Meet the Women Implementing the Montreal Protocol in Trinidad and Tobago

 

Dr. Marissa Gowrie

Deputy Environmental Manager/

National Ozone Officer

Mrs. Lilita Narine-Chattergoon

Customs and Excise Collector

Ms. Renee Abass

Manager Laboratory Services Division

Mrs. Maltee Bedasie

Ag. Deputy Chief Trade Officer 

Ms. Nadita Ramachala

Manager Standardization Division

Ms. Rhonda Sieunarine

Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Inspector

Ms. Carla Smith

Standards Officer III

Implementation Division

Ms. Neera Singh

HCFC Phase out Management Plan

Project Manager

Frontline Champions: Women in Environmental Enforcement

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2026, UNEP Law Division’s OzonAction and the Montevideo Environmental Law Programme has launched a global campaign honoring the women safeguarding the integrity of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, its Kigali Amendment, and the broader environmental compliance and enforcement landscape.

Global commitments under multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) are translated into concrete national measures. In the case of the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment, this means establishing legislation, including licensing and permitting systems, allocating quotas, defining import and export controls, monitoring implementation and addressing non-compliance to ensure effective enforcement.

Across MEAs, enforcement starts at the border, where officers prevent the illegal movement of controlled or hazardous substances or trade in protected species. This frontline work requires a combination of regulatory understanding, technical expertise, and real-time decision-making to protect national compliance and global environmental integrity. In the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment context, customs officers use regulatory knowledge, identification skills, and specialized tools to spot irregular shipments of ozone depleting substances (ODS) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFC).

➜ Customs Officers validate licenses, check documentation against national quotas, assess shipment risks, and use refrigerant identifiers to detect undeclared or mislabeled substances before they cross borders. The vigilance of these women helps prevent illegal trade and ensures that licensing and quota systems are upheld.

See some of these officers have been highlight in the link below. Including our own Lilita Narine-Chattergoon from Trinidad and Tobago.

Frontline Champions: Women in Environmental Enforcement | Ozonaction

Pathways to prevent environmental dumping of climate-harming room air conditioners in Latin America and the Caribbean

This study at the link below assesses the extent of environmental dumping of new room air conditioners (room ACs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and explores this practice’s linkages to cooling access and affordability there. It also examines the current state of the room AC market and energy efficiency policies in the region. Covering 11 countries (Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay), the analysis relies on room AC data from 2023 and 2025.

Pathways to prevent environmental dumping of climate-harming room air conditioners in Latin America and the Caribbean | Climate & Clean Air Coalition

Stakeholder Consultation- • PCTTCS 34 – Energy labelling – Refrigerating appliances – Compulsory requirements • PCTTCS 35 – Energy labelling – Air Conditioners – Compulsory Requirements

The National Ozone Unit collaborated with Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards to convene a public comment consultation aimed at strengthening Trinidad and Tobago’s transition toward more energy-efficient refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment by moving from voluntary Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) to compulsory requirements. 

This was facilitated through the GEF-6 project being implemented by the Ministry of Planning Economic Affairs and Development and supported by the UNDP.

The session aimed to provide:

• clarity on the compliance pathway and transition arrangements,
• confidence in acceptable test reports and documentation,
• practical enforcement procedures,
• and clear communication to consumers and the wider market.