THE GOVERNMENT OF SAINT LUCIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HELD THE MID-TERM EVALUATION MEETING
Castries, Saint Lucia – The Government of Saint Lucia and the Government of Mexico held the mid-term evaluation meeting for the 1st Technical and Scientific Cooperation Program Mexico-Saint Lucia on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
The general objective of the meeting was to monitor and evaluate the performance of the projects that make up the First Technical and Scientific Cooperation Program between Mexico and Saint Lucia for the period 2021-2023.
The specific objective of the meeting was to present the results achieved to date in the development of the cooperation initiatives; to highlight areas of opportunity to improve the execution of the projects; and to agree on a work plan to continue with the operation of the projects towards their conclusion.
The four projects undergoing evaluation are:
1. Heritage Management to Promote National Identity, Creation of New Tourism Experiences and Reduce Unemployment: executed by institutions of cultural significance including INAH of Mexico and other partner institutions including the Saint Lucia National Trust and the Saint Lucia Archaeological and Historical Society.
2. Archaeological and bio-cultural investigations of the Dauphin Valley: led by INAH Mexico and the Saint Lucia Archaeological and Historical Society of Saint Lucia.
3. Strengthening of capacities for the design and updating of coastal geographic information in environmental planning and the construction of resilient beaches: led by the Department of Physical Development in Saint Lucia and INEGI of Mexico.
4. Availability of water in quantity and quality in one watershed: executed jointly by IMTA of Mexico and WRMA of Saint Lucia.
The meeting commenced with opening remarks by the Head of the Embassy of Mexico in Saint Lucia His Excellency Ambassador Luis Manuel López Moreno and Ambassador of Saint Lucia to Mexico His Excellency Peter Lansiquot. This was followed by a presentation of the evaluation methodology of the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) and five-minute presentations of the evaluation results of the cooperation projects by Saint Lucian and Mexico counterparts. The closing remarks were given by AMEXCID Executive Director Dr. Laura Elena Carrillo Cubillas.
Fourteen governmental institutions from Saint Lucia and Mexico were present during the meeting. There were approximately twenty participants from Saint Lucian stakeholder agencies which included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Water Resource Management Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Physical Development and the Water Resource Management Agency.
There were also approximately 46 participants from a wide range of institutions in Mexico including representatives from AMEXID, the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the National Water Commission (CONAGUA, the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), and the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA).
Saint Lucia can gain from this cooperation with Mexico to enhance its domestic protection policies to safeguard its heritage sites, protected wildlife and flora and fauna species and the coastal environment. The elimination of invasive species, and the comprehensive restoration of endemic species are also critical issues that will be pursued and addressed.
The training provided by Mexico which commenced in January 2023, will guide Saint Lucia in the development of a policy, designing of an institutional framework, and to begin the process of a national registry for Saint Lucia’s Heritage assets.
The training sessions on geographic information between October and December 2022 exposed the representatives of the various organizations in Saint Lucia to advanced mapping techniques, and creating standards for geographic naming and mapping. Hands on practice is the next step in this cooperation project between our countries which will help Saint Lucia immensely in achieving the international geographic information standards of today. Some of the organisations benefiting from Geographic Information training include, the Department of Physical Development, the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO), the Ministry of Equity, the Department of Fisheries, the Marine Police, the Department of Infrastructure and the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).
The project on the availability of water in quantity and quality is vital as it assists Saint Lucia in achieving some of the requirements of Sustainable Development Goal 6. The staff of the Water Resource Management agency have already begun to implement the methodologies introduced by IMTA into their work programme. Some of the skills acquired include data infilling and the review of water quality monitoring operations, which are extremely important to help the organization plan and make more informed decisions to meet water quality standards and to manage Saint Lucia’s water resources.
There are opportunities for improvement during the next half of the program including the need for the agencies in Saint Lucia to meet more frequently to discuss the training received and to understand what is needed to ensure that the skills are put to practice. We look forward to institutional visits of a few of Saint Lucia’s technical experts to Mexico. These visits will solidify what has been taught in the past year and will enable Saint Lucia to practice the technical skills acquired through this cooperation program.