Jamaica

Government of Jamaica, the Canadian International Development Agency Environmental Action Programme (ENACT) being implemented through the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA).

Five major activities are undertaken under the Greening of Government project, namely:
• Environmental stewardship of government operations;
• Incorporation of environmental considerations into the strategic planning/corporate planning process;
• Environmental awareness and training;
• Incorporation of environmental considerations into the policy making machinery of the Government;
• Support for the Sustainable Development Council of Jamaica.
The activities outlined above came into being as a result of a 15-month participatory planning process over the period 1997-1998 involving key stakeholders in the public sector. Over 47 training events, involving over 2000 public sector officials, were implemented. Additionally, an assessment of the training needs for the public sector has been undertaken and relevant areas for training have been identified.

Environment management systems have been developed for
five ministries of the Government and implementation has begun.
These plans focus on the actions undertaken by ministries and agencies in an attempt to make the most efficient use of resources and to reduce waste in order to minimize the negative impact on the environment. Reduced consumption and waste will translate into financial savings and provide a healthy and more efficient and effective working environment. The outcome of the project will be the strengthening of the capability of the Government of Jamaica to articulate and adopt sustainable development strategies within the mandate of various ministries. This will also put pressure on ministries and agencies to develop effective policies and mechanisms for implementing and complying with these policies.

The project will provide the foundation for a holistic approach to planning and management (ecological, social and economic) of all programmes and policies of the Government by incorporating environmental and sustainable development issues. The Government recognizes that decisions regarding the management and use of natural resources should not be made in isolation from social and economic conditions.

National institutions and administrative capacity Chapter X of the Barbados Programme of Action

• Implementing and restructuring the government’s decision making process, considerations of socio-economic and environmental issues were fully integrated.
• In the policy area, the Government has sought to focus on incorporating sustainable development issues in its procurement policy thereby using public sector purchasing to assist in achieving sustainable development objectives.
• With respect to strategic planning within the Government, sustainable development issues have now become an integral part of the programme implementation. In addition, all ministries of the Government are required to present to the Cabinet their sustainable development strategy with other financial and human resources strategies. This is expected to include plans and progress of ministries and other public sector entities towards sustainable development. It requires reports on aspects such as the integration of the environment in the economy, the protection of health, the management and use of environmental services and the protection of ecosystems that meet international obligations and promote equity by using an integrated approach to planning and decision-making. These reports will take into account the environmental cost of different economic options and the economic costs of different environmental and natural resource options and pollution prevention.

Achieving sustainable development in Jamaica will require the following:
• Integration of the environmental, economic and social facets of the decision-making process;
• More in-depth collaboration and cooperation between ministries and agencies of the Government and a comprehensive reform of the traditional modes of decision-making and project, programme and policy implementation;
• Full recognition of the fact that the environmental impacts of government decisions go well beyond the physical impacts of specific projects ;
• Development of processes to improve the integration of environmental considerations into policy and programme decision-making.

Ms. Leonie Barnaby
Senior Director
Ministry of Land and Environment
1A Devon Road,
Kingston 10
Jamaica, West Indies
Tel.: (876) 929-2792
E-mail: nrcareg@infochan.com

Ms. Elizabeth Emanuel
Government of Jamaica Advisor
Environmental Action (ENACT) Programme
10 Caledonia Ave.,
Kingston 5
Jamaica, West Indies
Tel.: (876) 754-7588
E-mail: eemanuel@mail.infochan.com

Mr. Franklin McDonald
Chief Executive Officer
National Environment & Planning Agency
10 Caledonia Avenue
Kingston 5
Jamaica, West Indies
Tel.: (876) 754-7526
E-mail: fmcdonald@igc.org