REDUCING PESTICIDE RUNOFF TO THE CARIBBEAN SEA
SUMMARY PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION
The main objective of the project is to protect the marine environment in the Caribbean
Sea by reducing the use of, and reliance on, pesticides in agricultural activities. The project will
assist the countries in developing and implementing comprehensive management practices and
specific measures to control the use of pesticides in the agricultural sector.
Within the context of national programmes to address non-point sources of pollution in
the agricultural sector and, more specifically, the framework of National Action Programmes, the
project will strengthen the national regulatory systems for chemical management purpose. This
regulatory system will address issues such as permitting, compliance control, enforcement, trade,
handling, and use of pesticides, as well as the disposal of pesticide waste. The National Action
Programme will also include actions to promote integrated pest management practices and the
use of economic instruments. National registers of pesticides will also be established.
The regional component of the project will contribute to the analysis and evaluation of
the pesticide load in the shared seas of the region and promote sub-regional co-operation and coordination among the four countries to determine the transport mechanisms of these substances.
Furthermore, through co-operation and co-ordination among the countries, common regulations
and economic instruments will be elaborated. This demonstration of regional co-operation could
be replicated in other regions of the world.
The main objectives of the PDF B are:

To prepare national reports that will form the basis for the development of the National
Action Programmes;

To prepare a regional report, including elements of regional co-operation in the
management of pesticides;

To develop the institutional infrastructure for the execution of National Action
Programmes, including all relevant stakeholders;

Preparation of a GEF Project Brief, including identification of
incremental cost analysis and development of a logical framework matrix.
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co-financing,
DESCRIPTION OF PDF B ACTIVITIES
The following activities will be undertaken during the project preparation phase and will be
financed partly by the GEF PDF B Grant:
Activity 1: Establishment of the Steering and Operations Committees
A Steering Committee for the project will be established comprising representatives of UNEP’s
GEF Co-ordination Office, UNDP, and the World Bank. FAO and the Inter-American
Development Bank will be invited to participate. The CAR/RCU, as the regional executing
agency, will also chair and be responsible for an Operations Committee, with a representative
from each National Executing Agency.
The Steering Committee will meet on two occasions during the project preparation phase. The
first meeting will be convened in Kingston, Jamaica, following approval of the PDF B Grant. At
this meeting Terms of Reference for the National Technical Co-ordinators and
Consultants/Experts will be drafted and an agreement reached on a detailed work plan and
timetable for the PDF B activities. At the end of this meeting, a joint meeting of the Steering and
Operations Committees will be held to discuss and agree on the nature and contents of the
national reports.
The second meeting of the steering committee will be convened to discuss the GEF project brief.
In the period between the two meetings it is anticipated that fax, e-mail and conference calls as
necessary could effect consultation. Exceptionally, additional meetings of the Steering
Committee could be convened in conjunction with the national and regional workshops. The
Operations Committee will meet as necessary and appropriate during the project development
phase. All documentation for the Steering and Operations Committee meetings will be prepared
by CAR/RCU in consultation with the GEF Co-ordination Office.
Activity 2: Establishment and Meetings of the National Working Committees
Each National Executing Agency will establish a National Working Committee, with
representatives from relevant governmental sector agencies and ministries, industry, farmer
associations, environmental NGO’s and other stakeholders. These committees will meet as
appropriate during the project preparation phase to review information and to participate in the
preparation of the draft national reports. The main purpose of the meetings is to achieve common
understanding of the problems and consensus regarding the elements of the National Action
Programmes.
Each National Executing Agencies will designate an experienced professional as National
Technical Co-ordinator within the project. These Technical Co-ordinators will, inter alia, be
responsible for convening the National Committee and for the co-ordination and overall
supervision of the preparation of national reports.
Activity 3: Preparations of National Reports
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Under the responsibility of the National Executing Agency, a survey will be carried out in each
country, to compile, analyze, quantify and assess information needed for the preparation of
national reports. These surveys will include the following elements:
Quantification of the use of different pesticides, their sources and producers, import, export,
illegal trafficking, handling of pesticides and disposal of pesticide waste, as well as the
identification of existing stockpiles;
Analysis and assessment of the environmental and health problems based on existing data and
the results of monitoring programmes. The assessment will, as far as possible, include data and
information regarding the contaminant load to receiving waters, pathways of transport,
deposition, patterns and trends in contamination, concentrations of contaminants in biota and
sediments, identification of hot spots, and sensitive ecosystems under threat, and identify
information gaps.
Identification of current pesticide management practices, their effectiveness and the most
appropriate alternative management practices to reduce the use of, and reliance on, pesticides,
including substitution by other chemicals and guidelines for integrated pest management.
Identification of barriers to the implementation of new practices, including socio-economic
barriers such as insecure tenure, high discount rates, and government policies (including
economic instruments) that promote non-sustainable farming practices.
Analysis and assessment of the national policy framework and the regulatory system for the use
and control of pesticides, including permitting, compliance control, enforcement and other
instruments.
Outline a preliminary framework for a National Action Programme.
Based on the survey, each Technical Co-ordinator will prepare a draft national report, according
to a common format (see draft outline in Annex VI).
Activity 4: National Workshops
Each draft national report will be discussed at a national workshop organized by the National
Executing Agency with broad participation of actors at the national level, such as farmer
associations, industry, environmental NGO’s, trade companies and agricultural co-operatives and
representatives of local communities, indigenous populations and other stakeholders, in total
around 60 participants. The Technical Co-ordinators from the other countries and the Regional
Co-ordinator will also participate. Each element of the draft national report and the finding of the
surveys, as stated above, will be reviewed, discussed in detail and agreed upon.
The Technical Co-ordinators will be responsible for the finalization of the national reports.
Activity 5: Regional Workshop and Preparations of a draft Regional Report
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The CAR/RCU will organize a regional workshop with participation from the National
Executing Agencies (the Technical Co-ordinators) and regional organizations, such as CFRAMP
(Caricom Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management Programme), CEHI (Caribbean
Environment and Health Institute), IICA (Instituto Inter-Americana por Cooperacion
Agricultura) and CARDI (Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute). The
United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), the Earth School for Education and
UNEP’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean will also be invited to participate.
The workshop will be held in Panama, as part of the governments co-financing of the PDF B.
The purpose would be to analyze and assess the environmental and health problems of regional
concern and identify priorities for action at the regional level, based on the draft national reports.
The workshop will also recommend a common approach to the solution of the identified
problems, and revise and conclude a draft regional report.
The regional workshop will be organized by the CAR/RCU in consultation with the National
Technical Co-ordinators and experts from the regional organizations. The Regional Co-ordinator
(see Annex V) will be responsible for the finalization of the regional report.
Activity 6: Preparation of a GEF Project Brief
The CAR/RCU, in close co-operation with UNEP’s GEF Co-ordination Unit, will be responsible
for the preparation of the GEF Project Brief based on the National and Regional Reports and the
agreed elements of National Action Programmes. The Steering Committee will oversee the
preparation of the Project Brief. The project will be designed to elaborate the National Action
Programmes for the use and management of pesticides in each country and commence their
execution. The National Executing Agency will ensure approval of the Project Brief by relevant
authorities, the private sector and other stakeholders at the national level prior to its submission
to UNEP as the implementing agency.
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