WILLEMSTAD - On May 7th and 8th, the eleventh meeting of the Regional Activity Centre for Training on Caribbean Marine Pollution, known as RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe, will take place in Curaçao. Representatives from various international and local governmental and non-governmental organizations will convene at the conference at the Renaissance Hotel.
RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe stands for Regional Activity Centre/Regional Marine Pollution Emergency, Information, and Training Centre. It is one of the four Regional Seas Programmes of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In 1995, the Government of Curaçao established this center, consisting of experts appointed through the Cartagena Convention of 1983.
The activities of the center are funded by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), UNEP, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), along with the Government of Curaçao.
The goal is to: 1) assist and advise countries in the Caribbean on the prevention and reduction of marine pollution by developing and evaluating national and multilateral contingency plans, 2) organize training and workshops, 3) provide technical support and consultation, 4) inform and raise public awareness.
The main objective of the sessions of the meeting is extensive. The approval of the work plan for 2024 to 2026 of RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe will be considered, and the long-term strategic plan of the center will be revised to update it for 2025-2030. In addition, time has been allocated for each organization present to foster cooperation with each other, to better serve the Caribbean region together.
The organization RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe has been in Curaçao for over 25 years and falls directly under the Minister of Traffic, Transportation, and Urban Planning. It is located at the Siegfried Francisco Building in Seru Mahuma. Soon, the center will expand with two experts, one from Trinidad & Tobago and one from the Petroleum Industry, along with an expert from the US Coast Guard.