MINISTER of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles has praised the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) as it received global certification in the area of quality management systems. She said the achievement was in line with aspects of the government's Vision 2030.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said the EMA attained global ISO 9001:2015 certification, which is the world’s most recognised international standard specifying requirements for a quality management system.
"A quality management system is a way of defining how an organisation can meet the requirements of its customers and other stakeholders affected by its work and streamlines processes to allow for greater efficiency and customer satisfaction. In the case of the EMA and its mandate as steward of our environment, the citizens and residents of TT are the key customers."
Beckles said the EMA's mandate aligned with the theme of the National Development Strategy: Vision 2030, "which places the environment at the centre of social and economic development.
"This certification also highlights the authority’s drive to accomplish the national goal of ‘delivering good governance and service excellence."
She said the certification better positions the authority to develop and implement sound policies and programmes for the effective management, conservation and wise use of the environment, within a legal, regulatory and institutional framework.
"Certification to ISO 9001:2015 was accomplished through recurring audits by an independent International Organization for Standardization (ISO) registrar, who regularly reviewed to ensure that the EMA consistently performed the best management practices, met the needs of stakeholders and continuously improved in compliance with this standard," the statement said.
It added that the achievement speaks to the EMA's core values of integrity, professionalism, and accountability and their continued efforts to improve.
It said the ISO had reported that the certification leads to increased customer/stakeholder satisfaction, integration of internal policies and procedures though striving to increase productivity, improved reputation and image, among other things.
EMA's chairman Nadra Nathai-Gyan said the authority was "honoured to have embarked on this journey of continuous improvement.
"We anticipate that this certification will enable the EMA to better fulfil its mandate, improve service delivery to stakeholders across TT, all in the interest of sustainability and the natural environment.”
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