Transcript Document

BARBADOS NATIONAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
ON
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BARBADOS PROGRAMME OF ACTION (BPOA)
Prepared by the Ministry of Housing Lands and the Environment
Government of Barbados
 As host of the first Global Conference on the Sustainable
Development of SIDS Barbados attaches the greatest
importance to implementation of the Barbados Programme of
Action

“We are convinced that the vulnerability and sustainable development
challenges of SIDS as expressed in the Barbados Programme of Action, Agenda
21, the Millennium Declaration and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
are now better understood by the international community. We therefore believe
that the Mauritius review presents an important opportunity for us to take stock
of new and emerging challenges as well as identify additional resources to
advance implementation.” – The Hon. Billie Miller, Senior Minister and Minister
of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, at the United Nations General Assembly,
New York on September 26, 2003
Structure of Barbados’ National Assessment
Report
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The Report contains six chapters
Chapter 1 - Description of the physical and social
characteristics
Chapter 2 - Summary of national framework for addressing
sustainable development
Chapter 3 - Summary of sectoral activities
Chapters 4 - 6 - Address economic, social and
environmental vulnerability
General Characteristics
• In the 2002 UNDP Human Development Report Barbados
is ranked 27th among all countries and 1st among
developing countries
• Barbados is the 16th most densely populated country in the
world
• Barbados is classified as the 15th most water scarce country
in the world
• The majority of major commercial, residential and
industrial infrastructure is located within ½ kilometer of
the coastline and is less than 20 feet above sea level
National Framework for Sustainable
Development
• National Commission on Sustainable
Development
• National Strategic Planning
• The Environmental Management and Land Use
Planning for Sustainable Development Project
National Commission on Sustainable
Development
• Structure
• Cabinet appointed body comprised of representatives from
Government, and all the major groups including NGOs, CBOs, Trade
Unions, Women Organisations, the Academic Community, and
Private Sector entities
• Current Chair – Dr. Hugh Sealy
• Activities
• National Consultations (Water Management, Energy, Youth and
Community, Solid Waste Management and Agriculture)
• Preparation of a National Sustainable Development Policy
• Public Awareness and Education
National Strategic Planning
• First element is a National Strategic Plan which is based on the
development and integration of sectoral strategic plans with a time
horizon of 20 years.
• The second element is a Tripartite Partnership between Government,
Labour and the Private Sector. This process has resulted in four
binding “Prices and Incomes Protocols” and it is proposed to enshrine
this mechanism within domestic laws.
• The third element is the Planning and Priorities Committee, which is a
sub-committee of Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister consisting of
key Ministers and Technocrats. All public projects with a capital value
in excess of US 1/2 million dollars are reviewed by the PPC.
The Environmental Management and Land Use
Planning for Sustainable Development (1997-98)
• Environmental Management Act
• Environmental and Natural Resources Management Plan
• Proposed Institutional Framework for Environmental
Management
• National Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Guidelines and Procedures
• A National Park and Development Plan
• National Physical Development Plan
Lessons Learnt
• Increased stakeholder involvement aids in the
implementation process
• Finite resources such as water require mechanisms
to determine their true economic value. Need for
approved methodologies to internalise
externalities.
• Need for education and sensitisation of decision
makers and IFIs
Some Success Stories
• Overarching national sustainable development
policy
• Sectoral sustainable development policies e.g.
Agriculture, Tourism, Water Resource
Management, Physical Development Plan
Constraints – Institutional
• Absence of a clear long term mandate for
the NCSD
• Lack of enabling legislation
• Lack of compliance – voluntary and
enforced
• Lack of resources (financial, technical and
human)
National Progress Made & Problems
Encountered in the Implementation of the BPOA
Water and Sanitation
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Issues
-Water scarcity - 1:15 year drought event, demand would exceed supply if such an
event occurs
-Water distribution – 100% universal coverage and metering, yet unaccounted water as
high as 60%
-1 person in Barbados generates 1kg of waste per day which is one of the highest in the
world
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Relevant Projects
- Construction of a 6MGD brackish water reverse osmosis desalination plant
- Water Resources Management and Water Loss Studies (1997)
- Preparation of a draft policy framework for water resources development and
management
- Three major sewerage plants/projects – Two completed, one under designed. The
combined capital costs is US $0.5 billion to be financed through loans
Water and Sanitation cont’d
• Constraints
- Securing funding
- Legislation
- Institutional arrangements – separation of regulatory functions an
Coastal and Marine Resources
• Issue
- Degradation of coastal and marine resources
Relevant Projects
- Institutional strengthening e.g. establishment of a
coastal zone management unit
- Integrated coastal zone management and planning e.g
draft coastal zone management plans for the entire
coastal zone of Barbados
- Legislation e.g. Coastal Zone Management Act (1998)
and Marine Pollution Control Act (1998)
- Preparation of first Fisheries Management Plan (1997)
Coastal and Marine Resources Cont’d
• Constraints
Lack of enforcement due in part to :
public perception of the activity not being an important
crime
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perception of environmental issues as being "waste of
time"
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lack of enforcers
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lack of equipment used to carry out enforcement, for
example, boats.
Economic Vulnerability
• Definition
The Commonwealth Secretariat/World Bank Report defines vulnerability as "
exposure to exogenous shocks over which the affected country has little or no
control and relatively low resilience to withstand and recover from these
shocks"
• Characteristics
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Remoteness and isolation
Openness
Susceptibility to natural disasters and environmental change
Limited diversification
Poverty
Limited capacity
Economic Vulnerability Cont’d
Building Resilience to Economic Vulnerability
National Implementation
• Monetary policy e.g. measures to protect the balance of payment
• Counter cyclical fiscal policy e.g. measures to ensure appropriate levels of social
and physical capital without comprising B’dos’ BOP position
• Prudent management of size of fiscal deficit and debt management
• Policies to defend exchange rate
• Strengthening of public finances
• Encouraging greater micro finance for micro, small and medium sized enterprises
• Human resources development e.g. through the National Strategic Plan a target of
one university graduate per household by 2015 has been set; another target is the
establishment of the University College of Barbados by 2005.
Regional Cooperation and Implementation
• Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME)
Social Vulnerability
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Crime – Low crime rate but fear of crime
Response : Barbados Crime Survey (2002) which has informed the draft National Plan on Justice
Peace and Security
– Culture – Threatened by external mass media (music, music videos, films, electronic games, etc.)
Response : initiatives designed to protect traditional Barbadian cultural values which reinforce our
sense of self while fostering a tolerance for cultural diversity
– Health - Lifestyle related illnesses e.g. chronic non-communicable diseases such as heart disease,
cancer, strokes, diabetes and hypertension
Response : Draft Strategic Plan for Health (2002-2011), a comprehensive public education and
awareness programme, Community Participation
– Poverty – Contributing factors include education, unemployment and the type of employment
Response: Establishment of a Ministry of Social Transformation with poverty eradication, through its
Poverty Eradication Programme, as its first priority.
- HIV/AIDS – Estimated HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 1.75%
Response: Barbados has launched an aggressive HIV/AIDS programme which has resulted in
significant reductions in the number of HIV/AIDS deaths and mother to child transmissions
Environmental Vulnerability
• Water
- Threats from saline intrusion
• Solid Waste Management – Widespread littering and illegal dumping
• Natural Disasters – Hurricanes
• Climate Change – Adaptation to climate change
• Coastal and Marine Resources
• Biodiversity