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November 14, 2006
Representatives of CAFTA-DR Countries Discuss Environmental Cooperation
Agreement This week,
representatives from the Governments of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the United States are
meeting in Juan Dolio, the Dominican Republic, to consult on projects under
the Dominican Republic – Central America – United States Environmental
Cooperation Agreement (ECA), which is a distinct, binding accord that was
concluded in parallel with the Dominican Republic – Central America – United
States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
During the
opening ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Hans Hertell
said that it is in the interest of all countries to ensure that increased
production and trade and better environmental protection go hand in hand.
He added that as environmental problems gain attention
worldwide, governments, industries, and civil society are acting to help
reduce the negative impact of their daily operations on the environment. The
CAFTA-DR agreement and the Environmental Cooperation Agreement provide
mechanisms that are key to strengthening environmental programs throughout
the CAFTA-DR countries and thereby advancing trade and environmental
objectives in ways that are mutually supportive.
Ernesto Reyna,
the Under Secretary for the Environment in the Dominican Republic, delivered
a greeting on behalf of Dr. Max Puig, Secretary of State for the Environment
and spokesman for the CAFTA-DR Environment Ministers. In his greeting,
Reyna welcomed the presence of the environmental and trade experts of the
delegations of the countries of Central America, the United States and the
Dominican Republic, highlighting the meeting as an important historic event
without precedent for the region, its ecosystem, its natural capital and its
respective peoples.
Under Secretary
Reyna also stressed “that the Technical Points of Contacts are committed to
the implementation of projects that are economically practical and
environmentally sustainable. Additionally, they support projects that seek
to widen, improve, and reinforce public participation, through the
establishment of norms and innovative procedures that guarantee the
transparency of that participation.”
In his opening statements, U.S. Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for the Environment, Daniel Reifsnyder,
emphasized the historic nature of the meeting and explained that never
before have parties to a free trade agreement devoted so many resources to
environmental cooperation. He also noted that “all of these activities
illustrate the positive commitment of the United States to assist our FTA
partners’ in strengthening their capacity to protect the environment while
free trade helps them grow their economies.”
At the meeting, the parties will consult
on cooperative environmental projects in five different areas: (1)
institutional strengthening for effective implementation and enforcement of
environmental laws; (2) biodiversity and conservation; (3) market-based
conservation; (4) private-sector environmental performance; and (5) CAFTA-DR
specific obligations.
In 2006, the United States committed $18.5 million to
cooperative projects under the ECA. |
