"Harmonising environmental initiatives in St. Lucia: a synergies approach" was held on 11-12 February 2009 at the Rex St. Lucian Resort. This workshop represented the efforts of the Government of St. Lucia and UNDP to rationalise the activities to be undertaken under a variety of environmental projects in the country and find avenues for partership and synergies.

Participants received presentations on 2009 activities from the project teams involved with:

• SLM
• SNC
• IWCAM
• GEF SGP
• Bioenergy in the Caribbean
• UNDP Poverty Reduction Programme
• FAO
• CARDI
• CIMH

The group also included representatives from:

• Desruisseaux Farmers' Association
• Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and Forestry
• Ministry of Physical Development and Environment
• National Conservation Authority
• Sir Arthur Lewis Community College
• St. Lucia National Trust
• Water Resources Management Agency
• Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 
• OECS Secretariat

Presentations included work plans for 2009 by the various projects and agencies, as well as a range of technical and financial support opportunities available from FAO. The principal avenues for cooperation highlighted were in the areas of:

• knowledge management, public education, training and research
• technology and technical assistance
• legal, policy and institutional issues (mainstreaming)

An action plan was developed by the group for realising these synergies, using a combination of formal and informal mechanisms. These include creation of an e-group as an open forum for discussion; a system of mass communications and alerts; calendar of activities; quarterly meetings of project managers; and appointment of a focal point to ensure communication channels are maintained.

Related Links

Archived News Articles and Press Releases Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) Caribbean Energy Information System (CEIS) Caribbean Information Platform on Renewable Energy (CIPORE) GEF Small Grants Programme Global Environment Facility (GEF)