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Latin America and the Caribbean:
environmental priorities in a
region of contrasts
XIX Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment
of Latin America and the Caribbean
11-14 March 2014, Los Cabos, Mexico
Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for
Sustainable Development (ILAC)
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Adopted in 2002 by the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin
American and the Caribbean (in the margins of Earth Summit)
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Framework of 7 priority areas, specific activities, guiding goals and
indicators
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Implemented by activities of governments through the Regional Action
Plan (RAP) a biennial-cycle matrix
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Inter-Agency Technical Committee offers technical and operational
guidance and facilitates mobilization of funding—currently UNEP
(Secretariat of Forum), IDB, UNDP, World Bank, ECLAC
ILAC areas and RAP priorities at a glance
Why look at subregional organizations?
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Ensure ILAC priorities resonate in diverse subregions
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Build on and scale up work based on subregional priorities and
strategy documents
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Support regional synergies and cooperation between
subregions
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Take into account that many actors participate at the regional
and subregional level (Forums of Environment Ministers)
Subregional and regional entities
Latin America and the Caribbean (regional)
ALBA Group
Community of Latin America and
Caribbean States (CELAC)
• All 33 countries in region
• Incorporates Montego Bay
Action Plan
• Specialized ministerial meetings
on a number of themes
Development Banks
• Latin American Development
Bank (CAF)—Environmental
Strategy
• Inter-American Development
Bank—Sustainability Report
and annual lending target on
climate change, renewable
Ibero-American Forum of
energy and environmental
Ministers of Environment
sustainability
• Eight countries from Latin
America and Caribbean
• Joint Declaration of 2004 (12
principles and priorities)
• Joint statements on
environment and climate change
issues
•Committee for Nature
Protection
• Grannational projects
Organization of American States
(OAS)
• 35 States of Americas, 67 other
observers
• Declaration and Plan of Action on
Sustainable Development of
Americas
•Inter-American Meetings of
Ministers and High-level Authorities
on Sustainable Development
Central America
Meso-American Strategy for
Environmental Sustainability (EMSA)
•Based on a process of consensus
among Ministers in the region
• Council of Ministers and Technical
Committees on priority themes
• Strategy and Plan of Action 20132016 focused on three priority
areas—biodiversity and forests;
climate change; sustainable
competitiveness
Central American Commission for
Environment and Development (CCAD)
• Organ of the Central American Integration
System (SICA)
• Environmental Plan of the Central
American Region (PARCA)
• PARCA III 2010-2014 focuses on
environmental governance, strengthening
of institutions, management of natural
heritage and priority ecosystems, climate
change
• Regional Strategy for Climate Change
• Many other thematic protocols and
strategies
Caribbean
Association of Caribbean States
(ACS)
• 25 member States in wider
Caribbean region
• Priorities include sustainable
tourism, disaster risk reduction,
preservation and conservation of
the Caribbean Sea—Caribbean
Sea Commission
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
• Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas—
move to Single Market and
Economy—various environmental
protection provisions
• Port of Spain Accord (1989)
• CARICOM Environment and Natural
Resources Policy Framework under
development
Cartagena Convention for the
Protection and Development of
the Marine Environment in the
Wider Caribbean Region
• Ratified by 25 UN Members in
Wider Caribbean
• Three thematic protocols—oil
spills; specially protected areas
and wildlife; pollution from landbased sources
Organisation of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS)
• Nine small island members and
associate members in eastern
Caribbean
• St George´s Declaration of
Principles for Environmental
Sustainability in the OECS (21
principles)—framework for
monitoring and regional indicators
South America
Amazon Cooperation Treaty
Organization
Andean Community
• Currently Bolivia, Colombia,
Ecuador and Peru
• Andean Council of Ministers of
Environmental and Sustainable
Development Affairs
• Andean Environmental Agenda
2012-2016 (priorities on
biodiversity, climate change,
water resources)
Union of South American
Nations (UNASUR)
• 12 South American
countries
• 2012 UNASUR Conference
on Natural Resources and
Integrated Development of
the Region
• Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,
Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Surinam,
Venezuela
• Amazon Strategic Cooperation
Agenda (8 priority topics,
including “Conservation,
protection and sustainable use
of renewable natural resources”)
Gran Chaco Americano
• Subregional Programme
of Action includes
Argentina, Bolivia and
Paraguay
• Focus includes socioeconomic development
and preventing land
degradation
Mercosur
• Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay,
Uruguay, Venezuela
• Environmental protection covered in
the Asunción Treaty
• Framework Agreement on the
Environment of Mercosur (14 priority
actions)
• A number of other protocols,
agreements, policies
• Meetings of Environment Ministers
and Working Group on Environment
Priorities in nearly every subregion
Climate change
Biodiversity, natural resources, ecosystems,
protected areas
Water resource management
Priorities in many subregions (over half studied)
Energy efficiency &
renewable energy
Education and awareness
Science, technology, innovation
Governance and
institutions
Other selected subregional priorities
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Air pollution
Chemicals and wastes
Desertification and drought
Fisheries
Food security
Forests
Health and disease
Indigenous peoples
Land use planning
Marine and coastal management
Natural disasters
Noise
Poverty eradication
Social policies
Sustainable cities
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Sustainable tourism
Cross-cutting
priorities
• Information and
indicators
• Financing
• South-South and
regional cooperation
Lessons learned
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There are many subregional and regional strategies on sustainable
development and environment in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Developed by institutions with a diversity of focus—regional
integration, foreign relations, trade, sustainable development,
technical cooperation
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Some strategies are quite focused on a few issues of transboundary
concern, whereas others cover a broad range of issues
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Many involve periodic meetings of environment ministers
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Secretariat and financial resources are key in translating strategies
to implementation
Next steps and possible discussion questions
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Are the ILAC priorities still relevant?
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Which are the highest priority “emerging issues”, including those
reflected in the priorities and strategies of different subregional and
regional bodies?
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Which of these emerging issues are best “scaled up” and reflected
in a regional strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean?
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How can we strengthen the regional partnership to support more
effective implementation regional and subregional strategies?