March 2011: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Commission have released the March 2011 issue of the newsletter on the Multilateral Environment Agreements in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP MEAs) Project. The newsletter contains information on upcoming activities in the African, Caribbean and Pacific project hubs.

Activities being planned for implementation at the African Hub, housed at the African Union Commission (AUC), include the first Conference of Parties (COP) to the Bamako Convention, tentatively scheduled for the second half of 2011. Assistance to the Sahelien Pesticides Council and Interstates Permanent Committee on drought in Sahele (CILSS) to develop post-registration strategy is also in progress. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the AUC and the Basel Convention Regional Center in Dakar is being prepared for the provision of training on environmental legislation, security and hazards.

Activities being planned for implementation at the Caribbean Hub, housed at the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), include a national training and legal advisory workshop in conjunction with a UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean initiative in April. The workshop will focus on enhancing the region’s legal drafters’ knowledge on environmental law, through capacity building services.

At the Pacific Hub, housed at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), planned activities include integrating national training on improved information management with MEA mainstreaming, with the goal of strengthening evidence-based decision making.

The newsletter also contains an article by David Sheppard, Director of SPREP, outlining the challenges to implementing MEA provisions in Pacific Island countries. [Publication: ACP MEAs Newsletter, Vol. 3, Issue 1]