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The XXI Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 9-12 October 2018.

In this session, the ministers followed up on the agreements signed at the XX Meeting of the forum, which took place in Cartagena, Colombia, in March 2016.

The ministers addressed priority issues of the 33 countries of the region related to the fight against pollution, decarbonization of the economy, efficient use of natural resources and green financing, among others.

The ministers also discussed innovative solutions to enhance ecosystems’ benefits, environmental justice and governance, and the instrumental role of cooperation in honoring international commitments.

"Latin America and the Caribbean participates with a strong voice in the global debate about the multilateral solutions to our great environmental challenges. I am sure that this Forum of Ministers in Argentina will be a concrete and crucial contribution to that dialogue," said Leo Heileman, UN Environment regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Forum of Ministers worked on the regional contributions to the fourth meeting of the UN Environment Assembly, which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, 11-15 March 2019. The Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, will bring nations together to discuss innovative solutions to environmental challenges and sustainable production and consumption.

Read the press release here.

The Ministerial Segment of the XXI Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean will take place on October 11 and 12, 2018, in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires.

Thematic dialogues will be held with the participation of ministers, special guests and members of the Interagency Technical Committee.

The agreements of the Forum will be adopted on Friday, October 12. In addition, this meeting will serve as the regional preparatory body for the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from March 11 to 15, 2019.

Agenda

Thursday 11 October 2018

08:30 – 09:00 REGISTRATION

09:00 – 09:30 OPENING OF THE MEETING

Speakers:

  • Chair of the XXI Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, Rabbi Sergio Bergman, Secretary of Government of Environment and Sustainable Development of Argentina.
  • UN EnvironmentDeputy Executive Director, Joyce Msuya.
  • Chair of the IV UN Environment Assembly, Mr. Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment of Estonia.
  • Ambassador of the European Union in Argentina, Aude Maio-Coliche.

09:30 – 09:45 ORGANIZATION OF THE WORK

  • Adoption of the rules of the meeting.
  • Presentation and approval of the agenda and schedule of the meeting

09:45 – 10:15 Coffee Break

10:15 – 11:30 DIALOGUE ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR COOPERATION AND FINANCING OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA

11:30 – 13:00  FIRST MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE: INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO DETOXIFY OUR ENVIRONMENT

  • Beyond 2020 Chemicals Agenda
  • Marine Litter with focus on water quality

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 16:00 SECOND MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE: INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO DECARBONIZE OUR ENVIRONMENT

  • Long term development strategies: Resilient infrastructures and Risk mapping
  • Clean transport and electric mobility
  • Planning and monitoring adaptation
  • The Regional Platform on Climate change of the Forum of Ministers: opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation

16:00 - 16:30 Coffee Break

16:30 – 18:00 THIRD MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE: INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR DECOUPLING

  • Sustainable cities as a transversal and integrating axis for decoupling
  • Sustainable public procurement
  • Sustainable construction
  • Innovative and sustainable entrepreneurship

Friday 12 October 2018

09:00 – 10:30 FOURTH MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE: INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE THE BENEFITS OF ECOSYSTEMS

  • Green infrastructure: forest restoration
  • Governance and sustainable use of biodiversity in protected areas
  • Integration of biodiversity in productive economic sectors

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:00 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AS A CONTROL BOARD FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC POLICIES TOWARDS INTEGRATED AND MAINSTREAMED SUSTAINABILITY

12:00 – 13:00 ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS, GOVERNANCE AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE ON ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 14:15 REVISION OF THE AGREEMENTS OF THE FORUM AND REGIONAL POLITICAL DECLARATION

14:15 – 14:30 ADOPTION OF THE AGREEMENTS OF THE FORUM AND REGIONAL POLITICAL DECLARATION

14:30 – 15:00 ELECTION OF THE BUREAU

15:00 – 16:00 CLOSURE OF THE MEETING

Download the agenda of the Ministerial Meeting here.

The Meeting of High Level Officials of the XXI Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean will be held on October 9 and 10, 2018 in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires.

Delegates will have the opportunity to review the progress of the implementation of decisions adopted in the previous forum, and to prepare recommendations for the ministerial segment, as a prior step to the agreements to be adopted by the XXI Forum.

This meeting will also serve as the regional preparatory body for the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from March 11 to 15, 2019.

Agenda

Tuesday, 9 October 2018

08:30 – 09:00 REGISTRATION

9:00 – 09:30 OPENING OF THE MEETING

09:30 – 10:00 ORGANIZATION OF THE WORK

  • Adoption of the rules of the meeting.
  • Presentation and approval of the agenda and schedule of the meeting.

10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break

10: 30 –11:30 BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PROGRESS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISIONS ADOPTED AT THE XX MEETING OF THE FORUM

11:30 – 13:00: PREPARATION FOR THE MINISTERIAL DIALOGUES 

FIRST MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE: INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO DETOXIFY OUR ENVIRONMENT

  • Beyond 2020 Chemicals Agenda.
  • Marine Litter with focus on water quality and waste management.

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 15:30 SECOND MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE: INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO DECARBONIZE OUR ENVIRONMENT

  • Long term development strategies: Resilient infrastructures and Risk mapping
  • Clean Transport and Electric mobility

15.30 – 17:00 THIRD MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE: INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR DECOUPLING

  • Sustainable, resilient and efficient cities as a transversal and integrating axis for Decoupling
  • Sustainable public procurement
  • Sustainable construction
  • Sustainable entrepreneurship

17:00 – 17:30 Coffee Break

 17:30 – 19:00 FOURTH MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE: INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE THE BENEFITS OF ECOSYSTEMS

  • Green infrastructure: forest restoration
  • Governance and sustainable use of biodiversity in Protected Areas
  • Integration of biodiversity in economic productive sectors

Wednesday, 10 October 2018

09:00 – 9:30 RECAP OF THE FIRST DAY

9:30 - 10:30 REGIONAL PREPARATION FOR THE IV SESSION OF THE UN ENVIRONMENT ASSEMBLY

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:30 REGIONAL PREPARATION FOR THE IV SESSION OF THE UN ENVIRONMENT ASSEMBLY (CONTINUATION)

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch

13:30 – 15:30 REVIEW OF THE AGREEMENTS OF THE FORUM AND REGIONAL POLITICAL DECLARATION

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break

16.00 – 17.30 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION FOR THE MINISTERIAL SEGMENT

18.30 CLOSING OF THE PREPARATORY MEETING

Download the provisional agenda here.

 

List of hotels with special rates for Forum participants:

Hotel Sheraton Retiro. See more. 

NH Hoteles. See more.

OUTCOME DOCUMENTS

Buenos Aires Declaration [español] [english]

Decisions [español] [english]

Report of the Preparatory Meeting of High-Level Officials [español] [english]

Final Report of the XXI Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean [español] [english]

Statement of the Major Groups and stakeholders to the XXI Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean [español] [english]

Final Report of the Regional Consultative Meeting of the Major Groups and Stakeholders ofLatin America and the Caribbean. [english]

 

WORKING DOCUMENTS 

Preparatory High-Level Experts Segment

Agenda Preparatory Meeting UNEP/LAC-IGWG.XXI/1

Provisional Annotated Agenda Preparatory Meeting UNEP/LAC-IGWG.XXI/2

Summary of the progress made in the implementation of the Decisions of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean UNEP/LAC-IGWG.XXI/3

Ministerial Segment

Agenda of the Ministerial Segment UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/1

Provisional Annotated Agenda Ministerial Segment  UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/2

Concept paper: Finance as a tool to promote the implementation of the Environmental Agenda in the countries of the region UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/3

Concept paper: Innovative solutions to detoxify our environment UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/4

Concept paper: Innovative solutions to decarbonize our environment UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/5

Concept paper: Innovative solutions for decoupling UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/6

Concept paper: Innovative solutions to enhance the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystems UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/7

SDGs as a Control Board for the Management of Public Policies towards Integrated and Mainstreamed Sustainability UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/8

Environmental Justice Governance and Access to Justice on Environmental Matters UNEP/LAC-IG.XXI/9

 

INFORMATION DOCUMENTS

List of Documents UNEP/LAC- IGWG.XXI/Inf.1

List of Participants UNEP/LAC- IGWG. XXI/Inf.2

Information Note for Participants UNEP/LAC- IGWG. XXI /Inf.3

 

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS 

Waste Management Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean. [español] [english]

Final Report of the Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, Cartagena, Colombia. (28-31 March 2016) UNEP/LAC-IG.XX/5 [español] [english]

  • Decisions of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, Cartagena, Colombia. [español] [english]
  • Cartagena Declaration. [español] [english]

Consulta Regional de la sociedad civil de América Latina y el Caribe en preparación a la Asamblea de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Medio Ambiente, 7 y 8 de Junio, Puntarenas, Costa Rica - UNEP/LAC-IC.1.2017/Ref.1. [español] (Spanish only)

Rules of Procedure [español] [english]

Recommendations of the Environmental Training Network UNEP/LAC.IGWG.XXI/Ref.2 [español] [english]

Informe de la Reunión Regional de Expertos sobre Indicadores de Consumo y Producción Sostenible en el Marco de la Iniciativa de América Latina y el Caribe para el Desarrollo Sostenible (ILAC) y los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) (Panamá 2 y 3 de agosto 2016) (Spanish only)

Informe del Taller Internacional Sobre Oportunidades y Desafíos de los Sistemas Agroalimentarios Sostenibles en América Latina y el Caribe (Panamá, 6 y 7 de junio de 2017) (Spanish only)

One Planet SDG 12.1.1 Pilot Reporting & country needs assessment Webinar [english]

Report: Priority Issues on Chemicals and Waste Management for Latin America and the Caribbean and Potential Priority Cooperation Activities for 2018-2019. [español] [english]

Meeting Report - Executive Committee of the Regional Council of Governments Experts on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) (5 April 2017,Brazil) [español] [english]

Meeting Report - South-South Cooperation Conference on Sustainable Consumption and Production (Brasilia-Brazil 6-7 April 2017) [español] [english]

Mexico resolution on the establishment of the Forum of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean on sustainable development - 700(XXXVI). [español] [english]

Second annual report on the progress and challenges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. [español] [english]

Escazú Agreement. [español] [english]

UN Environmental Rights Initiative.

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