The Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Honourable Bruce Golding, will open the Caribbean Regional Conference on the Environment on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 9 am at the Social Sciences Lecture Theatre, UWI, Mona. The Conference is being held under the theme, “Caribbean Environments: Perspectives, Practice and Policy” on July 7-8, 2009.

The two day conference features a special presentation by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on “Investing in Ecosystems Management: A Cost Effective Approach to Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction and Livelihoods”. There will also be presentations and discussions addressing a range of environmental topics such as disaster management and risk reduction, waste management, environmental education and water resource management. Presenters will include local and regional experts from organizations such as UWI, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, National Environment and Planning Agency, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals, Jamaica Environment Trust, Forestry Department, Grace Kennedy Foundation, Belize Electricity Limited, the Ministry of Health, Guyana and The Cropper Foundation, Trinidad and Tobago.

The Conference will also highlight the current research of UWI staff and doctoral candidates as well as acknowledge the achievements of Masters of Science students, many of whom are now working as academics, professionals, practitioners, and policy-makers within the area of environmental management.  

The Conference is organized by the Environmental Management programme, UWI, Mona and funded by the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) in partnership with international organizations and local corporate entities.

For further information, interested persons may visit the Conference website at http://uwi.edu/environmentconference/about.aspx.  

The university community and the public are invited. Registration is FREE.