Skip to main content
Available in EnglishEspañol

Seminar for Public Officials from the CARICOM region: “The Escazú Agreement: moving towards a more resilient and sustainable future in the Caribbean”

Sustainable development and human settlements
16 September 2024|Event
ECLAC - Caribbean

escazu_group_shot_miami.png

The seminar is organized by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in partnership with the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the World Bank-Human Rights, Inclusion and Empowerment Trust Fund.

Objectives
Held on the occasion of the CARICOM/OECS and CCCCC preparatory conferences for COP16 of the CBD and COP29 of the UNFCCC, this workshop will seek to provide a general overview of the regional agreement and its synergies with the 2030 Agenda and Multilateral Environmental Agreements, including UNFCCC and CBD, as well as take stock of the implementation of such access rights in the CARICOM region and foster an exchange between Parties and non-Parties from the Caribbean, with a view to advance the implementation of access rights and support ratification and implementation processes of the Escazú Agreement in the subregion.

The objectives of the seminar are:

  • to raise awareness on the Escazú Agreement and its synergies with the 2030 Agenda, MEAs and other international processes
  • to examine the state of the art of implementation of access rights in the Caribbean sub-region
  • to present the experience of Caribbean Parties in the ratification and implementation of the Regional Agreement
  • to discuss the benefits and opportunities to join the Regional Agreement

MONDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2024
9:00 – 9:10
Welcome remarks
• Diane Quarless, Director, ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean
• Dennis Zulu, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Jamaica and the Bahamas

9:10 – 10:15
The Escazú Agreement: achieving sustainable development with equality (Introduction and context, content, current status and future developments)
• Carlos de Miguel, Officer-in-charge, ECLAC Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division
• David Barrio Lamarche, Legal Officer, ECLAC Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division
Q & A / Discussion with participants

10:15 – 10:30
Health break

10:30 – 11:30
Synergies with the 2030 Agenda, Multilateral Environmental Agreements including UNFCCC and CBD and other international processes
• Carlos de Miguel, Officer-in-charge, ECLAC Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division
Q & A / Discussion with participants

11:30 – 12:30
Institutional support provided under the Agreement
• Committee to Support Implementation and Compliance: mandate and functions
Rita Joseph-Olivetti, member of the Committee to Support Implementation and Compliance
• Clearinghouse/Observatory, Regional Public Mechanism and Implementation Guide
David Barrio Lamarche, Legal Officer, ECLAC Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division
Q & A / Discussion with participants

12:30 – 2:00
Lunch

2:00 – 3:00
The Caribbean in the negotiation of the Agreement
• Kishan Kumarsingh, Head MEA Unit, Ministry of Planning and Development, Trinidad and Tobago
Ratification and accession processes in the Caribbean
• Hon. Maureen Payne, Parliamentary Secretary for Legal Affairs, Antigua and Barbuda
Q & A / Discussion with participants

3:00 – 4:15
National implementation of the Agreement in Caribbean Parties
• Roadmaps and implementation plans in light of COP decision III/1
Danielle Andrade, Jamaican attorney-at-law, consultant ECLAC-World Bank
• Experiences of Parties and subregional institutions
Hon. Kerryne James, Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy, Grenada
Saul Cruz, Director, National Biodiversity Office, Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Belize
Kate Wilson, Legal Officer, Department of Sustainable Development, Saint Lucia
Chamberlain Emmanuel, Head of Environmental Sustainability Division, OECS
Q & A / Discussion with participants

4:15 – 4:30
Health break

4:30 – 5:00
Partnerships for implementation
• Simon Springett, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the OECS
• Amrikha Singh, Programme Manager, Sustainable Development, CARICOM Secretariat
• Andrea Brusco, Deputy Regional Director, UNEP
• Todd Howland, Chief, Development, Economic and Social Rights Branch, OHCHR (video)

5:00 – 5:15
Open dialogue on priorities, challenges and opportunities for the Caribbean

5:15 – 5:30
Key outcomes, next steps

Closing remarks

Practical information

Marriott Dadeland Hotel (Le Mirage Conference Room)

You might be interested in