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Published in Summer 2004
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CEC: The next decade starts today
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When Canada, Mexico and the United States entered into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, we took the unprecedented step of matching a commitment to expand international trade among our countries with a commitment to cooperate in protecting our common environment.
Beyond the environmental provisions of that free trade agreement, our countries signed an innovative accord—the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC)—with the mandate to protect and enhance the environment in North America in the context of increasing economic and social ties.
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The first in a series of posters showing a timeline of CEC accomplishments |
Another first, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, created by the NAAEC, is unique among international environmental organizations: the first created in parallel with an international trade agreement, the first to link countries at different stages of development, and the first to embed public engagement and scrutiny at the heart of its operations.
Just as NAFTA sought to dismantle barriers to trade and investment, the NAAEC sought to build bridges to environmental sustainability. Together, the environmental provisions of NAFTA and the NAAEC mark our determination to couple economic growth and liberalization of trade with international cooperation and an upward harmonization of environmental standards and performance in each of our territories.
This year, of course, marks the tenth anniversary of the NAAEC. And, as such, it's appropriate that we look back and measure our progress at the same time we look forward and chart our future direction.
Last fall, the CEC Council mandated the Ten-year Review and Advisory Committee (TRAC), composed of two representatives from each of the three NAFTA countries, to assess NAAEC's implementation over its first decade and provide recommendations for the future.
The TRAC committee's final report has just been presented to the Council of the CEC and to the public. I invite everyone to review the report, and its recommendations in full at <www.cec.org>. In brief, however, the TRAC committee found:
- The CEC was and remains a unique, innovative and important institution. The CEC has helped both to demonstrate that the continent is a collection of linked ecosystems and to create a sense of continental environmental consciousness. The CEC has also facilitated more fluid cooperation among Canada, the United States and Mexico and their various stakeholder groups by broadening their relationships and increasing the number and range of their contacts.
- As well as promoting regional environmental cooperation, the CEC plays an important role in addressing the issues around environment and trade. Its work in this area provides the basis for proactive policies to mitigate the possible negative environmental effects of market integration and enhance its possible beneficial effects.
- The CEC has pursued both its environmental cooperation agenda and its environment and trade agenda in active collaboration with civil society. It has involved the public of all three countries in its research work, promoted dialogue and information exchange through continental networks of individuals sharing the same interests and created an increasingly valuable body of knowledge on North American environmental issues.
- The three Parties have benefited significantly from the NAAEC. While Mexico had already revised its environmental legislation prior to the NAAEC, the Agreement facilitated progress in a number of areas, including pesticide control and pollution prevention. Environmental awareness and the government's commitment to the environment have both grown, driven in part by the public participation process the CEC has introduced.
In general, the TRAC report notes that the NAAEC stands out for its provisions for public participation and for the unprecedented commitment by the three governments to account internationally for the enforcement of their environmental laws. These provisions make the CEC an international model.
Looking forward, it is expected the TRAC report, both in terms of the lessons learned from the first ten years and the priorities defined by its authors, will be of great importance in guiding the CEC Council as it charts our future direction.
With this in mind, the TRAC report identifies a number of areas and issues that need attention if the CEC is to realize its full potential. Among these is the need for greater engagement on the part of the environment ministers of our three countries—calling on them to renew their commitment to the CEC as the premier body for trilateral environmental cooperation and for assessing the environmental implications of trade.
Similarly, the report calls on the CEC to do a better job of engaging key constituencies, including business and academic interests. A sharper focus in the program activities of the Secretariat is seen as necessary to deliver demonstrated results in the face of growing expectations and diminished resources. To that end, the report notes the need for renewed funding from the Parties and the need for leveraged resources through contributions and partnerships.
Finally, in addition to underlining the importance of the CEC's inclusion of civil society in its activities, the report focuses on the need to integrate capacity building into the CEC's activities, with an emphasis on helping Mexican institutions and organizations to play a greater role.
Ten years hence, what will be the state of the North American environment? Will our air be cleaner, our water pure and abundant, our energy more secure and renewable, our precious habitat and rich biodiversity better protected? Will we, at a continental level, be closer to our goal of truly sustainable development?
No one knows, of course. What we do know is the choices we make today have a profound impact on whether we reach that future. The TRAC report makes it clear that a key step is for the governments and peoples of North America to build upon the cooperative agenda inherent in the NAAEC, and to realize the opportunities for environmental enhancement afforded by our growing economic and social ties.
Our future is up to us. The next decade starts today.
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