Multilateral Environmental Agreements
(MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries
Many developing countries are unable to fulfil their obligations as signatories
of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) because they lack capacity
to address increasingly complex scientific and technical issues. Developing
countries are faced with a variety of obstacles, including inadequate human,
financial, and technical resources. These constraints severely impact their
ability to implement MEAs. In order to address this pressing issue, the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has joined forces with the European
Commission (EC) and several other partners to enhance the capacity of African,
Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries to implement MEAs. The seven partners
of UNEP and the EC in this venture are: the African Union Commission (AUC);
the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat; the Secretariat of the
Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP); the UNEP Risoe Centre
on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development; the Global Mechanism of
the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD-GM); the Strategic
Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) Secretariat; and
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Working jointly in a collaborative
effort, the partners have designed a capacity enhancement programme that
addresses countries’ needs in a coordinated and coherent manner.
The global influence and expertise of the partners has led to the development
of a wide-reaching, coordinated, and comprehensive four-year project with
a total budget of 21 million Euros. The Project is divided into two components:
1) Establishment of three regional hubs; and
2) Support to specific MEAs.
Regional Hubs
Three Regional Hubs will be established to support the 79 ACP countries
in the implementation MEAs at the regional and national levels. Beginning
in March 2009 the Hubs will undertake a consultative process to review
and endorse national and regional needs and identify specific activities.
These activities will focus on strengthening the capacity of national
governments, stakeholders, and regional organizations to implement MEAs.
Support to Specific MEAs
Under a separate component, support will be provided to the implementation
of specific MEAs. The UNEP Risoe Centre will target selected African,
Caribbean and Pacific countries to support their full and successful engagement
in the global carbon market and the Clean Development Mechanism. The Global
Mechanism of the UNCCD will expand its successful SolArid Programme to
Caribbean and Pacific countries. Sound management of chemicals in ACP
countries will receive a boost as funds are allocated to projects under
the SAICM Quick Start Programme. The FAO will provide additional support
to countries to eliminate existing obsolete pesticide stocks, to explore
opportunities for reducing dependency on synthetic chemical pesticides
and to improve the management of pesticides in ACP countries in general.
A New Approach and New Challenges
The challenges of linking several institutions into a cohesive partnership
seems at first glance daunting, and the wide range of capacity-building
needs faced by participating ACP countries may give the impression of
trying to do too much with too little. However, strategic planning and
priority setting should forestall the danger of overreach, and the success
of this multiple partnership will demonstrate the merit of a coordinated
and consolidated approach to donors and beneficiary countries alike. |
