Regional implementation meeting on access rights and sustainable development in the Caribbean region and workshop on climate change, natural disasters and coastal vulnerability
Work area(s)
The purpose of this regional meeting is to take stock and review the progress made on the implementation of the rights of access to environmental information, participation and justice enshrined in Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration.
Course information

Type of course
Training method
Course language
Geographic scope
Venue
Rodney Bay Village
Saint Lucia
St. Lucia
Date
Registration date
Target audience
Programme
Monday, 24 August 2015
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Participant registration
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Opening remarks
- Turkessa Benjamin Antoine, Senior Legal Officer, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
- Diane Quarless, Director, ECLAC Sub-regional headquarters for the Caribbean
- Karetta Crooks-Charles, Saint Lucia National Trust, Saint Lucia
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Session 1: Current status of the implementation of Principle 10 in Latin America and the Caribbean and recent international and regional developments
- Carlos de Miguel, ECLAC
- Winston Anderson, Judge, Caribbean Court of Justice
Panellists:
- Maureen Payne, Junior Minister, Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, Antigua and Barbuda
- Turkessa Benjamin Antoine, Senior Legal Officer, OECS
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Coffee break
Session 2: Good Practices, challenges and lessons learned in the Caribbean region on access to environmental information, public participation and justice in environmental matters
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Panel 1: Good practices on access to information in environmental matters
Featured speaker:
Panellist:
- Samantha Robertson, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights Association
Dialogue with the participants
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Break
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Panel 2: Good practices on access to participation in environmental matters
Featured speaker:
- Melinda Janki, Executive Director, The Justice Institute Guyana
Dialogue with the participants
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Coffee break
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Panel 3: Good practices on access to justice in environmental issues
Featured speaker:
- Chateram Sinanan, Chairman, Environmental Commission, Trinidad and Tobago
Panellist:
Dialogue with the participants
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Panel 4: What is missing in the Caribbean Region for full application of access rights
- Carole Excell, World Resources Institute / The Access Initiative
- Amrikha Singh, Caricom
- Danielle Andrade, Attorney at Law, Jamaica
Dialogue with the participants
5:30 p.m. Closure of the day
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Summary and wrap up of day one and presentation of objectives and methodology of the session
8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Presentation of the Bali Guidelines and the Preliminary document of the regional agreement
9:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Review of preliminary document (access to information)
12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Break
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Review of preliminary document (public participation)
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Review of preliminary document (access to justice)
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Conclusions
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Enhancing access to information on climate change, natural disasters and coastal vulnerability in the Caribbean: leaving no one behind
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Session 1: Access to information on climate change and coastal vulnerability in the Caribbean region
Carlos de Miguel, Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division, ECLAC
Panellists:
- Asha Singh, Head, Oceans Governance Unit, OECS
- Ruth Spencer, GEF National Focal Point, Antigua and Barbuda
Open discussion
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Coffee break
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Session 2: Disasters and the measurement of their effects and impact in the Caribbean region
Omar Bello, ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean
Panellist: Karetta Crooks-Charles, Saint Lucia National Trust
Open discussion
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Closing of the workshop
Country(ies)
- Saint Lucia
Related content

Caribbean Countries Identify Challenges and Opportunities for Making Progress on Access Rights in Environmental Matters
In Saint Lucia, delegates will also learn about the negotiation process for forging a regional agreement on Principle 10.