Antigua & Barbuda, Saint Lucia and Grenada, January 2020 (IUCN). The Plastic Waste-Free Islands (PWFI) project seeks to address the problem of plastic waste leakage from island states. To this aim, the project works in three regions: the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Oceania, to promote a significant, quantified reduction in plastic waste generation and leakage within the planned project timeframe of three years. 

In 2019, with support of NORAD and the Didier and Martine Primat Foundation, IUCN started the implementation of the PWFI project, as part of its global Close the Plastic Tap Programme. In the Caribbean Region, the project is being executed by IUCN’s Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (IUCN ORMACC), alongside the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), who is acting as regional implementing partner. Project countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Saint Lucia.

The PWFI project seeks to drive the circular economy agenda forward and to reduce plastic waste generation and leakage from the islands. In order to achieve this, the project has selected three plastic waste-related sectors to allow for comparison and best practice sharing: tourism, fisheries and waste management.

Inception workshops

The events held at late January gathered government representatives, civil society, academic institutions and local communities from the Caribbean Region.

"IUCN is committed to support the efforts of Caribbean countries in particular to protect its Biodiversity, Natural Resources and the Health and Development of its people. We are very excited and optimistic to start this new initiative in partnership with governments, key civil society organizations, private sector, and regional partners such as the OECS", said Ms. Viviana Sánchez, IUCN-ORMACC Acting Regional Director.

In his feature remarks, Hon. Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health and Environment of Antigua and Barbuda recognized the technical competence and support IUCN is giving to the Caribbean countries through the project, he emphasized the need for commitment of private sector to stop plastic pollution. “We are ready to stand up for the health of all nations”, said.

Minister Joseph stated that his ambition is by the year 2030 to fully phase out plastic bag and fossil fuel. Commendation was given to the people of Antigua and Barbuda for such a good job with adhering to the banning of the shopping plastic bags. He further mentioned the island wide clean-up of derelict and abandoned vehicles currently taking place.

At the launch event in Grenada, Hon. Simon Stiell, Minister with responsibilities for the Ministry of Climate Resilience, within the Ministry of Climate Resilience, Environment, Forestry, Fisheries and Disaster Management brought attention to the challenges being faced by Grenada as a small island state. He highlighted how the support of various donor and implementing agencies has aided in tackling these challenges. He also stated that when tackling these issues, the support of stakeholders is critical, and wishes for their continued support as Grenada moves forward in achieving a sustainable blue economy and addressing the issue of plastic pollution in the marine and coastal environments.

Mrs Roxie McLeish Hutchinson, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Resilience, Environment, Forestry, Fisheries and Disaster Management went on to highlight the efforts being made on the ground in Grenada to support the sustainable development and management of Grenada’s marine and coastal ecosystems which is a theme shared with the PWFI Project. In closing, PS Hutchinson charged those in attendance to make choices that will aid in the elimination of plastic pollution and help maintain and protect Grenada’s ecosystems.

Mr.  Janaka de Silva, Senior Programme Coordinator of IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme, thanked the three governments for partnering with IUCN for the implementation of the PWFI Project. He highlighted that the majority of plastics that end up in the ocean originated on land through land-based sources of pollution hence the focus on addressing plastic pollution land-based start points with the implementation of land management practices. In closing Mr. de Silva highlighted that the PWFI project being implemented in the Caribbean is an excellent opportunity for islands involved to share their experiences and knowledge with other islands, since the knowledge gathered can be used as a learning curve to generate solutions to go beyond the islands involved in this initiative.

IUCN recognizes the challenges, but also the opportunities and efforts taken place in the Caribbean region to tackle the problematic of plastic pollution and marine litter. The marine ecosystems provide food, livelihoods, and income to millions of people through fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, transportation, and resilience to climate change. There are multiple impacts of marine litter on island states: biodiversity can be diminished through ingestion of marine litter, diminishing not only the pool of resources for livelihood of the population but also affecting tourism, as many visit the islands to see unique biodiversity as well as their visual beauty.

For further information please contact: ormacc@iucn.org  

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