Building Capacities to Improve Mainstreaming of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Into Development Strategies and Policies in the Caribbean Region

This research paper evaluates a capacity-building approach designed to help policy-makers in the Caribbean region mainstream Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) into national and regional development strategies. Using a six-step process based on the Driving Forces–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSC-DPSIR) framework, the authors conductedSSSS conducted three training applications in Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Lucia. The study identifies key barriers to implementation, including limited human and financial resources, a lack of cross-sectoral collaboration, and the perception that MEAs are the sole responsibility of a single ministry.

• Policy-makers in the Caribbean face significant barriers to MEA mainstreaming, including a lack of practical knowledge on how to link MEAs to local livelihoods, limited human and financial resources, and a tendency to view MEAs as the responsibility of a single ministry rather than a cross-sectoral effort.
• The proposed capacity-building approach utilizes a six-step process centered on the Driving Forces–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework to help policy-makers identify synergies between MEAs and development priorities, set targets and indicators, and develop policy planning briefs.
• Application of the tool in Suriname focused on the regional relevance of MEAs for key economic sectors—tourism, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries—highlighting the need for coordination to minimize trade-offs, such as the high demand for high-value fish by tourism impacting fish stocks.
• A national-level application in St. Vincent and the Grenadines emphasized the link between MEAs and poverty reduction, noting that poor populations are highly dependent on natural resources for food security and income, and suggesting that poverty reduction strategies should include cultural and spiritual values of the environment.
• A regional application involving over 10 countries focused on institutional processes, identifying a need to move away from rigid bureaucratic hierarchies toward cross-sectoral collaboration and the integration of MEAs into the Physical Planning Act (PPA) and Environmental Impact Assessments (IEA).
• The study concludes that successful MEA mainstreaming requires a bottom-up approach where policy-makers act as 'integrators' across agencies, supported by strategic data collection and the inclusion of high-level government offices, such as the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s Office, to signal institutional importance.

APA

Bizikova, L., Yarde, T., Swanson, D., Pintér, L., Thomas, A., Corbin, C., Sabelli, A., Metternicht, G., Salinas, A., & Tulsie, B. (2013). Building Capacities to Improve Mainstreaming of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Into Development Strategies and Policies in the Caribbean Region. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mea_building_capacities_carribean.pdf

Chicago

Bizikova, Livia, Therese Yarde, Darren Swanson, László Pintér, Anya Thomas, Chris Corbin, Andrea Sabelli, et al. Building Capacities to Improve Mainstreaming of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Into Development Strategies and Policies in the Caribbean Region. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2013. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mea_building_capacities_carribean.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bizikova |first1=Livia |last2=Yarde |first2=Therese |last3=Swanson |first3=Darren |last4=Pintér |first4=László |last5=Thomas |first5=Anya |last6=Corbin |first6=Chris |last7=Sabelli |first7=Andrea |last8=Metternicht |first8=Graciela |last9=Salinas |first9=Andrea |display-authors=etal |title=Building Capacities to Improve Mainstreaming of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Into Development Strategies and Policies in the Caribbean Region |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mea_building_capacities_carribean.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bizikova2013building, author = {Bizikova, Livia and Yarde, Therese and Swanson, Darren and Pintér, László and Thomas, Anya and Corbin, Chris and Sabelli, Andrea and Metternicht, Graciela and Salinas, Andrea and Tulsie, Bishunarine}, title = {{Building Capacities to Improve Mainstreaming of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Into Development Strategies and Policies in the Caribbean Region}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mea_building_capacities_carribean.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }