In the Caribbean, the Secretariat implemented a project to strengthen the legislative, regulatory and enforcement capacity of Small Island Developing States to implement and comply with international obligations under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions.
The project initially focused on Trinidad and Tobago with the expectation that the results of the activities carried out at the national level would be disseminated to other Small Island Development States (SIDS) in the region.
During the first phase of the project in Trinidad and Tobago, a gaps and needs analysis for the coordinated implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions was undertaken, with a draft tool for conducting such analyses being successfully tested.
During the second phase of activities, a series of recommendations were developed to assist Trinidad and Tobago in strengthening legislative and regulatory frameworks and institutional capacity to improve implementation and enforcement of the three conventions. The experience gained in Trinidad and Tobago was disseminated throughout the region during a two-day workshop in July 2011 for convention focal points, legal experts and enforcement authorities with a focus on implementation of the conventions and illegal traffic of hazardous wastes. The following SIDS participated in the workshop in July 2011: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The project was funded by the Quick Start Programme Trust Fund of SAICM and was implemented in cooperation with the Basel Convention Regional Centre for the Caribbean region based in Trinidad and Tobago.
For more information, please contact Francesca Cenni, Programme Officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: +41 22 917 8364, email: francesca.cenni@unep.org.