National Environmental Commission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

account_balance
  • Government
San Vicente y las Granadinas

The National Environmental Commission is established by the Environmental Management Act (2009) and it is a collegiate and intersectoral body that assists the national government on sustainable development issues.  According to this act (Art. 6) the functions of the Commission are: 

a) make recommendations on sustainable development issues and for any recommendation on the implementation of the National Environmental Policy;
(b) undertake periodic review and advise on the necessary programmes, policies and strategies for achieving sustainable development;
(c) advise on the rationalization of roles, responsibilities and functions of all agencies involved in sustainable development programmes;
(d) advise on the formulation and implementation of a strategy to sensitize the public on issues of fully integrating environmental management into the economic and social development activities;
(e) advise government on the implications of regional and international treatises and obligations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to these treatises and conventions;
(f) secure inter-agency collaboration and coordination of programmes and policies to maximize efficiencies in the management of the use of physical, financial and natural resources and to eliminate the duplication of effort in the management of the use of natural physical resources.
(g) sensitize key stakeholders and decision-makers by facilitating dialogue on the importance of fully integrating environmental management into the economic and social development process in the interest of establishing sustainable development and the responsibility it imposes on Government and the private sector, as well as the need for all parties to work together in an integrated and coordinated manner;
(h) monitor national progress towards the full integration of environmental management in economic and social decision-making and how this is contributing to the establishment of sustainable development in relation to the obligations under regional and international policies and processes;
(i) identify policy, legislative and institutional gaps and advise on ways and means of addressing these;
(j) promote research and monitoring as well as the effective management and use of data and information with a view to supporting sound decision-making on environmental, social and economic development.