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GEORGETOWN GUYANA, 16 JULY 2024 – The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean (BCRC-Caribbean), that allows both organisations to collaborate on sustainable soil and land management.  

The memorandum of understanding signed on June 19allows for the strengthening of capacity among Caribbean Small Island Developing States that are implementing the Multi-country Soil Management Initiative for Integrated Landscape Restoration and Sustainable Food Systems (CSIDS-SOILCARE) Phase 1 Project.  It will also assist BCRC-Caribbean as they execute two (2) significant projects, under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded Implementing Sustainable Low and Non-Chemical Development in Small Island Developing States (ISLANDS) Programme in collaboration with its implementing agencies, UNEP and FAO.

The partnership will also extend support to the Caribbean countries that are not part of SOILCARE but are involved in the ISLANDS Programme the BCRC-Caribbean as the two collaborate on activities that brings co-benefits.   PISLM, recognises the importance of synergies with the BCRC-Caribbean to promote actions that will result in land degradation neutrality and strengthen the ability of participating countries to manage landscapes and restore degraded lands.  

“This is the first of many partnerships between the BCRC-Caribbean and PILSM. We are grateful for the opportunity to foster the complementary use of resources in the agricultural sector through this MOU, with a vision to enhance capacity among the Caribbean SIDS,” said Ms. Jewel Batchasingh, Director of the BCRC-Caribbean. 

Project Manager for the CSIDS SOILCARE Project Mr.  Trevor Thompson explained that one of the PISLM CSIDS SOILCARE Phase 1 Project deliverable is to strengthen collaboration amongst stakeholders is , “To support sustainable Soil and Land Management, while addressing risks and reducing impacts, because Soil Pollution is a growing threat to sustainable food production and security in the region, sharing of data and information from project activities can help to reduce the negative impacts of these risks.”

Through this MOU, BCRC-Caribbean and PISLM will forge information exchange, collaboration in developing training materials, organizing workshops, managing project, deliverables and enhancing the success of their outcomes.