Regional Ozone Workshop

Contact: John Emmanuel

June 5, 1998 - St. Lucia is among other developing countries expected to introduce a licensing system for trade in controlled substances by the year 2000, as part of stringent measures aimed at ridding the globe of Ozone Depleting substances.

The development of the licensing system come the year 2000 is a main prerequisite for countries represented at the June 4 -6 workshop, which got underway here this morning.

The licensing system would ensure that members countries of the Montreal Protocol effectively monitor trade in controlled substances which from as early as 1997, were found to be destroying the Earth’s protective Ozone layer. It is mandatory to report annually the consumption of ODS, i.e. the difference between imports and exports. UNEP’s Catalina Molser says that, "A licensing system will facilitate St. Lucia’s completion of consumption reports and will also prevent or minimize the illegal trade of ODS."

From St. Lucia’s stand point, work towards achieving that goal is well on stream. According to parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment the Hon. Anthony Torrence, St. Lucia has taken steps to protect its forests and water resources, and to develop management plans for its coastal zones, while putting in place systems to manage waste disposal. "We are aware that land use planning is crucial to the overall management of our environment and we are in the final stages of revising the laws in this area." Torrence said. He Added that, "St. Lucia is in the process of producing a blue print for an integrated approach to development planning which will seek to address the social, environmental and economic dimensions of our long and short term development effort.

Via assistance from the Canadian Environmental Programme , St. Lucia will starting next week, being developing a definite action plan to phase out Ozone depleting substances in keeping with the Montreal Protocol machinery.

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