The Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) has been asked by the Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to review and report on the lessons learned from the public history of citizen submissions under Articles 14 and 15 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). In preparing this Report, we have been conscious of the importance of the Articles 14 and 15 submission process as a vehicle for public oversight of the enforcement of environmental laws by the Parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and as a possible model for similar efforts under other trade agreements within the Americas and the world. We have therefore attempted to identify both the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles 14 and 15 process as revealed in the history of Submissions since 1995 and to suggest, in light of the lessons learned from that experience, practical suggestions to make the Articles 14 and 15 process more timely, open, equitable, and effective. |
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