Three members of Antigua and Barbuda’s Department of Analytical Services have completed a regional training programme aimed at strengthening the management of highly hazardous pesticides across the Caribbean.

The department announced that Laël Bertide-Josiah, Alexandra Hughes and J’herdine Browne participated in a two-day hybrid workshop titled Development of an Effect-Cause-Action (ECA-G) Tool for Highly Hazardous Pesticide Management in the Caribbean, held May 26-27 at The Verandah Resort & Spa.

The workshop was hosted by the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean (BCRC-Caribbean) as part of the GEF ISLANDS 10279 Project.

According to the department, the training focused on improving the implementation of chemicals and waste-related multilateral environmental agreements across the Caribbean region.

Participants joined regional experts and stakeholders in discussions designed to strengthen the identification and management of highly hazardous pesticides, commonly referred to as HHPs, and to assess their effects on human health, the environment and national economies.

The programme included practical exercises and technical sessions covering pesticide identification and monitoring, economic impact assessments, environmental risk analysis and mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the dangers associated with hazardous pesticide use.

The Department of Analytical Services said the initiative supports broader efforts to enhance environmental management, chemical safety and sustainable development in Antigua and Barbuda and throughout the wider Caribbean.

The department also expressed appreciation to BCRC-Caribbean, the University of the West Indies technical team, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for supporting the initiative.