St. Kitts-Nevis Ratifies Cartegena Convention Protocols

KINGSTON, Jamaica – St. Kitts-Nevis has ratified two of the three protocols of the Cartagena Convention, the regional legal agreement which governs the protection and development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR).

The protocols are the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) and Land Based Sources of Marine Pollution (LBS) and the ratifications  by the twin island Federation, bring to 19 and 16 respectively the number of countries that have signed on to those two protocols of the Convention.

Coordinator of the Cartagena Convention Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Chris Corbin said the ratification of both protocols by the St. Kitts-Nevis government demonstrates the continued importance of the Cartagena Convention and its protocols.

He said it also underscores the “role that it can play to support governments of the WCR to respond to environmental challenges while taking advantage of new green and blue economy opportunities.”

St. Kitts-Nevis Minister for Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Action, and Constituency Empowerment, Dr. Joyelle Clarke, said the government  has prioritised development with sustainability, environmental stewardship, and biodiversity protection at its core.

“This is a significant step towards our transition to a Sustainable Island State where legislation and policy must support our ambitions for a protected, pollution-free environment. We must thank Christopher Corbin and the entire UNEP regional team for their support in moving us forward with the ratification of both protocols.”

The Federation’s Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister, Samal Duggins, said the ratification of these protocols underscores the country’s commitment to safeguarding its

marine ecosystems, which are vital to food security, livelihoods, and resilience against climate change.

“These actions reflect our dedication to creating a sustainable balance between development and the protection of our natural resources for generations to come.”

The Programme Management Officer, of the SPAW Sub-Programme at the Secretariat, Susana Perera Valderrama,  noted that “the ratification of the SPAW Protocol by St. Kitts- Nevis is a significant step for protecting the country’s unique marine biodiversity and supporting conservation across the WCR and globally.

“This milestone highlights the importance of regional cooperation, and we encourage the nine remaining countries that are still not contracting parties to join the SPAW Protocol to strengthen collective efforts for safeguarding our Caribbean marine shared natural heritage.”

Programme Management Officer for the Marine Pollution Programme at the Secretariat, Laverne Walker, said the country’s ratification of the LBS Protocol signifies the priority placed on mitigating the impacts of land-based sources of pollution on the marine and coastal resources of the wider Caribbean region.

“The Cartagena Convention Secretariat has recognized the efforts taken by St. Kitts-Nevis to reduce the impacts of pollutants and it is in this regard that the Secretariat has supported the country’s participation in three regional projects focusing on reducing the impacts of pollution into the Convention area.

“The Secretariat looks forward to continued engagement with the Government in its efforts to reduce the negative impacts of pollutants on the marine environment.”

The Cartagena Convention Secretariat is currently engaged in several projects that are geared towards the protection of the Caribbean Sea. They include the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management + Project which seeks to implement innovative, technical small-scale solutions using an integrated water and wastewater management approach.

It is also involved in PROMAR which contributes to the reduction of plastic pollution and litter entering the marine environment in the British Virgin Islands, Guyana, Suriname, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago. There is also the GEF funded Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (IWECo) project which supported Caribbean Small Island Developing States over the last five years to
address biodiversity resource management, land degradation, and climate change.

The Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the WCR or Cartagena Convention is a regional legal agreement for the protection of the Caribbean Sea.

Adopted in Cartagena, Colombia in 1983 it entered into force in 1986. It is supported by three technical agreements or Protocols on oil spills, SPAW and LBS. Currently 26 United Nations member states in the WCR have ratified the Convention.