– Three-day capacity-building workshop launchedParticipants at the opening of the three-day Multilateral Environmental Agreement Workshop.The European Union and the Caribbean Community yesterday launched a workshop aimed at improving capacity building in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Member States at the Guyana International Convention Centre, Liliendaal. The three-day workshop,Jared Borgetti Mexico Jersey, funded by the European Union (EU),Pele Brazil Jersey, has drawn over thirty participants from countries across Caricom as well as a number of agencies.The workshop is a precursor to a four-year multi-million dollar collaborative project between Caricom, the EU and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that is aimed at boosting the capacity of the ACP countries to comply with the implementation of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).The project will see the region benefiting from a US$1.8 M input from the EU and will equip ACP Member States to tackle environmental challenges facing the Caribbean region. Skills such as project management, writing,Mark Bloom Toronto Jersey, legal drafting and lobbying are among the key focus areas over the next four years,Custom Chelsea Jersey, since they are vital to the successful environmental agreements.Maria Recio, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) officer in a project overview, underscored the importance of the initiative to the region. She noted the uniqueness and the geography of the ACP countries, and said the project is timely and will serve the region well.She said, “The Caribbean region renowned for its beauty and unique culture has a characteristic that makes it vulnerable to major changes.” Changes such as land degradation, climate change and other natural disasters are an ever-present threat within the region.She noted and urged the region to be proactive if it is to rise above these challenges.Caricom, Assistant Secretary General, Dr Edward Greene, at the opening of the workshop, lauded the EU’s foresight in developing such a timely initiative, which according to him “will address the capacity needs of the region with respect to implementations”. Dr Greene sees the project as an opportunity to strengthen internal capacity of the region with particular emphasis to the MEAs.He also expressed the belief that this project “will” solve the slow implementation of agreements that has been plaguing the region for sometime. “I see this project as an opportunity in addressing the myriad capacity issues which continue to affect the implementation of MEAs.”The three-day workshop which concludes tomorrow will feature presentations from various representatives. Participants are drawn from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States,Nacer Chadli Jersey UK, as well as agencies including CANARI, FAO, CARIBINVEST, CARDI and CDERA, among others.The anticipated impact of the capacity-building project is the reduction of the adverse effects of climate change, loss of biodiversity, drought,Santi Cazorla Jersey, land degradation, chemicals and waste and obsolete pesticides, as well as other threats to impoverished people, resulting from environmental degradation. Additionally, it aims at increasing prosperity and the general way of life of the region.