For the OECS region, it will indeed be a memorable one for solid waste practitioners, as they assemble in Grenada from June 4th-6th, 2003 to participate in the regional conference dubbed ‘Solid Waste Management In The OECS: Past, Present & Future’.

Certainly, this has been a long haul for waste practitioners who have from 1996 been carving out the solid waste story in the OECS region, amidst its perils and visible victories. Not only have they been able to turn ‘garbage’ into reputable ‘solid waste’, success has been realized in upgrading and effecting improved waste management across the board, in collaboration and with support from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the World Bank.

The high-powered opening ceremony is testimony to and certainly indicative of the high level of commitment that the regional governments pay to solid waste in our environment.

The feature address will be delivered by the Prime Minster of Grenada, Dr. Keith Mitchell coupled with remarks from newly appointed Director General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Dr. Len Ishmael, Country Officer for the Caribbean Country Management Unit of the World Bank, Ms. Rachel Mc Colgan and Director of Projects at the Caribbean Development Bank, Mr. Carlson Gough.

The waste symposium session spans two days of intensive delivery on varying aspects of waste management from the operational to educational. A special feature of this symposium will be an exhibition of environmental education (EE) materials developed over this six-year regional project.

The Solid Waste Environmental Educators Network (SWEEN) is co-coordinating this aspect that is hoped to attract the attention of numerous students in Grenada and the public as a whole.

The symposium will be staged from June 4th-6th, 2003.

ESDU is teaming up with its regional partners through the OECS Solid & Ship Generated Waste Management Project, known as the Solid Waste Management Entities (SWME) alongside the project funders, namely the World Bank Group, the Global Environment Trust Fund and the Caribbean Development Bank to pull the curtains down to signify the closure to the regional aspect of this milestone project.

The governments of the region in the 1990’s conceived the OECS Solid & Ship-Generated Waste Management Project and the project was borne in the late 1990’s targeting the islands of the OECS region.

Since project inception, the governments have invested millions of dollars in the setup of national waste management entities with professional staff, the upgrading of existing Disposal Sites, the construction of first ever Sanitary Landfills, the procurement of equipment and the implementation of community, national, regional and international training initiatives.

Today, these solid waste management entities are moving towards greater independence for increased efficiency in the delivery of services, better accountability and continuing viability. There is also the recognition that the people of the OECS sub-region are more conscious of their behavior through solid and hazardous waste environmental education programs to maintain a clean and healthy environment for one and all.

The head of ESDU Dr. Vasantha Chase says the seven-year old programme has so far accomplished at least 95 % of its objectives. These include the development and passage of updated legislation in most countries, the establishment of dedicated institutions for the management of Solid Waste in all participating countries, the development of sanitary landfills and substantial skills training in waste management including the delicate area of biomedical waste.

In addition, five OECS member counties are nearing completion of a strategy that will be a blueprint for managing Solid Waste.

On Thursday April 10 the OECS will be observing a special event in the sub region’s Environmental Management Policy and initiatives.

That special event will be the second anniversary of the signing of the St. George’s Declaration of Principles for Environmental Sustainability in the sub-region.

The highpoint of Thursday’s observance will be an address by the Head of the OECS Environment and Sustainable Development Unit, ESDU. The address will be broadcast to OECS Stations via the OECS News-Link.

Also on April 10 a video jingle focussing on ways of preserving the sub-region’s vital natural resources will be released on television. The jingle produced by OECS Musicians for the Environment features Soca artiste/comedian “Sanders” of St. Lucia.

Also on Thursday the OECS ESDU will make a special presentation at a meeting of the Caribbean Youth Environmental Network’s Environmental Workshop for Teachers to be held at the Indies Conference Centre from 9:00 a.m. Second anniversary activities will extend through the month of April. Among them is an Open House has been arranged for Earth Day, April 22nd at the offices of the OECS ESDU.

Member countries of the OECS will also be staging national activities to observe of the second anniversary of the signing of the St. George’s Declaration.

The St. George’s Declaration of Principles for Environmental Sustainability in the OECS was endorsed by the OECS Environmental Policy Committee in November of 2000 and was officially launched on April 10th 2001, when seven of the nine OECS Member Governments signed the document at a ceremony in Castries, St. Lucia. To date, all nine-member countries have signed the St. George’s Declaration as their covenant to sustainable development for all in the region. Twenty-one principles are enshrined in the Declaration.

Technical officers involved in Solid Waste Management, throughout the OECS will be exposed to modern solid waste management operations at a training course to be held in Castries from April 7 to 11.