To assist the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in St. Lucia comply with the obligations of the conventions and agreements under its purview (including the Biodiversity, Desertification, and Ramsar Conventions), a Conventions and Agreements Committee has been established. The committee consists of representatives from the Ministry’s departments that work on convention matters. The Second Enabling Activity Biodiversity Project currently serves as the secretariat for the committee; and the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry chairs the committee. This committee:
- advises the Government of St. Lucia to decide whether it should sign specific conventions;
- helps to develop State and ministerial positions on issues coming up for discussions at the various meetings of the different conventions and agreements;
- is responsible for raising public awareness on issues related to MEAs and the development of the State;
- ensures that officers who attend overseas missions related to MEAs provide timely reports on specific measures that could be taken to fulfil MEA obligations; and
- liaises with other ministries on the island to help implement MEA obligations.
This committee has helped significantly to streamline and focus the work of the Ministry to implement MEAs.
For more information, contact biodivproject@slubiodiv.org