The Secretariat of the Cartagena Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment in the Wider Caribbean Region will execute the project, which is expected to assist countries in meeting their obligations under the Protocol for the Control of Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities, as well as to facilitate policy and legal reforms, regional dialogue, and knowledge exchange with key stakeholders in the wider Caribbean region.
10 December 2010: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has announced its endorsement of the Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Development (CReW), to be jointly implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IBD).
The Secretariat of the Cartagena Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment in the Wider Caribbean Region will execute the US$20 million project, which will seek to create pilot financial national revolving funding mechanisms that can be used to provide sustainable financing for environmentally sound and cost-effective wastewater management. The project is expected to assist countries in meeting their obligations under the Protocol for the Control of Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol), as untreated domestic wastewater discharges pose the greatest threat to the coastal and marine ecosystems, according to a UNEP representative.
According to GEF, the project also aims to facilitate policy and legal reforms, regional dialogue, and knowledge exchange with key stakeholders in the wider Caribbean region. [GEF Press Release]