May 2017: The UN Environment Programme (UN Environment or UNEP) issued a publication illustrating some success stories and lessons learned from the first phase of a programme on enhancing the capacities of developing countries to implement multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) at national and regional levels. By showcasing examples of projects from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, the publication aims to serve as a resource for policy makers, development practitioners and those involved in capacity building in the environmental field.
The ACP MEA programme was created in 2009 by UN Environment, the European Commission and the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States. With an overall budget of €21 million, the first phase of the programme adopted a multi-partner, multi-regional approach and assisted 79 countries. The activities of phase 1 began in March 2009 and ended in 2014. Phase 2 of the programme, known as ACP MEAs 2, is expected to be completed in December 2017.
In the broader context, the aim of the programme is to reduce the adverse effects of, in particular, climate change, biodiversity loss, drought, land degradation, chemicals and waste, and obsolete pesticides, as well as other threats to impoverished populations resulting from environmental degradation. Some of the capacity-building efforts include: increasing technical knowledge of MEAs; enhancing the negotiation skills of government officials; enhancing exchange of information and expertise in relevant areas; and building adequate institutional frameworks to support the implementation of MEAs.
The publication features projects on: the clean-up of obsolete pesticides, pesticides management and sustainable pest management; developing integrated financing strategies for sustainable land management; improving the sound management of chemicals; and supporting access to the Clean Development Mechanism and the carbon market. It also provides overviews of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific hubs.
The projects illustrated were formulated in partnerships with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, (FAO), UN Environment DTU Partnership, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – Global Mechanism, African Union Commission, Caribbean Community Secretariat, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. [Environmental change through capacity building: Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific – capacity building related to multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries]