New UN project will advance sustainable public procurement in the Eastern Caribbean for the COVID-19 recovery

Date: October 30, 2020

Hour: 10:00 h.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will launch a new project that aims to mainstream sustainability criteria in the public procurement process in the Eastern Caribbean, with a focus on the construction sector, unlocking potential for a green COVID-19 recovery.

As part of global efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, governments —  as the largest consumers — are called upon to change their consumption habits in an effort to protect the environment, improve their social and economic landscapes, and lead by example.

The project will be launched during an online event led by the Regional Director of UNEP in Latin America and the Caribbean, Leo Heileman, and the Director General of the OECS, Didacus Jules. Relevant speakers will address the importance of sustainable public procurement for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the COVID-19 green recovery.

During the virtual meeting, both representatives will sign a Memorandum of Understanding between UNEP and the OECS, providing a background for further cooperation in advancing sustainable public procurement policies, and supporting capacity-building activities, tools and guidelines to increase awareness in this area.

The agreement also envisions an increased cooperation in the sound management of chemicals and waste, including marine pollution, in improving the resilience of the Caribbean countries in the face of disasters, and in effectively managing the environmental dimensions of emergencies.

Agenda

10:00-10:15    Welcome and opening remarks

• Leo Heileman, Director and Regional Representative, UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean,
• Didacus Jules, Director General, OECS,

Chair - Myrtle Drysdale-Octave, Head of Procurement OECS

10:15-10:20    Signing of MoU

10:20-11:00    Panel 1 - Importance of Sustainable Public Procurement for the achievement of SDGs and post-COVID green recovery

• Relevance of SPP - Farid Yaker, Programme Officer, Sustainable Public Procurement, UNEP.

• Strengthening SPP in the OECS project objectives - Agnes Wierzbicki, UNEP.
• Unlocking financial opportunities with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) - Camaria Holder, Deputy Project Coordinator, GCF EDA.
• SPP supporting national objectives - Sean Cenac, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance, Antigua and Barbuda, and Terrence Victor, Chief Procurement Officer, Grenada.

11:00-11:20    Panel 2: Building cooperation with strategic partners

• Manjola Malo, Procurement Specialist, World Bank.
• Doug Fraser, Head of Procurement, Caribbean Development Bank.
• Open dialogue.

11:20 -11:25   Next steps

• Myrtle Drysdale-Octave, Head of Procurement, OECS.

11:25-11:30    Closure

• Chamberlain Emmanuel, Head, Environmental Sustainability Division, OECS.