institutional infrastructures on MEAs in the Caribbean and Africa – which were a rarity – are in itself reflecting the legacy and sustainability of the programme.
- Launch of a new promotional clip, as seen above.
Recommendations:
- Moving forward there is a need for greater political buy-in and involvement of decision makers at the political level whilst complementing the technical and institutional capacity building work of the programme that was already reflecting impact;
- Raise visibility and communication channels to seek greater ownership among politicians and decision makers.
Africa Hub
The Africa Hub, housed within the African Union Commission, has been preparing for a number of activities that will take place in the third quarter. Some of these activities under the Programme include the Africa Hub to:
- provide technical support to the the African Group of Negotiators on mercury through a preparatory meeting scheduled for August ahead of the first Conference of Parties for the Minamata Convention on mercury. The activity aims to improve negotiation techniques and skills on the Convention so that representatives from African countries can negotiate effectively, make meaningful interventions during the forthcoming COPs and MOPs, while coming to a common regional or continental position with respect to mercury issues;
- support the development of integrated waste management strategies in Zambia and Gambon;
- engage in the review and updating of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Sierra Leone;
- develop legislative and regulatory framework for persistent organic pollutant (POPs) management in Liberia with a fully developed strategy to be expected by end of August 2017;
- support knowledge building among MEAs focal points handling the biodiversity and chemicals and waste cluster through a workshop planned to take place in August in Mauritania. It is meant to not only provide a forum to share South-South experiences, exchange ideas, good practices and lessons learned in implementing the various MEA conventions but most importantly, will stress the importance of finding synergies among them.
Caribbean Hub
Mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Biodiversity Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) into the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) through national workshops in Saint Lucia and St. Kitts on Nevis
National workshops were held with the aim of mainstreaming the SDGs and biodiversity MEAs into the crucial national-level instrument, the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Both workshops were well-attended by participants ranging across government and non-governmental sectors. In Saint Lucia, the workshop produced recommendations which were prepared by the participants on how objectives related to SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) and the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) could be integrated into Saint Lucia’s NBSAP. Similarly, the national workshop in St. Kitts and Nevis produced draft policy briefs, intended for the consideration of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, on how biodiversity conservation and management, in keeping with the country’s NBSAP, can contribute to achievement of the SDGs related to No Poverty, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action and Life Under Water.
Both workshops were delivered using a capacity-building approach and module that was developed in Phase 1 of the ACP MEAs programme. The module (full title: Training Module – Achieving National and Sectoral Development Priorities: the use of integrated environmental assessment tools for improved MEA implementation) was originally designed to support the mainstreaming of MEAs into national development policy, as well as the synergistic implementation of the biodiversity cluster of MEAs. Since the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, this tool has been adapted to build capacity for developing policies that capitalize on the synergies between MEAs and the Sustainable Development Goals. The workshops in Saint Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis were the first practical instances of the use of the tool for this purpose.
In May 2017, the mainstreaming module was accepted for inclusion in the SDG Acceleration Toolkit hosted by the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) and coordinated by UNICEF. The toolkit is an online compendium of system-level diagnostics, models, methodologies and guidance to help governments, UN Country Teams, and expert stakeholders at all levels understand synergies and trade-offs and identify and unlock bottlenecks for strategizing, prioritizing and accelerating progress towards the SDGs.
In 2016, the Caribbean Hub organized a train-the-trainers for consultants, academics and government officials in the use of the mainstreaming module, and the workshops in Saint Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis were led by beneficiaries of the earlier train-the-trainers activity. Previously all mainstreaming capacity-building activities were led by consultants from outside the Caribbean, so the transition to the use of regional expertise is an important achievement that demonstrates the impact of the ACP-MEAs programme.
Pacific Hub
A first in the region - Cook Islands to develop sand mining guidelines under the programme
Unsustainable development practices and increasing demand for sand mining is leading to high levels of erosion, biodiversity loss, and other detrimental costs to the coastal ecosystems. To promote sustainable sand mining management practices, the Cook Islands - an archipelago country of 15 islands in the South Pacific - are embarking on the development of national sand mining guidelines, not just a first for the country but a first for the region. The discussions for their development were initiated through an environmental impact assessment training held in the Cook Islands, which was organized by the Pacific Hub – the Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
Furthermore, the workshop allowed participants to strengthen their understanding of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and how it can be effectively applied in the Cook Islands; further develop their EIA skills through practical exercises and discussion; review the draft Environment (Permits and Consents) Regulations 2017; provide participants with an overview of SPREP and its capacity-building work related to environmental policy, planning and assessment; and discuss the development of sand mining guidelines.
“Key things I learnt are play it safe with development and listen to the land and sea.” Benjamin Maxwell, Compliance Officer, National Environment Service, the Cook Islands
The EIA training included both Rarotonga-based officers (main island) and outer island officers from the Advisory and Compliance Division, in order to strengthen and build capacity right across the team. The workshop was particularly timely as the Cook Islands has draft Environment (Permits and Consents) Regulations that are currently being finalised. The Regulations will help to strengthen the national EIA process.
UN Environment
Strengthening MEA-SDG linkages, legal preparedness and financing for NBSAP implementation
In partnership with the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean and in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat, UN Environment recently concluded a workshop in Bahamas aimed at providing practical solutions for mainstreaming biodiversity by discussing issues such as legal preparedness and financing for implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. On a broader level, the meeting provided an opportunity to identify linkages between the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Actions to mainstream biodiversity into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies remain a core obligation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. At the international level, several biodiversity-related conventions have already aligned their strategies and activities with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). At the national level, NBSAPs can act as the key policy vehicle to enhance the synergies and interlinkages between related environmental and development goals.
Through this workshop, focal points from across the Caribbean had the opportunity to learn about developments in this field, interact with experts, and consider them to support the design and implementation of NBSAPs that achieve cross-cutting environmental and development goals. It was identified that a mix of tools and approaches are needed to effectively implement NBSAPs, particularly action to build coherent laws and policies that leverage interlinkages between biodiversity and human development, and ensure adequate financing.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Support to Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MoALF) and Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MENR), Kenya
FAO, through the Programme, is supporting in-country agro-biodiversity experts in providing inputs to Kenya’ Agriculture Sector Transformation Strategy that is currently being prepared and is due for completion at the end of the year. FAO is also supporting the ongoing process of revision of their NBSAP, led by MENR. The collaboration with the two Ministries was formalized through an exchange of official letters in May 2017. As part of this, a focal point for agro-biodiversity was appointed at MoALF.
Addressing highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC): country cases and scaling-up regional collaboration
Following the successful training on HHP risk reduction and implementation of the Rotterdam Convention, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in April 2016 for SAPReF, the SADC members prepared HHP risk reduction action plans. Some countries went further and submitted requests to FAO for financial and technical assistance to address HHPs. In addition, SAPReF submitted a similar request for financial and technical assistance to FAO for a regional strategy to address HHPs. The HHP side event was organized in close collaboration with the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat. The side event was well attended, characterized by insightful presentations, lively discussion and generally described as very successful. To know more, please contact: Francesca Mancini (Francesca.Mancini@fao.org)
European Environmental Bureau / Zero Mercury Working Group (EEB/ZMWG)
Contributing to the preparation/implementation of the Minamata Convention, with a focus on developing mercury reduction strategies to implement the product phase–out provisions and national action plans for artisanal and small scale gold mining
Two African regional conferences, Nairobi, 23-25 May 2017 were organized by EEB/ZMWG – to showcase their results (1) towards reducing mercury in artisanal small scale gold mining (ASGM) via the development of National Action Plans (NAPs) and (2) towards phasing out of mercury-added products. These two conferences were complemented by two UN Environment workshops, on ASGM and mercury added products respectively, funded by UN Environment Global Mercury Partnership and the US EPA.
As ASGM accounts for the largest release of mercury to both the African and global environment, the workshop focused on the need for regional cooperation to simultaneously reduce supply of mercury and demand for its use , while promoting cleaner production. Experiences from the work in Tanzania and Ghana were presented and discussions centered on the challenges of formalization and technical approaches to reducing mercury use and releases.
Phasing out mercury-added products is also a priority area for the region, since Africa is a net importer of mercury-added products that eventually become environmental pollutants at the end of their life. Case studies from Nigeria and Mauritius presented, elaborated on steps for phasing out such products that can be taken not only by governments but also NGOs, UN agencies and other stakeholders. Consequently government officials were assisted during the conferences to develop their own draft country road maps for phasing out mercury in products, by using the checklist developed by EEB/ZMWG. To know more, contact: Elena Lymberidi- Settimo (elena.lymberidi@eeb.org)
This newsletter has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views, policies or official opinion of the European Commission, UN Environment or contributing organizations. For more information on ACP MEAs please contact: Mr. Mamadou Kane (Mamadou.Kane@unep.org), Ms. Anjana Varma (anjana.varma@unep.org)
Credits:
Group cover photo - copyright ACPMEAs. Caribbean workshop photo: copyright CARICOM, Pacific workshop: copyright SPREP, HHP side event photos: FAO copyright, Mercury activity photos courtesy EEB/Zero Mercury Group, Pacific Hub background photo: View from The Needle on Rarotonga, the Cook Islands, copyright Wallix - Shutterstock. All other photos are copyright-free acquired from unsplash.