Georgetown, 15 April 2016/ DMP/ ACP: Caribbean and international experts will meet in Georgetown between 18–22 April to share knowledge about how to improve health and safety, environmental, and community relations outcomes in the quarry sector.

The Guyana Ministry of Natural Resources and the CARICOM are partnering with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to hold the workshop, a key event in Occupational Health and Safety Month.

The ‘Caribbean Regional Workshop on Environment, Community, Health and Safety in the Neglected Development Minerals Sector’ is part of the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme, a €13.1 million capacity building program to improve the management, and raise the profile of industrial minerals, construction materials, dimension stones and semi-precious stones.

The workshop will host more than 40 public sector, private sector and civil society participants from 6 countries in Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago). International trainers from UNDP and the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre, at The University of Queensland, Australia will attend.

The workshop will focus on Neglected Development Minerals (industrial minerals, construction materials, dimension stones and semi-precious stones), minerals that have not received adequate attention for their potential to impact livelihoods. Often referred to as Low Value Minerals and Materials (LVMM) due to their low price as a function of their weight, and their relatively low value to international commodity markets, Neglected Development Minerals provide crucial inputs for domestic economic development (infrastructure, manufacturing, construction and agriculture to name a few) and have the potential to be high value in terms of domestic development.

Like all forms of mining, however, construction materials and industrial minerals can be associated with social and environmental impacts, with consequences for the health and safety of workers and surrounding communities. The Caribbean Regional Workshop on Environment, Community, Health and Safety in the Neglected Development Minerals sector aims to:

· Increase the awareness of environment, community, and health and safety issues and challenges

· Facilitate south-south knowledge exchange on the practices and governance arrangements necessary for the sector to contribute to inclusive and sustainable development

· Build the capacity of individual stakeholders through participation in the training workshop and the preparation of return-to-work plans.

What: Opening Ceremony, Caribbean Regional Training Workshop on Environment, Community, Health and Safety in the Neglected Development Minerals Sector

When: 8:45 am to 10:50am 18 April, 2016

Where: Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Georgetown Guyana

Who:

o His Excellency Minister Raphael Trotman, Minister of Natural Resources, Guyana

o Dr Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary General, Human & Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat

o Joslyn McKenzie, Permant Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources

o Ambassador Dr. Patrick I. Gomes, Secretary General, African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (by pre-recorded video)

o Ambassador Jernej Videtič, Ambassador of the European Union to Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and for the Dutch Overseas Countries and Territories.

o Ms. Khadija Musa, UN Resident Coordinator / UNDP Resident Representative, Guyana

ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme Contact: Daniel Franks, Programme Manager, Daniel.Franks@undp.org or text: +32 (0)471 703 384

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About the Programme: The ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme, a three-year, €13.1 million capacity building program of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, financed by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and implemented by UNDP. It aims to support the capacity development of key stakeholders in the sector such as regulatory agencies and local governments; private stakeholders including small-scale mining enterprises, construction companies, mining and quarrying associations; as well as training centres, universities, civil society organizations and community groups.

Follow us on Twitter: @DevelopmentMin, @PressACP, @europeaid@EU_Commission, @UNDPEU. Hashtags: #developmentminerals

About ACP:

The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) is an organisation created by the Georgetown Agreement in 1975. It is composed of 79African, Caribbean and Pacific states, with all of them, save Cuba, signatories to the Cotonou Agreement,also known as the "ACP-EC Partnership Agreement" which binds them to the European Union. There are 48 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean and 15 from the Pacific. The ACP Group of States is a global player in the South-South and the Triangular Cooperation. http://www.acp.int/

About EU:

The European Union is made up of 28 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 50 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. In 2014, the EU collective (incl. EU institutions and Member States) Official Development Assistance increased to € 58.2 billion (up 2.4% from 2013), growing for the second year in a row and reaching its highest nominal level to date. As such, the EU remains the world's leading provider of ODA. http://europa.eu

About UNDP:

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. www.undp.org