21 June 2017 – UN Environment, in collaboration with the Government of Jamaica and the Government of The Netherlands, will host several regional, international and local stakeholders at a three-day Caribbean Waste Management Conference, to develop an action plan which will tackle waste management issues in the Caribbean region.
The conference, themed “SIDS Approaches to Waste and the Circular Economy”, will draw on the experience of the participants and will result in a Guide to Best Practice for the Caribbean; a strategy document and call to action which will inform government and public-sector partnerships in solving the issue of waste management in Caribbean countries.
The conference will also act as a launching pad for the unveiling of a US$700K plastics waste management project which the Government of Jamaica will conduct with the support of UN Environment and its International Environmental Technology Centre, based in Japan.
We cordially invite you to cover the opening ceremony and to coordinate interviews.
July 4, 2017, 9:00 a.m., Jamaica Conference Centre
SPEAKERS FOR OPENING CEREMONY:
Speaker 1, Hon Daryl Vaz, Minister without portfolio, Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation, Jamaica
Speaker 2, Arthur Eijs, Policy Advisor, Department of International Affairs, Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Government of the Netherlands
Speaker 3, Patricia Aquing, Executive Director, Caribbean Water & Wastewater Association
Speaker 4, Vincent Sweeney, Head, Caribbean Sub-Regional Office, UN Environment (UNEP)
Vincent Sweeney, Head of the UN Environment Caribbean Sub-Regional Office says that the conference “will seek to bring globally and regionally recognised speakers and allow individuals from different walks of life to share experiences, network and plan." Time will be allocated to ensure that effective networking takes place, everyone’s ideas are shared and contributions that can be adapted to local circumstances and cultures are made.
According to Mr. Sweeney, “waste management, including plastics is very much on the global agenda and we need to find Caribbean solutions. Bringing together regional and international experts will allow us to find the right approaches for our Caribbean needs”.
The outcome of this conference also serves as an opportunity to raise the specific needs of the Caribbean SIDS at the upcoming UN Environment Assembly, the world's highest-level decision-making body on the environment, which will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4-6 December 2017 under the overarching theme of pollution.
For further information, please contact: Deonne Smith, Communications and Partnership Officer, UN Environment Caribbean Sub-Regional Office, deonne.smith@unep.org, +876 922 9267-69
