| Montreal, 27/06/2000 – During its Seventh Regular Session the Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) instructed the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) to develop a mechanism to assist the Council in resolving issues concerning implementation of the CEC's citizen submission process.
JPAC held its second Regular Session for 2000 on 11-13 June in Irving, Texas, in conjunction with the Council Session. Over the course of the three days, JPAC received comments from the public and met twice with the Council to discuss issues of concern and advise on priorities for the coming year (see below).
The issue of implementation and further elaboration of Articles 14 and 15 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), which form the basis of the citizen submission process, has been of pressing concern for both the JPAC and the public, as indicated by the urgent calls for action received over the last few weeks. JPAC received numerous comments on the matter from members of the public from Canada, Mexico and the United States during both the public portion of the Council session and the JPAC regular session.
Council responded by adopting Resolution 00-09, which states that these issues may be referred to JPAC so that it may conduct a public review and provide advice to Council. Such issues can be brought to the attention of the Council by any Party, the CEC Secretariat, members of the public through the JPAC, or the JPAC itself. In addition, any decision taken by the Council following advice received by the JPAC will be explained in writing by the Parties and made public.
JPAC accepts this mandate with enthusiasm. It is an excellent demonstration of how common action from North American citizens can bring about successful results. It also provides an opportunity to develop a transparent, flexible and predictable mechanism to review implementation issues as they arise. JPAC is committed to ensuring that these efforts be fully open to public scrutiny. Once an initial mechanism is designed, it will be released for public comment.
Until the public review mechanism is developed, JPAC welcomes information on issues or matters that JPAC should consider. They can be sent to Manon Pepin at the CEC Secretariat: e-mail: mpepin@ccemtl.org, fax: (514) 350-4314 or telephone: (514) 350-4366.
Other Issues Discussed with Council
In addition to its discussion on the citizen submission process, JPAC recommended to Council to move ahead on the development of a North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) for lead. JPAC also suggested to include work on children's health and the environment into the existing CEC work program and to organize a joint meeting of environment and health ministers of the three countries.
JPAC strongly recommended that Council reestablish the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation's (NAFEC) budget to the original level of US$1.5 million, while at the same time providing additional support to the CEC's work program. However, JPAC stressed that project phase-out schedules should be better defined in order to coordinate taking on new projects. In addition, JPAC encouraged the Council to approve the revised Guidance Document-Improving Environmental Performance and Compliance: 10 Elements of Effective Environmental Management Systems.
JPAC also participated in a Workshop on Citizen Participation in Enforcement Activities, organized by the North American Working Group on Environmental Enforcement Compliance Cooperation, which brought together stakeholders and government representatives from the three countries to discuss mechanisms for public participation in environmental law enforcement and compliance promotion. A joint plenary with the US National and Governmental Advisory Committees on critical and emerging trends in North America was also held.
Finally, JPAC plans to provide advice to Council to support the CEC Secretariat's proposed Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.
JPAC's next regular session will be held on 13-14 October in Washington, DC, immediately following the North American Symposium on Understanding the Linkages between Trade and Environment to be held 11-12 October in the same location. More details about this meeting will be available soon.
The JPAC advice to Council, report to Council on the plenary discussions, and the session summary record will be available soon. Recent advice to Council and other JPAC documents are available on the JPAC web page or by request to Jocelyne Morin at the CEC Secretariat, e-mail: jmorin@ccemtl.org, fax: (514) 350-4314, or telephone: (514) 350-4316.
The CEC was established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to build cooperation among the NAFTA partners in implementing the NAAEC, the environmental side accord to NAFTA. The CEC addresses environmental issues of continental concern, with particular attention to the environmental challenges and opportunities presented by continent-wide free trade.
The Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) is a 15-member, independent, volunteer body that provides advice and public input to Council on any matter within the scope of NAAEC. | 
