Permission requested to use information from http://www.cep.unep.org

The Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP) is facilitated by the Caribbean Regional Co-ordinating Unit (CAR/RCU) located in Kingston, Jamaica. Created in 1986, CAR/RCU serves as Secretariat to CEP. The objectives of the Secretariat are to:

• Provide assistance to all countries of the region
• Strengthen national and subregional institutions
• Co-ordinate international assistance
• Stimulate technical co-operation among countries

As a sub-programme of UNEP's Regional Seas Programme, CAR/RCU is under the administration of the UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, however it is also directly responsible to the member Governments of the Wider Caribbean Region. Indeed, through the forum of Intergovernmental Meetings held every two years, the participating Governments determine the content of CEP, review its progress, chart its course and oversee financial and institutional arrangements. In the interim period between Intergovernmental Meetings there is a nine-nation Monitoring Committee,which jointly with the Bureau of Contracting Parties is responsible for supervising the development of the programme and providing policy direction. The UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) is located in Mexico City and collaborates with CAR/RCU in areas of common interest.

Staffed by nationals recruited from the states and territories participating in CEP, CAR/RCU does not conduct research itself, but serves as a focus for the collection, review and dissemination of studies, publications and the results of work performed under the aegis of CEP. A major part of this information is generated by CEP scientific and technical studies co-ordinated by CAR/RCU staff and implemented through national and technical focal points, bodies of experts, scientific and academic institutions, regional and sub-regional institutions, and individual consultants.

CAR/RCU also organizes meetings of experts, and manages arrangements for the meetings of the Monitoring Committee and Bureau of Contracting Parties and biennial Intergovernmental Meetings. This includes the preparation of the relevant documents to be presented at these meetings such as: Draft agreements, technical and administrative reports and biennial workplans and budgets based on the advice of panels of experts and country proposals.

Compliments of http://www.cep.unep.org

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