Training

Objectives

To provide ongoing training and capacity building to CEP Member States consistent with their national and/or regional needs and priorities and their requirements to effectively implement the obligations of the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols.

Activities

Assist in the mobilization of additional financial resources to conduct national and regional capacity building for various stakeholders such as communities, managers and decision-makers based on national and/or regional priorities of the CEP Parties;

CETA assists the SPAW and AMEP Programmes with the development and implementation of specific technical training programmes and capacity building exercises.

Training of Trainers in Marine Protected Area Management

One of the most important reasons for the management problems in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Caribbean has been the lack of qualified personnel and financial resources. To address this issue, UNEP-CAR/RCU (UNEP Caribbean/Regional Coordination Unit) launched and supported a “Training of Trainers” Programme for MPA managers (TOT), through which managers are not only trained in all aspects of MPA management but also on adult education techniques to conduct local and tailored training activities in their respective MPAs.

Since 1999, five Training of Trainers events were organized in different parts of the Caribbean with a total attendance of 61 persons from 28 countries, most of them closely related with MPA management. Specific training materials were developed for these events, particularly an 8 module Course Manual that was adjusted and updated along the process and is available in English and Spanish. Course reports are also available:

• 1999 Netherlands Antilles Saba November 2-14 , (E)

• 2000 Dominican Republic Bayahibe May 1-13 (S)

• 2002 Saint Lucia Soufriere Oct 27 – Nov 10 (E)

• 2004 USA, Florida Keys Marine Lab Jan 27 – Feb (E)

• 2006 USA, Florida Keys Marine Lab Feb 6-18 (E)
• 2007 Mexico, Tulum September 9-22 (S)
  

In 2006 UNEP-CAR/RCU decided to undertake an evaluation of the entire process in order to assess its performance, impact, potential for replication, M&E system and training materials. This evaluation was implemented between February and May 2007. The overall assessment of the TOT Programme on Marine Protected Areas Management is very positive.  http://www.cep.unep.org/publications/spaw/tot-evaluation.pdf

The TOT Trainees performed exceedingly well in transferring their acquired skills to other people through different forms of training events. 90% of the participants who provided information for the evaluation had organized training events. Almost 1,000 people (978 to be precise) were trained by them (alone or jointly with other trainers) in 44 events held in 15 different countries (Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Colombia, Cuba, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, México, Dominican Republic, and Venezuela). As these numbers only account for those participants who provided information through questionnaires and interviews, the actual number should be much larger considering that two out of three participants did not provide information. Even accepting that the reported numbers cannot be extrapolated linearly to the entire population of participants, just the effective numbers presented provide evidence about the highly satisfactory achievement of the Programme in this regard.

Since the evaluation was performed a sixth course for Spanish-speaking countries, was held on 9-22 September 2007 in Tulúm, Mexico, and was attended by 14 MPA managers and practitioners from Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, México, Panama, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and additional local courses are underway in these countries.

Funding for these courses have been provided by UNEP-CEP, the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) and the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation, with additional in-kind support from a number of other organizations and institutions.

IW:Learn

CETA will assist AMEP with the coordination of a joint project with UNEP/DEWA and GEF IW:LEARN to test the effectiveness of cross focal area networking among a “regional cluster” of ongoing and pipeline GEF projects in the Wider Caribbean.  The following activities will promote integration of efforts, capture of synergies, identification of gaps, conflicts and opportunities:

• Develop a website as a regional ‘module’ within the GEF-IW:LEARN information system developed by UNEP/DEWA with inputs from UNEP CAR/RCU,  and hosted as a sub-website of the www.iwlearn.net.  The module will offer supporting information resources to facilitate networking, knowledge-sharing and facilitated dialogue among the regional cluster of GEF projects identified in the Wider Caribbean and will be provided primarily by UNEP CAR/RCU as the process develops.

• Conduct outreach: identify, inform and invite the participation of GEF Implementing Agencies, initially  to assist in  developing an inventory of GEF projects and their partners in the wider Caribbean region, and to support their projects’ participation; contact GEF project executing agencies and their partners to inform them of the purpose and aims of the regional interfocal consultative process and invite their participation; gain an understanding of issues and needs in the region from which synergies may be identified and from which the structure of the face-to-face meeting may be focused.
  

• Prepare a background paper: to be used as basis for consultative dialogue

• Facilitate  a moderated e-dialogue: among projects in the regional cluster

• Organize a face-to-face event: plan and conduct a regional cluster consultative workshop (or workshops).

• Document and report outcomes: to GEF projects, agencies and partners within the regional cluster, to GEF-IW:LEARN , and the GEF IW Task Force.