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PRESS RELEASE - July 20, 2004
CANADA PASSES THE BATON TO JAMAICA
Despite the torrential downpour, good cheer and friendly chatter filled the air on Thursday evening, July 8, 2004 at the Terra Nova Hotel. The Canadian Executing Agency for the Environmental Action Programme (ENACT), Dessau-Soprin & Marbek Resource Consultants, hosted a cocktail party to thank its Jamaican counterparts and all stakeholders for eight years of a highly successful collaboration.
This party signaled the change of management from the Canadian consortium to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). This ten-year capacity strengthening programme in the environment is jointly funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the government of Jamaica. Since its inception, ENACT has engaged hundreds of stakeholders within the government, private sector and non-governmental organization (NGO) communities in initiatives geared towards the sustainable management of our natural resources. According to George Matheson, Joint Venture Representative with Marbek Resources Consultants, “…let there be no doubt that the stakeholders and partners are the core strength of ENACT, and are a very big part of the success of the programme”.
Conveying similar sentiments at the function were Cabinet Secretary Dr. Carlton Davis; Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Land and Environment (MLE), Jacqueline da Costa; former CEO of NEPA, Franklin McDonald; outgoing Town Clerk, Errol Green; Milverton Smith, Vice-President of Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA); Dr. Cheryl Gopaul, Development Officer, CIDA; Leonie Barnaby, of MLE, Jack Adams from the Canadian High Commission; Maria Jones, CEO of the Management Institute for National Development (MIND); a number of local consultants who had worked with the programme; members of the environmental conservation and management community; members of other donor projects in the environment; NEPA members of staff; and the outgoing Programme Manager, Jean-Joseph Bellamy and his staff.
The Canadian managers also took the opportunity to make a presentation to the former Chief Executive Officer of NEPA, Franklin McDonald, for being ENACT’s “biggest supporter” and for his vision in shaping and guiding the Programme.
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