Publication of the Independent Review Committee Report to the Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation

During the Fifth Regular Session of Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) on June 25 and 26 in Mérida, Yucatán, the Independent Review Committee, which was appointed last year by the Council, presented its report on the operations and effectiveness of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the environmental side agreement of NAFTA. The Committee's report presented Council with valuable recommendations and insights for a long-term vision of the Agreement and its institutions.

The Independent Review Committee is composed of León Bendesky, Barbara Bramble and Stephen Owen. Mr. Bendesky, an associate at ERI Economic Consultants, based in Mexico City, was formerly a professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) and an economist at the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies. Ms. Bramble, Senior Director for International Affairs of the National Wildlife Federation in Washington, DC, has had extensive international experience in the area of sustainable development. Mr. Owen, Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, has held many positions of responsibility on environmental issues, including serving as Commissioner of Resources and Environment for the Province of British Columbia.