| Montreal, 29/04/2002 – The chair of the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America, Mr. Jon Plaut, is pleased to announce that Mr. Victor Lichtinger, Mexico's Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, has nominated three new members to JPAC-Mindahi Crescencio Bastida-Muñoz, Adriana Nelly Correa Sandoval, and Carlos Sandoval Olvera-completing that country's delegation.
Mr. Plaut stated: "With their background and extensive experience, these three new JPAC members will make a valuable contribution to our committee. I look forward to working closely with them to promote the importance of the environmental issues in North America."
Mr. Bastida-Muñoz is chairman of the Mexican Council for Sustainable Development (COMEDES, AC), an organization that promotes sustainable development projects and research and is based in the state of Mexico. He is also coordinator of the Regional Otomí Council of Alto Lerma, an indigenous council promoting the self-determination and autonomy of the Otomí people. Mr. Bastida-Muñoz holds an M.A. in political science from Carleton University and is currently pursuing doctoral studies in social sciences at El Colegio Mexiquense. He acts as a consultant to the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), is the author of Trade Rules and Sustainability in the Americas, edited by IISD, and edited the book, Trade, Environment and Sustainable Development: Perspectives from Latin America and the Caribbean, produced by UNEP-ROLAC, and others. He has also published writings on relations between the state and indigenous peoples, intercultural education, intellectual property rights to indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge of biodiversity, and other issues. In 2002, Mr. Bastida-Muñoz was named a member of the Mexican National Preparatory Committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Ms. Correa Sandoval is a professor at the Center for Environmental Quality (Centro de Calidad Ambiental) of the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), where she works on development planning projects including ecoregional planning, environmental management and management plans for priority sites and protected nature areas. Teacher of conservation biology course and coordinator of conservation and sustainable development studies. A biologist with a master's degree in environmental systems, she has researched the ecology of bats and parrots, jungle regeneration and the economic valuation of ecological services. She has been co-editor and co-author of textbooks and articles on conservation, biodiversity and sustainable development, and the founding associate of Pronatura Noreste, a conservationist civil association stressing community participation.
Mr. Carlos Sandoval Olvera is a civil engineer and president of the Mexican National Council of Industrial Ecologists (Consejo Nacional de Industriales Ecologistas de México, A.C.-Conieco). Based in Mexico City, this nongovernmental business organization representing more than 1,000 small and medium-size industries promotes the reduction of pollution in industrial processes and Mexican industry's support for the environment. Carlos Sandoval, who holds a master's degree in administrative science, also is currently a member of the following advisory boards: Mexico City Metropolitan Environmental Commission; Council for Pollution Reduction and Environmental Evaluation of the Government of the Federal District (Conserva); Advisory Committee for the Urban Strategy Initiative of the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Andean Development Corporation; the International Union of Air Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Associations in Brighton, England; the National Preparatory Committee for the Johannesburg Summit; Inter-American Program for Environmental Technology Cooperation in the Organization of American States (OAS); Transparency Working Group in the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales-Semarnat); and the Business Coordinating Council.
JPAC's next regular session will be held in conjunction with the Regular Session of Council (the environment ministers of Canada, Mexico and the United States) on 17-19 June in Ottawa, Canada. The appropriate information and the registration form for this meeting are available on the CEC's web site at <http://www.cec.org>, as well as documents related to the Committee, including the list of the JPAC members and its Advice to Council, or upon request to Manon Pepin at the CEC Secretariat by e-mail: <mpepin@ccemtl.org>, fax: (514) 350-4314 or telephone: (514) 350-4366.
The CEC was established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to build cooperation among the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners in implementing the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (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.
JPAC is a 15-member, independent, volunteer body that provides advice and public input to Council on any mater within the scope of the NAAEC.
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