| What is the OECS-ESDU? |
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The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (OECS-ESDU) is the entity within the OECS Secretariat responsible for the provision of natural resource and environmental management services to the Member States of the OECS. The mission statement of the OECS-ESDU is: "To be a dynamic facilitator for effective management of natural resources for sustainable development in the OECS sub-region through collaboration with and among Member States". The ESDU was formerly named the Natural Resources Management Unit (NRMU). |
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| What does the OECS-ESDU do? |
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The OECS-ESDU facilitates enhanced natural resources and environmental management in the Member States of the OECS. Within the context of policy advice from the OECS Environmental Policy Committee, comprised of the Ministers responsible for environment in each of the OECS Member States, the OECS-ESDU implements a range of programmes in support of the natural resources and environmental management objectives of the Member States. |
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| What programmes does the OECS-ESDU implement? |
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The OECS-ESDU implements programmes in Disaster Risk Reduction, Biodiversity Management, Energy, Cliamte Change, Sustainable Oceans Governance, Communication and Public Awareness, Coastal And Marine Resources Management, Environmental Planning, Watershed Management, Waste Management and Information, Communication and Public Awareness. In addition, the OECS-ESDU implements a Small Projects Facility through which financing is made available to respond to local natural resources management needs through the creation of local partnerships among the public sector, private sector, and wider civil society. |
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| How does the OECS-ESDU implement its activities? |
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The OECS-ESDU designs and implements its activities in response to the national natural resources and environmental management priority needs of the OECS Member States. These needs are communicated to OECS-ESDU by national focal points. OECS-ESDU responds to these needs using its own resources and resources made available through the international community. Activities are delivered to Member States through the national focal points. |
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| Where is the OECS-ESDU located? |
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The OECS-ESDU is located at Morne Fortune in Castries, St. Lucia. |
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| How is the OECS-ESDU funded? |
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The OECS Secretariat allocates funds for the OECS-ESDU. In addition, a range of international agencies also provide funds to the OECS-ESDU on a project basis. |
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| How does OECS-ESDU assist countries? |
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The OECS-ESDU assists the OECS Member States through development of harmonised policy, legal and planning frameworks, and through the provision of technical assistance to individual Member States to assist in resolving country-specific natural resource and environmental management issues. In addition, the OECS-ESDU provides funding for small projects that provide natural resource and environmental management solutions through creation of local partnerships among the public sector, private sector, and wider civil society. |
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| Who qualifies as a consultant? |
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Consultants hired by OECS-ESDU must demonstrate high levels of education relevant to the specific topic in which consultant expertise is required, together with a successful record of relevant experience preferably in the Caribbean context. |
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| Where does OECS-ESDU get its mandate? |
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The OECS-ESDU operates within the overall framework of the Treaty of Basseterre(1981), through which the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States was created. The annual work programme of the OECS-ESDU is developed under the advice of the annual meeting of the OECS Environmental Policy Committee, comprised of the Ministers responsible for environment in each Member State. |
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| What skills are available at the OECS-ESDU? |
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In-house technical skills at the OECS-ESDU include Disaster Risk Reduction, Biodiversity Management, Energy, Sustainable Oceans Governance, Coastal adaptatioin to climate change, Communication and Public Awareness, environmental planning, coastal resources management, community development, public awareness/education, fisheries stock assessment and management, project management, strategic planning, accounting and information technology. Additional skill sets are contracted, as necessary to hte requirements of specific initiatives. |
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