February 13, 2017 – On 6 and 7 February 2017, representatives of the Brazilian Ministries of Environment, Foreign Affairs, Fisheries and other members of the Brazilian Inter-ministerial Commission for Sea Resources (CIRM) welcomed the Regional Coordinator of the UNDP/GEF CLME+ Project, Mr. Patrick Debels, and the Coordinator of the UN Environment’s Caribbean Environment Programme (Cartagena Convention), Dr. Lorna Inniss, in Brasilia, Brazil, for a 2-day joint workshop.
During the workshop, participants agreed on the importance of enhanced collaboration between Brazil and the Cartagena Convention Secretariat, and discussed and planned for Brazil’s participation in CLME+ Project activities. Discussions were preceded by introductory presentations on the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols, the 10-year CLME+ Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems, and the 5-year CLME+ Project.
Concrete areas for collaboration that were identified during the workshop include the CLME+ Sub-Projects on the Ecosystem Approach (EAF) to Shrimp and Groundfish fisheries along the North Brazil Shelf LME (coordinated by CLME+ Co-executing Partner FAO), the Ecosystem-Based Management Sub-Project for the North Brazil Shelf LME (coordinated by UN Environment CEP, and aligned with the Cartagena Convention’s LBS and SPAW Protocols), the EAF sub-project on Spiny Lobster Fisheries (coordinated by OSPESCA), the development of Regional Action Plans, including Action Plans on Pollution, Habitats, and Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) Fishing, and the development of a “State of the Marine Ecosystems” (SOMEE) reporting mechanism for the wider CLME+ region.
Early actions resulting from this mission include the participation of Brazil in the 1st workshop of the regional Working Group on IUU (Barbados, 1-2 March 2017), and at the COPs and IGM of the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols (French Guiana, 13-17 March 2017).
The Brazilian Government, UN Environment CEP and the CLME+ Project Coordination Unit will now be further working towards a formalization of collaborative agreements: (a) the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Brazil and UN Environment CEP, and (b) the signing of the CLME+ Project Document.
A Conference Paper on the Joint Brazil mission has been produced by UN Environment CAR/RCU for the Cartagena Convention’s Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM) and is available through the following link: owl.li/BkRw30a9mBH
