The Final Act of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region

Kingston, Jamaica, 15-18 January 1990

1. The Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region was convened by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in pursuance of Decision No. 18 of the Fourth Intergovernmental Meeting on the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme and First Meeting of Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Guadeloupe, 26-28 October 1987).
2. The Conference met at the Jamaica Conference Center, Kingston, Jamaica, from 15 to 18 January 1990 at the invitation of the Executive Director of UNEP and with the kind support of the Government of Jamaica.
3. The Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region were invited to participate in the Conference:   Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Colombia, Cuba, France, Grenada, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Panama, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America and Venezeula.
4. The following States and regional economic integration organizations were also invited to attend as observers:   Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and the European Economic Community.
5. The following States and regional organizations accepted the invitation and participated in the Conference:   Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Venezeula and the European Economic Community.
6. Representatives of the following United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, intergovernmental organizations were also invited and attended the Conference as observers:
   United Nations
   • The United Nations Office for Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (UNOALOS)
   • Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO
   • Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
   • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

   Specialized agencies

   • International Maritime Organization (IMO)
   • Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)
   • International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

   Intergovernmental organizations

   • Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
   • Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
   • Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA)
   • Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI)
7. Representatives of the following Non-governmental organizations were also invited and attended the meeting:

   American Oceans Campaign Chelonia Institute Greenpeace Humane Society of United States of America International Centre for Ocean Development Monitor International National Environmental Societies Trust (NEST)

   The Panos Institute Pro Vita Animalium Regional Conservation Research Univeristy of the West Indies Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Recovery Team (WIDECAST) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)

8. During the course of the inaugural ceremony, the welcoming addresses were presented by His Excellency Ambassador Don Mills, Chairman of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority of Jamaica and His Excellency Ambassador Yves Rodrigue (France), President of the Bureau of the Contracting Parties. The Conference was formally opened by Mr. Sálvano Briceño, Co-ordinator of the Caribbean Environment Programme on behalf of the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme who served as the Executive Secretary of the Conference.
9. The Conference adopted mutatis mutandis the Rules of Procedure of the Governing Council of UNEP (UNEP/GC/3/Rev.3).
10. The Conference unanimously elected Ambassador Don Mills (Jamaica) as its President.
11. The Conference also elected the following officers:

    Vice-Presidents:	Amb. Yves RODRIGUE    (France) Mr. Oscar BIRD   (Antigua and Barbuda) Mr. Andrew SENS    (United States of America)
    Rapporteur:	Mr. Percival McDONALD    (Saint Lucia)

    Drafting Committee:

    Chairperson:	Mr. Jean François PULVENIS    (Venezuela)
    Members:	Delegates from each of the Contracting Parties.

    Credentials Committee:

    Chairperson:	Mr. Vincent LASSE    (Trinidad and Tobago)
    Members:	Delegates of Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Saint Lucia United States of America and Venezuela.

12. The Conference adopted the following agenda:
    1. Opening of the Conference.
    2. Organization of the Conference.
       1. Adoption of the Rules of Procedure;
       2. Election of the officers of the Conference;
       3. Election of the Chairpersons of the Drafting and Credentials Committees, as well as the appointment of their members.
    3. Adoption of the Agenda.
    4. Proposal for the Extension of the Protocol Concerning Co-operation in Combating Oil Spills in the Wider Caribbean Region to include other Hazardous Substances.
    5. Draft Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region.
    6. Report of the Drafting Committee.
    7. Report of the Credentials Committee.
    8. Adoption of the Final Act of the Conference.
    9. Signature of the Final Act.
    10. Closure of the Conference.
13. In conformity with the Rules of Procedure, the Conference established the Drafting and Credentials Committees.
14. The proposed formal extension of the Protocol Concerning Co-operation in Combating Oil Spills in the Wider Caribbean Region to include other hazardous substances (UNEP(OCA)/CAR IG.5/4) and the revised draft Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (UNEP(OCA)/CAR IG.5/3) served as the basis for the deliberations of the Conference.
15. Additional documents were presented by the Secretariat to support the deliberations, and are contained in UNEP(OCA)/CAR IG.5/INF.1/Rev.1.
16. With respect to the proposal for the formal extension of the Protocol Concerning Co-operation in Combating Oil Spills in the Wider Caribbean Region to include Regional Co-operation to Combat Spills of Hazardous Substances other than Oil, the Conference discussed the two options available in order to extend the Protocol, that is, either by means of an ammendment or by an annex. It was decided to defer the formal extension to a later date. In the interim, it was agreed that the existing Protocol should continue to apply provisionally to hazardous substances.
17. With respect to the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife, the Conference in plenary debated each of the Articles, making ammendments where necessary, and identifying those Articles requiring the attention of the Drafting Committee.
18. The Drafting Committee carefully examined the texts in each of the three working languages (English, French and Spanish) and made such ammendments as were necessary to ensure conformity.
19. In keeping with the Rules of Procedure, the Credentials Committee examined the credentials of the representatives and submitted its report to the Conference. The Conference approved the recommendation of its Credentials Committee that the credentials of the representatives of thirteen States should be recognized as being in order.
20. The Drafting Committee presented its report and, after a general debate, the following instrument was adopted by the Conference:
    Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region
21. The Protocol which is annexed to this Final Act, will be open for signature at Kingston from 18 January to 31 January 1990 and at Bogotá from 1 February 1990 to 17 January 1991 by States invited to participate in the Conference and by any other State that becomes a Contracting Party to the Convention during this period.
22. The Conference also adopted a resolution, the text of which is appended to this Final Act.