PRESS RELEASE – Saint Lucia assumed the Chairmanship of the CLME+ Project Steering Committee meeting (PSC) at the first Inception Workshop held in Colombia from January 26-28, 2016.

This Chairmanship is expected to be for 1 year until the next PSC meeting is convened.  Mr. Thomas Nelson Acting Chief Fisheries Officer attended the forum in Columbia when the chairmanship was bestowed on Saint Lucia.

The objectives of the 1st CLME + PSC Meeting were to:

-Review and adopt the CLME+ Project Work Plan and Budget for the period 2015 – 2017

-Adopt the proposed TORs for CLME+ Project National Focal Points and Steering Committee, including the proposed Rules and Procedures for the PSC meetings

-Review activities implemented during CLME+ Project Inception Phase

-Review and adopt proposed coordination and management arrangements for the CLME+ Project and the 10-¬year CLME+ Strategic Action Programme (SAP)

Project Description:

The UNDP/GEF Project “CLME+:  Catalysing Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Sustainable Management of shared Living Marine Resources in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems” (GEF ID5542; 2015-2020) is  a  5-year  project  that  aims to  facilitate  the  implementation of  a 10-year, politically  endorsed Strategic  Action  Programme on  the  marine  environment.

The project seeks to achieve this by enabling a progressive transition to ecosystem  based management and an ecosystem  approach to  fisheries  (EBM/EAF) in  the region, in  such  a  way  that  a  sustainable and  climate-resilient  provision of goods  and services from living marine resources can be secured.

Given its geographic scope and comprehensive nature, the Project is uniquely positioned to address the root causes of environmental  degradation, in  particular  the  gaps and  weaknesses in  trans-boundary and  cross-sectoral  governance  arrangements.

The  project  will  assist  stakeholders in achieving improved coordination, collaboration and integration among the wide array of ongoing and  newly  planned  projects and  initiatives  that  are of  relevance to  the  broader objectives of  the  CLME+  SAP.