ENACT Donates Enforcement Equipment to NEPA …
… Canadian Environment Agency Helps Jamaica

The Enforcement Branch of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), received a boost, recently, when the Environmental Action (ENACT) Programme donated equipment to the tune of $445,000 to aid it in its work.

The equipment which were presented to NEPA’s Chief Executive Officer at its offices in Kingston, were received as part of an ENACT lead initiative to boost capacity development within NEPA.

The equipment included cameras, binoculars, spotting scopes, tape recorders, flashlights, toolboxes, half face-masks and cartridges, first-aid kits and safety vests. NEPA has nineteen Enforcement Officers located in the fourteen parishes across Jamaica.

ENACT’s Programme Specialist Novelette Douglas, in commenting on the gift, noted that the items were part of a larger effort to support the compliance and enforcement of the environmental regulations within NEPA. She said the objective was to stimulate and support capacity development within the organisation.

ENACT will also fund a Training Programme in Compliance and Enforcement to be taught at the Management Institute of National Development (MIND), this year, as part of this initiative.

Other activities in this area included the recent production and publication of the Compliance and Enforcement Manual and Pocket Guide to Environmental and Planning Laws of Jamaica, in-house training in enforcement strategies and field techniques for technical and enforcement staff of NEPA and some of its sister agencies.

The Environmental Action (ENACT) Programme is a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) /Government of Jamaica (GOJ) multi-year project. It promotes sustainable development in Jamaica by focusing on capacity building for key institutions and organizations in Jamaica.

These include NEPA, the Private Sector through the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Business Council for the Environment (BCE), Public sector, Environmental Education and Local Sustainable Development Planning at the parish and community levels.

The ENACT Programme ends in June 2004.

Franklin McDonald (right), CEO of NEPA inspects equipment donated to NEPA, at their offices in Kingston, recently. At centre Novelette Douglass, Programme Specialist of ENACT. Joy Alexander, Director of the Planning and Development Division is seated.

Novelette Douglas (right), Programme Specialist of the ENACT Programme unveils equipment presented to NEPA’s Enforcement Branch, at NEPA’s offices in Kingston, recently. Looking on are: Basil Forsythe (first left), Director of the Compliance and Regional Services Division, Marva Smith-Moodie (2nd left), Investigator, Enforcement Branch, Joan Ferguson (3rd left) Manager, Enforcement Branch and Nicole Smith, Coordinator, Pollution, Investigation and Monitoring.