1. REGIONAL DIALOGUE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
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REGIONAL DIALOGUE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Based on the Results of the Executive Profiles of Environmental Management for the Mesoamerican, Caribbean, Andean and Southern Cone Subregions
Rafael Asenjo
April 2002

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INTRODUCTION
Objectives of the Environmental Management Executive Profiles
To identify and characterize the main environmental problems of the countries in the sub-region.
To describe the main achievements in environmental management in the countries.
To identify the main challenges and priorities to strengthen environmental management capacities in the countries.
Sub-regions
Mesoamerican Sub-region (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama)
Caribbean Sub-region (Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago)
Andean Sub-region (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela)
Southern Cone Sub-region (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay)
Methodology
Organized an initial work meeting at IDB headquarters to define a guideline questionnaire to prepare the profiles for each sub-region.
Bibliographic review of the environmental background available on the countries (publications, environmental institution websites, studies and documents available at the IDB)
Interviews with Dialogue participants, environmental authorities and IDB representatives in the various countries.
Focusing on key aspects for the sub-regions including common visions for the countries regarding work objectives as well as specific relevant aspects in the countries individually.
Systematization of the information and preparation of profiles for each of the four sub-regions

3. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES IN THE SUB-REGIONS
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ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES IN THE SUB-REGIONS

4. ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL Mesoamerican Sub-region
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ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT (1/4)
Mesoamerican Sub-region

5. ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL
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ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT (2/4)
Caribbean Sub-region

6. ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT(3/4)
Andean Sub-region
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7. ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL Southern Cone Sub-region
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ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT (4/4)
Southern Cone Sub-region

8. GLOBAL CHALLENGES FOR THE REGION (1/2)
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Develop and implement explicit environmental policies, such as:
National environmental policies and agendas
Surface and sub-surface water resource management
Biodiversity Conservation (framework for privately protected areas)
Sustainable regional planning and land use along the coasts and in cities
Development of agricultural and forest zones (exporting base)
Clean production and introduction of adequate environmental technologies in SMEs
Integrated domestic and industrial solid waste management (generation, transportation, treatment and disposal)
Advance in institutional agreements that are innovative and efficient to the realities of the countries of the Region
Reinforcement of current institutional structures (many of them, very recent)
Consolidation and strengthening of inter-institutional coordination according to existing models (ministries, coordination agencies, decentralized environmental units, etc.)
Professionalization of environmental management at the public institution level
Improving environmental monitoring and control mechanisms
Modernization of public institutions
Strengthening institutional capacities through international cooperation programs
Incorporate new technologies for environmental information management and dissemination
Produce and update environmental information in the countries (baseline studies)
Increase in environmental research
Strengthen and consolidate the environmental information systems in the countries
Improve access to environmental information (public services)

9. GLOBAL CHALLENGES FOR THE REGION (2/2)
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Strengthen citizen participation and environmental education
Reinforce the role of local governments, NGOs and business owners in environmental management
De-centralize citizen participation processes in management instruments (local communities)
Incorporate environmental issues in formal and informal education (increase environmental awareness)
Develop and strengthen environmental management instruments based on countries’ realities
Revise and improve EIA systems (incorporate environmental assessment in policies, plans and programs)
Consolidate innovative instruments (forest certification, ISO 14,001, fiscal and financial mechanisms, clean production agreements, sustainable tourism certification, etc.)
Improve national protected area systems (public and private)
Produce of environmental standards (air, water, soils, noise, waste, biodiversity, etc.
Consolidate sub-regional co-operation (political, economic and environmental integration)
Establish the environmental management protocol of Mercosur
Reinforce integration through the Mesoamerican Biologic Corridor
Strengthen international co-operation mechanisms for managing marine and coastal resources
Sub-regional and regional integration to address global issues (climate change, desertification, biodiversity, ozone layer)
Regional/sub-regional standards for certification of export products to global markets (tourism services, natural resources, manufacturing)

10. OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIALOGUE ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIALOGUE ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
How to strengthen the creation of regional and sub-regional networks on environmental management? (For example, clean production, biologic corridors, certification standards, etc.)
What strategies can be used to insert non-traditional mechanisms for environmental management in the countries of the region, such as public-private partnership, economic instruments and Self/Co-management, among others?
What global tendencies must be adjusted to achieve greater environmental sustainability of the region’s economies increasingly based on natural resource exports and manufacturing industries that cause pollution?
What mechanisms could be implemented that would strengthen the deployment of management tools and good practices at various levels (policies, plans, programs and projects) in support of the countries’ decision making process?