(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) In what has been described as a “fruitful and productive,” two-day meeting, the Third Joint Meeting of the Councils for Trade and Economic Development and Human and Social Development ended in Guyana on Friday with several critical issues being addressed and decisions made.

One of the major outcomes was a common approach, with mechanisms developed to prepare for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico in December. The mechanisms included the expansion of the membership of the CARICOM Task Force on Climate Change and Development to involve regional negotiators and members of the political directorate; and an agreement to adhere to the principles of the Liliendaal Declaration (2009) as the Community’s position in any Climate Change Negotiations.

The meeting also noted that significant strides had been made on the development of the Caribbean Community Environment and Natural Resources Policy Framework which should be completed by 2012. This policy is expected to provide guidelines for the conduct of business at the regional level and to provide guidance at the national level with respect to managing the environment and natural resources. The CARICOM Secretariat, which is steering the process, reported that base line information had been gathered and Member States had been engaged in relevant activities to ‘kick start’ the framing of such a policy.

Also of critical importance was the issue of water management and security which had become a growing concern for the Community. While acknowledging the attempts made to rationalise the interventions in the Community with respect to Water as well as the progress made towards the development of a common water framework, the Joint Meeting expressed the urgent need for work to be further expedited in the development of harmonised standards in water management. To support this process, the Meeting approved the Terms of Reference for the CARICOM Consortium of Water Institutions, which was charged with the development of the common water framework, to be guided by a set of 15 principles.

On the issue of sustainable land management, there was consensus on the approval of a two year work plan for the Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Land Management (PISLM) Task Force. This initiative was set up with its office in Trinidad and Tobago to facilitate exchange of experiences and good land management practices between participating countries. It also served as a mechanism for stimulating the replication of various approaches, tools and methodologies throughout the Region.

Reducing environmental impacts, while maintaining or improving economic outputs and standards of living is one of the Community’s main challenges and in addressing this issue of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), the Joint Meeting noted the decisions of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to launch in 2012, the ten year SCP framework which will impact every aspect of life in Latin America and the Caribbean. In this regard the Joint Meeting agreed to set up an Ad-Hoc Working Group to support the Caribbean’s participation in the Marrakech process – a global framework for action on sustainable consumption and production - and in the further development of a Caribbean approach to the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on SCP. Its negotiations will focus on the thematic areas of sustainable public procurement, sustainable lifestyles and building national capacities for SCP. The Meeting also agreed that Member States would continue to integrate SCP into national and sectoral development plans.

In relation to the issue of crime prevention and the environment, the Meeting discussed the Draft CARICOM Action Plan for Social Development and Crime Prevention, particularly the fifth pillar which addresses the protection of the environment and economic resources and agreed that the Plan provided opportunities for synergies in several critical areas and in particular in the implementation of Multi-lateral Environment Agreements (MEAs).

The opening ceremony and the first session of the Meeting benefited from the presence of two Heads of Government- His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana and the Honourable Stephenson King, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and Lead Head of Government for Sustainable Development including Climate Change in the quasi-Cabinet of CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government.

Eight Member States and several regional and international environmental and academic institutions were represented at the meeting.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org