The Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention and the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean (BCRC-Caribbean), funded by the European Union facilitated a workshop focused on:
“Strengthening implementation of the Rotterdam Convention and trade control measures under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS)”.
The three-day workshop is happening in Trinidad and Tobago from May 12 to 15 to strengthen the region’s capacities to implement the Rotterdam Convention, fully comply with its provisions and to effectively enforce the trade control measures prescribed under the BRS conventions among others.
The collaborating agencies to facilitate this workshop are the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention and BCRC-Caribbean, the the BRS Secretariat, the FAO and UNEP.
Funded by the European Union, this workshop targets Caribbean SIDS that are Parties to at least one of the BRS conventions, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs & Development is the focal point for the BCRC-Caribbean.
The overarching objective of this workshop is to strengthen the capacities of the participating SIDS to implement the Rotterdam Convention, to fully comply with its provisions, and to effectively enforce the trade control measures prescribed under the BRS conventions. Specifically, taking into account the challenges described above, this workshop aims to achieve the following:
- Improve understanding of the Rotterdam Convention and its objectives, including to familiarize participants with the role and responsibilities of the DNA and relevant provisions and procedures under the Convention, such as FRAs, the PIC procedure, import responses, etc.
- Gain an improved understanding of where each Party stands in implementing the Rotterdam Convention, including ongoing initiatives (such as of legal nature) and remaining challenges (e.g. missing import responses), thus facilitating the provision of further targeted technical assistance.
- Exchange information, experiences and lessons learned among Parties and non-parties with regard to risk assessment, evaluation and management of industrial chemicals and pesticides at the national level.
- Strengthen strategic action and national coordination mechanisms to fully implement the Rotterdam Convention, including via the development of NAPs.
- Enhance the capacity of Parties to effectively implement trade-control measures under the BRS conventions and to prevent and combat illegal traffic and trade in hazardous chemicals and wastes.
The workshop also aims to promote inter-agency coordination and information exchange among national authorities responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the BRS conventions. To achieve these goals, the workshop features a mix of presentations, exercises, working groups and peer-to-peer exchanges of insights and lessons learned. It is structured across the following sessions:
- Introduction to the BRS conventions
- National situations and challenges
- Trade control measures
- Chemicals management, risk evaluation, FRAs and SHPFs
- Import responses
- NAPs and DNA checklist
- Role of customs in implementation of the BRS Conventions
- Illegal traffic, illegal trade and enforcement
- Capacity building initiatives on illegal trade in chemicals
