The Steering Committee for the OECS Environmental Capacity Development Project has identified four key areas to facilitate the implementation of National Environmental Management Strategies or NEMS developed by Member States. 

The focus areas, identified as priorities common to most of the countries are Environmental Legislation, Legal and Institutional arrangements for Environmental Management, Environmental Impact Assessment Policies and Procedures as well as Public Awareness and Education. Programmes for the focus areas are likely to be implemented by the beginning of May.

The focus areas are to be part of the work plan for the OECS Environmental Capacity Development (ENCAPD) Project for the year 2005-2006. The project is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency CIDA.

Permanent Secretary Cordel Weston of Antigua and Barbuda chaired the tenth sitting of the project steering committee at which the focus areas were identified. That meeting facilitated by the OECS Environment and Sustainable Development Unit ESDU was held on Thursday March 31 st 2005 in St. Lucia.

Around those programmes, we identified what were important to individual countries. Then we tried to develop programmnes around the priorities as stated by the individual countries and this work will be done by the OECS ESDU in collaboration among the various countries and we are hoping that by the end of April we will have a programme to go back to CIDA that CIDA can provide the necessary funding plus funding from the previous programme and from local government themselves.-Weston

The discussed work plan attempts to solidify the commitment of Member states to making the policy, institutional and legal framework changes needed to implement the National Environmental Management Strategies. OECS member countries that implement their NEMS stand to gain from several incentives packages. To this end Weston is hoping that OECS member countries yet to develop and or approve the NEMS will hasten to do so.

Many countries have already prepared their NEMS and have submitted them to their various cabinets for ratification. Some countries have had them ratified, while some countries are in the process to submit them to their cabinets and unfortunately some countries are in the process of getting it together. We would like to urge those countries that are trying to get it together to really hurry up with it so that we will be able to present to our work programme CIDA in a proper manner and proper time so that funding may be available for us in the various aspects of our programmes-Weston

The 11 th meeting of the Steering Committee for the OECS Environmental Capacity Development Project will be held in St. Lucia in October 2005.

Contact:
Nicholas Providence MECOVI Project Coordinator
Kendol Morgan Senior Communications Officer OECS Secretariat This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Raymond O’Keiffe Comm.Officer OECS Secretariat email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it