Joint Public Declaration—Canada-Chile Commission for Environmental Cooperation—Nineteenth Council Session
The Council of the Canada-Chile Commission for Environmental Cooperation virtually met for its 19th Annual Session on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, with the participation of Chile’s Ministry of the Environment (MMA), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC), Chile’s Ministry of Energy, the “Reciclo Organicos” Program team, the Embassy of Canada in Chile, the Embassy of Chile in Canada, Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Global Affairs Canada.
This year, Chile and Canada are celebrating the 24th anniversary of the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, signed in 1997 in parallel to the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, as well as the 80th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. This Agreement offers a model for environmental cooperation, based on the principle that trade liberalization should not come at the expense of environmental protection. This year, ECCC also celebrates 50 years of environmental action in Canada.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Canada and Chile have continued to successfully implement their joint Work Program over the last year. Both countries have been able to adapt to this difficult context by cooperating through virtual means on a large number of issues, such as:
- The “Reciclo Organicos” Program, which seeks to reduce emissions from the waste sector in support of the implementation of Chile's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC);
- The Virtual Dialogue on Coal Phase-Out and Just Transition, which focussed on Chile’s Just Transition Strategy for the decarbonization process and Canada's efforts to phase out coal and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector.
- The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Workshop on Combating Illegal Trade of Wildlife Species: Illegal Trade of Turtles and Tortoises, which sought to strengthen capacities for inspection, sampling and monitoring of cross-border movements of protected wildlife species, with the overarching goal of tackling the supply and demand of illicit wildlife trade.
- The Pan-American Webinar on Advancing the Low-Carbon Economy through Hydrogen Technologies, in which both countries and Costa Rica presented their National Hydrogen Strategies.
- The Webinar on Single-Use Plastics Regulations, where the experience of both countries was shared, in addition to that of Colombia; Chile’s participation was supported by Plastic Oceans Chile and the international organization Oceana.
- The Technical Meeting on Bird Conservation, which reactivated the joint work that began in 2004, and included representatives from MMA, ECCC, Canadian and Chilean universities, and Audubon.
Chile and Canada, at the Nineteenth Regular Session, reiterated their commitment to the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and expressed their desire to continue to strengthen their relationship in the coming year, in which they will celebrate a quarter of a century of cooperation on environmental protection.
During the afternoon, Chile and Canada, together with the JPAC, took the opportunity to exchange information and their views on each countries’ environmental policies and priorities, took stock of past cooperation, and approved the 12th Work Program (2021-2022). Subsequently, a Public Session was held on the theme "Sustainable Development of Coastal Areas in a Changing Environment", which served as a forum for dialogue and debate with civil society.
The 2020-2021 Annual Report will highlight the cooperation activities implemented and planned, and will be available in September 2021 at the overview of the Canada-Chile Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and Acuerdo de Cooperación Ambiental (websites of the National Secretariats).
The Canada-Chile Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (CCAEC) entered into force in July 1997 after the signature of the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. It is designed to promote environmental cooperation and compliance with environmental legislation in both Chile and Canada. The CCAEC commits the Parties to respect environmental standards, to effectively apply their environmental legislation, to have a transparent, equitable and responsible process in the preparation of environmental legislation and policy, and to develop joint cooperation activities to help ensure that these commitments are maintained. In addition to the Council, the Canada-Chile Commission for Environmental Cooperation consists of a Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) and a Joint Submissions Committee (JSC). The Commission is supported by the National Secretariats, located in the Ministries of the Environment of each Party.
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