Although we may think of the Caribbean as having crystal-clear blue waters, that notion is far from the truth. Wastewater pollution has a pervasive and underestimated presence, particularly within the WCR. In fact, the most recent estimate from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Cartagena Convention “State of Marine Pollution Report” is that 60-70% of domestic wastewater is discharged partially treated or untreated into the Caribbean Sea. UNEP also reported that only 17% of residents are connected to proper treatment systems.
Back in 1999, UNEP adopted the Land-Based Sources (LBS) Protocol to mitigate marine pollution and protect against land-based sources, particularly domestic wastewater and agricultural runoff. “When we adopted the LBS Protocol, sewage was identified as our number-one point source of marine pollution,” recalls Christopher Corbin, Programme Manager of Marine Pollution at the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat.
Those circumstances prompted UNEP and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to partner in the first GEF CReW project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), about a decade ago. As a pilot project with five key components, GEF CReW centered on investment and innovative financing, wastewater management reforms, communications and training, monitoring and assessment, and project management in thirteen countries of the WCR. Alongside supporting the participating countries in ratifying the LBS Protocol, the first GEF CReW project accomplished many goals, including establishing a Credit Enhancement Facility in Jamaica, as well as developing Revolving Funds in Belize, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Thinking back on his many years of work in the Caribbean, GEF CReW+ Regional Project Coordinator Pedro Moreo reflects, “I have seen many advances, especially the effort from the countries, agencies, and projects to work together and promote a more Integrated Water and Sanitation approach. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are positioned on the right track.”
Since the closing of the GEF CReW project in 2017, UNEP has reported that 70% of the region’s population is still lacking in safe sanitation management. To address these remaining challenges, the new GEF CReW+ project was conceived as a follow-up to its predecessor, once again funded by the GEF and co-implemented by UNEP and the IDB, with the Cartagena Convention Secretariat (CAR/RCU), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and Organisation of American States (OAS) as the respective executing agencies. This new project has an even wider reach with a total of eighteen participating countries of the WCR: Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
In November 2020, an inception meeting was held with over 150 participants from various groups representing the eighteen project countries. They brainstormed proposed activities, learned about each other’s roles, and created cross-boundary synergies and integration that will be critical to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for water quality and wastewater (SDG 6.3).
Having finalized preparation for most regional and national project activities, the new GEF CReW+ is ready to move forward with full implementation. GEF CReW+ will integrate knowledge from the initial GEF CReW project and implement small-scale solutions via an Integrated Water and Wastewater Management (IWWM) approach. The project will focus on access to innovative financing, technical solutions, and knowledge management as a multi-pronged solution to redress inefficient wastewater management practices. GEF CReW+ will continue free training on capacity building in the water and sanitation sectors throughout the WCR via the recently established CReW+ Academy. In addition to development and education-based assistance, the project includes plans to reform institutional, regulatory, and legislative policies to further protect the Caribbean Sea. Corbin adds, “The support of the GEF with projects such as CReW and now CReW+, the partnerships we have forged, and new initiatives such as the Ocean Sewage Alliance make me optimistic that we can continue to improve wastewater management in the Wider Caribbean Region.”
Photos: Copyright © GIZ / CReW+ / Ramón Castellanos
