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Published in Fall 2005
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JPAC charts its own strategic path
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By Jane Gardner
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Earlier in 2005, the CEC adopted a "Strategic Plan" to guide its activities over the next five years, setting goals and objectives with measurable achievements. The Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) members, five from each country appointed by that country's government, decided to use the opportunity to chart its own strategic path. JPAC spent months developing the plan, using the main objectives and goals of the CEC as a basis for its work.
Our goal was to articulate how JPAC could work with the rest of the CEC in helping it succeed with its Strategic Plan and ensuring full public participation and transparency in the process. In addition, JPAC received a commissioned report this year analyzing its challenges and accomplishments over the past 10 years, and much thought has been given to how to build upon successes and meet challenges that have arisen as the process has matured.
In its Strategic Plan, the CEC adopted three priorities, or "pillars," as the focus of its program. The first, Information for Decision-making, focuses on ensuring that decision-makers in Canada, Mexico and the United States have the best environmental information in order to make sound decisions. The second, Capacity Building, intends to strengthen the capacity of government, industry and civil society to manage environmental issues of common concern. The third, Trade and Environment, is designed to promote a better understanding of the impacts of trade and environment on each other.
JPAC adopted these three pillars and focused on how to ensure transparency and public participation in achieving these goals.
First, on the CEC pillar of Information for Decision-making, JPAC has committed to fully receive and disseminate information to and from the public, with a goal of ensuring that the interests of all stakeholders, including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), industry, local citizens, and others, are represented. We are aware that there are many approaches to environmental belief systems, including the western scientific approach, native traditions, and other backgrounds. We hope to provide a venue in which all different stakeholders have a say and can entertain a principled and broad debate on the issues at hand.
Second, on the CEC pillar of Capacity Building, JPAC plans to conduct a mid-term (2007–08) review of how the CEC implementation of its strategic plan has improved capacity in the areas it addresses. We intend to sponsor at least one forum to discuss the role of the private and public sectors in ensuring that the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) goals are met. We emphasize the input of indigenous groups throughout North America, but do not shirk the interests of other stakeholders as well.
Third, on the CEC pillar of Trade and Environment, the foundation of the NAAEC agreement, our goal is to sponsor workshops on this critical issue, provide "state-of-art" information to the public and CEC members on topics such as "green" marketing, sustainable use, and ensuring environmental protection in the North American trade process.
These are ambitious goals, but critical to the environmental success of NAFTA and a model for future trade agreements worldwide. JPAC members are dedicated environmental professionals who hope to use their experience and the opportunities afforded by the NAAEC to create a paradigm of public participation and transparency in the NAFTA process as it affects the environment we all share.
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