Latin American Environmental Ministers to Meet in the Dominican Republic
Representatives from 33 countries will meet in the Dominican Republic to examine the regional environmental situation at the XVI Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin American and the Caribbean to be held on November 8-14.
Climate change, integrated ecosystems management, transversal nature and possibilities of environmental policies and new strategies to stop the deterioration of natural resources will be some of the topics explored at the regional meeting.
The Dominican Secretary of State for Environment and Natural Resources, Omar Ramírez, explained that the meeting will be taking place five years after the approval of the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC) whose aim is to fulfill the mandates of the Social Summit on Sustainable Development.
“We are going to evaluate the achievements made by our countries in their effort to reverse the deterioration of natural resources and to analyze the challenges that still lie ahead within the framework of the Initiative,” Ramírez said. He added that the ministers at the meeting will also pay special attention to the impact of population growth on the environment and natural resources.
“As we go into the future, we face the challenge of strengthening environmental policies in order to confront the sustainability goals laid out in the Objectives of Development in the Millennium,” Ramirez said. The ministerial meeting is being held under the auspices of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). Regional UNEP representative Ricardo Sánchez will also be present at the meeting.
National Report
Participating officials at the meeting will present a national report on the achievements in their own countries in their struggle to reverse environmental degradation and on actions being carried out to promote the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC). The meeting of environmental ministers will be preceded by a Caribbean ministerial meeting and a Preparatory Meeting of Experts who will debate proposals to improve the Regional Action Program (RAP) which is encouraging nations in the region to reach the stated objectives of ILAC.
The specialists will review implications and effects that future international environmental negotiations might have for the region in terms of climate change and biological diversity. They will also identify priority areas to guarantee that in the upcoming four years the nations of this hemisphere will concentrate its resources and its efforts.
The Preparatory Meeting of Experts, according to UNEP, will approach the question of participation of Latin and Caribbean countries in relative international initiatives for the improvement of air quality and cleaner fuel sources.
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