Joint Public Declaration—Canada-Chile Commission for Environmental Cooperation—Twenty-Third Council Session
The Council of the Canada-Chile Commission for Environmental Cooperation met virtually for its Twenty-Third Annual Session on Thursday, October 9, 2025.
The Twenty-third Session was chaired by Lana Edwards, Director General of Bilateral Affairs and Trade, at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Miguel Stutzin, Acting Head of the International Affairs Office, at the Ministry of the Environment of Chile (MMA). The meeting brought together senior representatives from both Canada and Chile, including Michael Bonser, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy and International Affairs Branch, ECCC; Maximiliano Proaño, Undersecretary of the Environment, MMA; Karolina Guay, Canadian Ambassador to Chile; and Juan Carlos García, Chilean Ambassador to Canada, among others.
This year marked the 28th anniversary of the Canada-Chile Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, signed in 1997 in parallel to the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement. This agreement stands as a model for environmental cooperation, grounded in the principle that trade liberalization should not come at the expense of environmental protection.
During the Private Session, Canada and Chile exchanged information on their current environmental policies and priorities, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, methane emissions mitigation, plastic pollution prevention, as well as biodiversity conservation, among others. In addition, the countries had broad discussions on key issues of mutual interest, such as the outcomes of the Second Part of the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution (INC-5.2), priorities and expectations for COP30 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and potential collaboration under the Global Methane Pledge (GMP). Canada and Chile also took this opportunity to discuss their past cooperation and approve their 2025-2026 Work Program.
In the afternoon, Canada, Chile, and the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) co-hosted a Public Session entitled “Community-led solutions to climate challenges in Canada and Chile.” This event convened over 40 participants from government, academia, civil society, and the private sector from both countries. It provided a valuable platform to underscore the importance of integrating the perspectives of communities in vulnerable situations and local stakeholders, whose experience and knowledge are critical to shaping inclusive and resilient responses to climate change. This theme was timely, as both countries recently published or updated their national adaptation strategies, offering a unique opportunity to exchange experiences. The session underscored that effective adaptation requires coordinated action across governments, sectors, and communities—an approach reflected in both the Chilean and Canadian frameworks.
Canada and Chile share a strong and enduring environmental relationship, reflected in the successful implementation of their joint work program. Since December 2024, cooperation has focused on key areas of mutual interest, including climate change, carbon pricing, coal phase-out, plastic pollution prevention, bird conservation, wildland fire management, and ecological restoration, among others.
The implementation of the Canada-Chile work program has benefited from the support of several partner countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay, among others. Numerous organizations also contributed, such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Pacific Alliance, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), Plastic Oceans Chile, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Mississippi, in United States, Chilean Bird and Wildlife Observer Network (ROC), and Manomet Conservation Sciences, among others. Finally, the active engagement of Chile’s National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) and Chile’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Energy, and Agriculture, alongside the Canadian Departments of Global Affairs and Fisheries and Oceans, the Canadian Forest Service, and the Canadian Wildlife Service, further strengthened the program’s implementation and impact.
Canada and Chile reaffirm their commitment to the Environmental Cooperation Agreement between the two countries and agree on a forward-looking work program that addresses key environmental priorities for the current and next year, including clean technologies, methane emissions reduction, migratory bird conservation, and protected areas management. This Joint Public Declaration affirms the shared accomplishments of Canada and Chile and reinforces their commitment to continued collaboration in addressing global environmental challenges.