Progress Report on the Fulfilment of the Decisions of the Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean
(March 2008 - August 2009)

UNEP/LAC-IG XV/5
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CONTENTS

I. Introduction

II. Follow-up to the Decisions and Recommendations of the Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean

Decision 1. Assessment and Implementation of the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC):

Decision 2. 2008-2009 Regional Action Plan

Decision 3. Composition and Mandate of the ITC

Decision 4. Operation of the Working Groups

Decision 5. Small Island Developing States

Decision 7. Atmospheric Pollution

Decision 8. Better Fuel for a Better Quality of Life

Decision 9. Natural Protected Areas

Decision 10. Sustainable Consumption and Production

Decision 11. Environmental Education For Sustainable Development

Decision 12. Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Distribution of The Benefits Arising from Their Utilization and Participation of the Region in the Negotiation of the International Judicial REgime

Decision 13. Strengthening of the Participation of the Main Groups of Agenda 21

Decision 14. Renewable and/or Alternate Energies

Decision 15. Recognition and Strengthening of the Participation of Indigenous People

Decision 16. Sustainanble Land Management

Decision 17. Climate Change

Decision 18. Chemical Substances

Decision 19. Settlements / Sustainable Housing

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UNEP/LAC-IGWG(IS).XVII/3.rev1
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I. Introduction

1. The decision by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to establish the Forum of Ministers of the Environment stemmed from the need for a regional political body to analyse and build consensus on positions relating to the issues contained in the regional and international environmental agendas. The Forum has gained strength through its regular meetings since 1982, and its participation in discussions of the international environmental agenda have been recognized.

2. The Forum of Ministers has translated its deliberations and agreements into specific decisions relating to the environmental priorities of the region and those agreed to internationally. Its main working bodies are the Inter-sessional Committee and the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (ITC). The ITC consists of the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

3. Since the convening of the Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; 27 January to 1 February 2008), important events have occurred in the international environmental sphere with relevant repercussions on the dialogue and decision-making process in the region, emphasizing among others, the global financial and economic crisis as well as advances in international dialogue on climate change, in response to the dissemination of scientific reports and economic assessments that indicate the gravity of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the problem. Similarly, note should be made of the continuation of discussions on sustainable ecosystems management and the conservation of biodiversity, themes that continue to be of priority to the international community as a whole, and to the region in particular, and which will be priority topics during 2010, International Year of Biodiversity. These issues deserve the attention of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, which is the principal body for dialogue and consensus on environmental policies in the region.

4. A general overview of the activities carried out during 2008 and 2009 indicates that UNEP has addressed the national, sub-regional and regional environmental priorities and has strengthened cooperation and coordination links with other Agencies of the United Nations system, several intergovernmental organizations, as well as other national, sub-regional and regional institutions, primarily to promote capacity building and technology support.

5. The Forum of Ministers has been strengthened as a body for political dialogue which discusses and adopts shared criteria on priority issues on the international environmental agenda, including strategic matters arising from the principal multilateral environmental agreements. From a programmatic point of view, the Forum of Ministers has successfully undertaken the implementation of the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC).

6. The operation of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee has encouraged the implementation of the Regional Action Plan (RAP). Various activities responding to the priorities established by the countries of the region have been carried out through joint initiatives and projects of UNEP and other regional and international organizations, although more effective action is still required.

7. The institutional development of the countries of the region has been supported through various activities in the area of environmental legislation and through cooperation projects aimed at expanding capacity to satisfy multilateral environmental conventions.

8. The participation of the main groups of civil society has been given special attention in the activities carried out by UNEP in Latin America and the Caribbean. This strategic orientation is consistent with UNEP’s global policy and has strengthened the analysis and search for options to the environmental problems that the region is facing as a whole.

9. The present report, prepared by the Secretariat of the Forum of Ministers, outlines the progress made in carrying out the decisions adopted at the Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers, and is presented for consideration by the Inter-sessional Meeting of the Meeting of the Forum of Ministers (Panama, 21-22 October 2009), as input for the formulation of necessary recommendations and actions, for subsequent consideration and decision-making by the Ministerial Segment of the Forum of Ministers at its XVII Meeting (Mexico, February 2010). It should be noted that a large number of expected actions on each of the Forum’s decisions was entrusted not only to UNEP, but also to the Working Groups created under decision 2 and the ITC.

10. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through its Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC), has carried out numerous negotiations with the governments of the region as well as with agencies of the Inter-agency Technical Committee, to follow-up on and support the implementation of the Decisions adopted at the Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment.

11. The Decisions were sent to the relevant bodies, such as the Secretariats of international environmental conventions, agencies of the Inter-agency Technical Committee and within UNEP itself, to coordinate and facilitate the monitoring of these regional agreements.

II. Follow-up on the Decisions and Recommendations of the Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean

Decision 1
Assessment and Implementation of the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC):

12. At the Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers, a comprehensive report was presented on the execution of ILAC five years after its implementation, outlining the process since its adoption as part of the Implementation Plan of the World Summit on the Environment and Sustainable Development (Johannesburg 2002) and underscoring the steps taken towards its implementation at the national, sub-regional and regional levels, through the decisions of the Forum of Ministers and the actions undertaken by the countries to advance in the fulfilment of the objectives, goals and purposes of the Initiative, in accordance with the 25 main goals and 5 thematic areas.

13. In an effort to continue the implementation of ILAC, the Meeting of the Forum indicated that the priority action areas of the Initiative in which the Latin American and Caribbean Countries would focus their efforts during the 2008-2012 period would be as follows:

ILAC AREA / PRIORITIES
Climate Change ([1]) / Recognise the link between the topic with all the ILAC areas / (including renewable energies and energy efficiency
Biological Diversity / Increase in forest areas
Genetic resources – fair and equitable benefit sharing arising from their use
Water Resources Management / Watershed Management
Coastal-marine management and its resources
Vulnerability, human settlements and sustainable cities / Vulnerability and risk management
Solid waste
Social topics, including health inequality and poverty / Health and the environment (pollution and chemical substances)
Economic issues, including competitiveness, trade and production and consumption patterns (energy) / Sustainable consumption and production
Institutional aspects / Assessment and indicators
Environmental education

14. The Ministers reaffirmed the strengthening of the South-South cooperation between the Latin American and Caribbean countries, as a tool for knowledge transfer, sharing of best practices and techniques as well as other resources among the countries of the region, aimed at the implementation of ILAC.

15. To this end, UNEP has facilitated the implementation of regional and sub-regional proposals to strengthen the implementation of the Bali Strategic Plan for technology support and capacity building (Bali Strategic Plan) as well as South-South cooperation. The following are some examples of these activities:

  • Environmental policies and legislation: South-South cooperative actions such as the implementation of synergies between multilateral environmental agreements in four countries of the four sub-regions of the region were promoted; the Training Programme for Judges for the Protection of Biodiversity was strengthened, as well as the Latin American Environmental Law and Policies Programme, in which the countries exchange information and lessons learnt.
  • Sustainable consumption and production: Several national, sub-regional and regional workshops were conducted, in order to support the implementation of sustainable consumption and production programmes, and of sustainable public procurement, where the countries share information on national policies. Information can be found on the website of the sustainable consumption and production network of the region ().
  • Protection of the urban environment, including clean fuel, air quality, waste management, control of industrial pollution and the use of technology in the industry: With the creation of the Regional Authorities Network responsible for Air Pollution, a South-South cooperation area among the countries has been established and will be a source of information, exchange of experiences and recommendations.
  • Promotion of environmental education, awareness and participation of civil society: Training and knowledge exchange was achieved through the provision of support for participation in specialized university courses in the region.

16. Activities were also conducted in other areas such as environmental indicators; climate change, including energy; conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem management, including forests and environmental services; combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought, the management of arid and semi-arid zones; integrated coastal area management, including the protection of the marine and coastal environment as well as the sustainable use of land and marine resources and wildlife; coordination of positions on global environmental problems and in fora; and disaster management.

17. As a result of the assessment carried out by the Ministers in relation to the lessons learnt and the challenges faced in the implementation of the RAP, the Ministers decided to conduct a conceptual review of its structure and modes of execution during the inter-sessional period, with a view to evaluating the feasibility of joint programmes with agencies of the Inter-agency Technical Committee (ITC). This review would be prepared by the Government of Argentina, based on the elements presented during the meeting, and analyzed at this inter-sessional meeting (Panama City, Panama, 21-22 October 2009).

Decision 2
2008-2009 Regional Action Plan

18. The Sixteenth Forum of Ministers decided to develop a new matrix for the preparation of the 2008-2009 Regional Action Plan and requested UNEP, as Secretariat to the Forum, to propose a RAP for the 2008-2009 biennium, aimed at the implementation of the ILAC and focused on the set of actions agreed by the Forum of Ministers pursuant to Decision 1 of the Sixteenth Meeting, incorporating the comments made during the Preparatory Meeting of Experts.

19. As agreed, UNEP prepared the proposal, circulated it to the countries of the region for comments, after which the Secretariat distributed the final version for approval. The agreed final version was later sent out to the respective countries (Annex I of this document).

Decision 3
Composition and Mandate of the ITC

20. In order to fulfil the decision as well as continue support for the efforts undertaken by the countries of the region, the Inter-agency Technical Committee met in October 2008. The meeting agreed that the support provided by each agency would be within the framework of the mandate of their respective work programme.

21. The agencies, on the other hand, agreed to support the preparation of a report on the progress of the region in achieving Goal No. 7 of the Millennium Development Goals (ensure environmental sustainability), which will be presented in November 2009.

Decision 4
Operation of the Working Groups

22. The Forum of Ministers decided to establish six working groups which are open to all the countries of the region, subject to the fulfilment of paragraph 4 of this decision: a) Environmental Indicators; b) Risk Management; c) Access to Genetic Resources; d) Climate Change; e) Management of Coastal-Marine Areas and their Resources; and f) Environmental Education for Sustainable Management.

23. After making the pertinent consultations with the countries, several convocations, communication and exchanges with the coordinating countries, the Working Groups that continue to function are: Access to Genetic Resources, Climate Change, Environmental Education for Sustainable Development and Environmental Indicators.

Working Group / Members
Access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use / Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
UNEP
Climate Change / Panama, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, Suriname, Venezuela,
ECLAC, IADB, World Bank, UNDP
Environmental Education / Brazil, Antigua and Barbuda, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Surinam, Uruguay, Venezuela,
UNEP
Environmental Indicators / Costa Rica, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, Venezuela
ECLAC, UNEP
Risk Management / Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela
Management of Coastal-Marine Areas and their Resources / Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru

24. Following up on the agreements established by the decision of the Forum of Ministers, UNEP, in its capacity as Secretariat of the Forum, made several consultations to obtain information on the designation of focal points within the countries for the various Working Groups. Similarly, and in light of the convening of the Seventeenth Meeting of the Forum, country coordinators of the different Working Groups will be asked to send to the Secretariat, information on the activities carried out during the inter-sessional period. Based on information received, the Secretariat will compile the reports submitted by the Working Group Coordinators.

25. As Secretariat to the Forum, UNEP supported the countries in organizing and convening meetings for these groups. The work carried out in each of these groups is outlined in greater detail in the respective decisions on each topic.

Decision 5
Small Island Developing States

26. The Secretariat continues to work with the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the implementation of the SIDS Programme, designed in accordance with Decision 4 of the Forum of Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean held October 2003, and during subsequent meetings of the Forum (2005 in Caracas, Venezuela and 2008 in the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). The SIDS Caribbean Programme consists of six main components, namely:

a) A well-established and well-defined regional coordination and cooperation mechanism for the execution of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) for the Sustainable Development of SIDS.

b) A financial mechanism in the form of a Regional Sustainability Fund.

c) A technical programme that is focused on topics related to the environmental pillar of sustainable development and consisting of various partnership initiatives, namely: the Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Land Management; the Partnership Initiative on the Management of Coastal Aquifers; the Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Management of Non-Timber Forest Products – generating opportunities for the participation of the private sector and the creation of alternative sources of income for indigenous peoples and local communities; a Programme for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity of the Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean; and a South-South Cooperation Programme in the field of Trade and Environment.

d) A South-South horizontal cooperation programme, starting with activities in the Latin American countries and the Caribbean SIDS. These activities include technologies relating to renewable energy, land degradation, water resources, with special emphasis on the management of coastal resources, bio-security, trade and environment, climate change, disaster management and integrated management of the Caribbean Sea.

e) a Civil Society Support Programme with five principal elements:

(i)Development of a Regional Programme, based on the environmental community and public awareness in support of the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action, and

(ii)a project entitled “Your change for a better environment”.

f) A special focus component highlighting specific initiatives in a number of selected countries. These special focus initiatives are based on agreements that have made between the Executive Director who acts on behalf of UNEP and the respective Ministers of the Environment on behalf of the participating country.