EPA participates in Caribbean Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) week in Trinidad

 

The Environmental Protection Agency participated in the inaugural Caribbean Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Week in Trinidad. Guyana was represented by Dr. Vincent Adams, Executive Director and Mr. Vidyanand Mohabir, Environmental Officer at the EPA.

Caribbean ABS Week took place within the framework of the multi-country project Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in Countries of the Caribbean Region, implemented by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), aimed at generating awareness of and support for the Nagoya Protocol and the effective management of genetic resources amongst high-level decision-makers and other key stakeholders.

The main outcome of the event was to raise  awareness on the importance of genetic resources and ways they can be managed effectively to ensure sustainability and sharing of benefits. In addition, the meeting encouraged countries to adopt ABS measures on both regional and national levels.

Guyana acceded to the Nagoya Protocol on April 22nd, 2014 and EPA is the focal point for its implementation. The Agency will be implementing several measures to ensure our genetic resources are protected and Guyana’s biodiversity is conserved and sustainably utilised.