| Montreal, 12/02/1997 – The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was created in 1994 by the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) to facilitate cooperation and public participation to foster conservation, protection and enhancement of the North American environment for the benefit of present and future generations, in the context of increasing economic, trade and social links between Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The CEC consists of a Council of cabinet level officials - composed of Canadian Environment Minister Christine Stewart, Mexican Secretary of the Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries, Julia Carabias, and US EPA Administrator, Carol Browner - a Secretariat and a Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC).
The Agreement requires the Council to conduct a review of the operations and effectiveness of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation in 1997.
To ensure an objective review, at its regular session in June 1997 the Council decided to establish an independent Review Committee with one member from each country.
This Committee is composed of Leon Bendesky, Barbara Bramble and Stephen Owen. Mr. Bendesky, an associate at ERI economic consultants, based in Mexico City, and 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 the International Affairs of National Wildlife Federation in Washington, DC, in the United States, has extensive international experience on sustainable development. Mr. Owen, Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Victoria, Canada, and among many other positions of responsibility on environmental issues, has been the Commissioner of Resources and Environment for the province of British Columbia.
The public is invited to participate in this process by sending their comments on the operation and effectiveness of the NAAEC to the Review Committee. The CEC Secretariat will acknowledge receipt of all comments and transmit them verbatim (with translation attached) to the Review Committee. Comments can be sent to the Review Committee in care of the CEC Secretariat in Montreal or the CEC Liaison Office in Mexico City:
| NAAEC Review Committee | Comité de revisión del ACAAN |
| Commission for Environmental Cooperation | Comisión para la cooperación ambiental |
| 393 St. Jacques West | Pedro Romero de Terreros #10 |
| Suite 200 | Colonia del Valle, Benito Juárez, |
| Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1N9 | México, D.F. 03100 |
| Fax: (514) 350-4314 | Fax: (525) 543-5576 |
| e-mail: public@ccemtl.org | e-mail: public@ccemtl.org |
The Council's final report pursuant to the review of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation will be made available to the public in early 1998 and will include the Review Committee's report to Council. A summary of the Council's final report will be included in the CEC 1997 Annual Report.
FORMAT FOR COMMENTS: In order to ensure equal treatment to all respondents your comments should not exceed 1000 words. Please include your comments, your name, the name of your organization, and its address, telephone, fax number and e-mail address with your comments.
DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS: Please make sure that your comments are sent before 31 January, 1998.
Information about the CEC can be found through the CEC WebSite at http://www.cec.org or a copy of CEC publications can be obtained by contacting the CEC Secretariat directly at (514) 350-4300 in Montreal or at (525) 543-7091 in Mexico City.
To guide people less familiar with the NAAEC, a background document on the agreement is provided below:
The NAAEC has seven parts:
1. Objectives
- foster the protection and improvement of the environment in the territories of the Parties for the well-being of present and future generations;
- promote sustainable development based on cooperation and mutually supportive environmental and economic policies;
- increase cooperation between the Parties to better conserve, protect, and enhance the environment, including wild flora and fauna;
- support the environmental goals and objectives of the NAFTA;
- avoid creating trade distortions or new trade barriers;
- strengthen cooperation on the development and improvement of environmental laws, regulations, procedures, policies and practices;
- enhance compliance with, and enforcement of, environmental laws and regulations;
- promote transparency and public participation in the development of environmental laws, regulations and policies;
- promote economically efficient and effective environmental measures; and
- promote pollution prevention policies and practices.
2. Obligations
3. The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
4. Cooperation and provision of information
5. Consultation and resolution of disputes
6. General provisions
7. Final provisions
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation is made up of three parts: the Council, the Joint Public Advisory Committee, and the Secretariat.
The key processes of the CEC are:
Annual Cooperative Work Program:
a) Work on Specific Agreement Commitments
b) Work on Identified Priorities
North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation
Secretariat Reports
Submissions on Enforcement Matters
Consultation and Dispute Resolution
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