EnviroRightsTT: Building civil society capacity to access information, participate in policymaking and access justice in environmental matters in Trinidad and Tobago

Though public participation is enshrined in environmental policies in Trinidad and Tobago, there is limited understanding of how these processes work. There is a need to strengthen existing mechanisms to encourage effective voice and opportunity for marginalized and vulnerable groups to engage in decision-making.  In particular, co-management and collaborative arrangements are not optimally used, nor is civil society fully recognized as a legitimate development partner with a meaningful role in environmental governance, including in shaping national economic sustainable development.

About the Project

EnviroRightsTT places the spotlight on facilitating the empowerment of CSOs and community members to advocate for, and support, vulnerable groups to access environmental information, participate in decision-making processes and seek justice to protect citizens’ rights to a healthy environment.  Through the project, CANARI is focusing on protecting the right to a healthy environment through improved environmental governance with better transparency, accountability, inclusive decision-making, and more informed and just public policy.

The EnviroRightsTT project is funded by the European Union Support to Civil Society Organisations in Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) is leading implementation of the project while Environment Tobago is an implementing partner. Additional project partners are EquiGOV, Environmental Law Associates Worldwide (ELAW) and Parliamentarians for Global Action.

How will this project benefit the Caribbean region?

Empowered CSOs, with improved knowledge and capacity to utilise policy and legal mechanisms for access to information, participation and justice, can foster transparency, accountability and inclusive environmental governance in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region.

Key project outputs include:

• Improved capacity of CSOs to access environmental information using the FOIA.

• Increased capacity of CSOs to engage in environmental decision-making processes to improve policy responsiveness to the needs of vulnerable groups.

• Enhanced capacity of CSOs and their allies to seek justice through the mechanisms of the Environmental Commission.

• Enhanced collaboration amongst and between CSOs, journalists, lawyers, parliamentarians, government agencies, and other stakeholders in addressing environmental justice issues.

• Documented and disseminated good practices and recommendations to enhance institutional frameworks for access to information, public participation and access to justice.

What are we working to achieve?

EnviroRightsTT is working to empower CSOs in Trinidad and Tobago to:

• effectively utilise the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to access information on environmental matters, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability

• participate in policy and advocate for inclusive environmental governance

• seek justice through the mechanisms of the Environmental Commission; and

• promote and foster an institutional framework and partnerships which better enable CSOs to serve both as independent actors and partners in sustainable development.

The project also addresses cross-cutting issues by:

• focusing on the right to a healthy environment as a core human right, including addressing climate change impacts

• targeting youth-led CSOs and young advocates and environmental defenders, lawyers and journalists

• supporting vulnerable and marginalised groups to engage in policy processes (being responsive to the special needs of women/men, youth, rural communities, indigenous peoples, disabled people and minorities)

• encouraging CSOs to focus on marginalised and vulnerable groups in their FOIA requests and Environmental Commission submissions, promoting inclusive access to information and amplifying voices in policy processes

• focusing on inclusive and environmentally sustainable development as a key for economic transformation and delivery of the SDGs; and

• ensuring that capacity building and dialogues address cross-cutting issues and emphasise their relevance for good governance.

What activities are we undertaking to achieve this?

• Mobilizing and Mapping – Identifying and analysing civil society stakeholders who are environmental defenders and advocates to be targeted. This entails looking specifically at their roles and responsibilities, experiences with issues related to access to information, participation and justice in environmental matters, relationships, capacities and capacity needs. This mapping will inform development of a strategy with mechanisms for communication, engagement and capacity building of these stakeholders.

• Building Awareness and Capacity in key areas –
  1. Access to Information: Training participants to use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for environmental inquiries (EquiGov).
  2. Documenting Local Knowledge: Training on Participatory ICTs to gather local environmental knowledge through tools such as mobile phones, GIS, and drone mapping (CANARI).
  3. Citizen Journalism: Hosting workshops for civil society organizations (CSOs) to develop skills in documenting environmental stories, including research methods and online platform usage (Environment Tobago).
  4. Legal and Scientific Support: Training for lawyers, scientists, and CSOs on environmental law, and facilitation of knowledge exchanges among environmental defenders in the Caribbean (ELAW).
  5. Advocacy Training: Training for CSOs on advocacy and facilitation of virtual exchanges on environmental justice experiences (CANARI).
  6. Governance Training: Awareness-raising and capacity building among Parliamentarians regarding the Escazú Agreement, connecting them with Caribbean champions of environmental rights (PGA).

• Taking action – Managing a small grant programme to support individual CSOs, or coalitions of CSOs, to implement their pilot actions, with support of CANARI’s legal and scientific team and other partners. CANARI’s small grant programme mechanism will be used, including procedures for application, review, award, contracting, monitoring and reporting.  

    Learn how you can take action here.

    Grant application.

Recent project news and information

• Taking action with EnviroRightsTT: learn how the project can help you take action to protect your environmental rights
• Advocacy Statement: A call for bold action and leadership – protecting our environment and securing a sustainable future
• Press Release: Trinbagonians supported to pursue their right to a healthy environment
• Press Release: Upcoming FOIA Training in Tobago Empowers Civil Society for Environmental Governance scheduled for 15th October 2024

More information about this project

• Project Brief
• Contact Dylis McDonald, Senior Technical Officer at dylis@canari.org

Related projects and programmes

• Civil Society and Governance
• Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance