Canada-Colombia environment agreement
The Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Republic of Colombia (referred to as the Canada-Colombia Agreement on the Environment) is the environmental parallel agreement to the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. It was signed in 2008 and has been in force since 2011.
This Agreement creates a framework to better conserve, protect, and enhance the environment through cooperation and effective enforcement of environmental laws. The Agreement promotes sustainable development, transparency, and public participation in environmental management. Citizens and organizations are able to submit a written question or request an investigation if they believe governments have failed to effectively enforce environmental laws.
Recent cooperative activities have focused on climate change, biodiversity conservation, clean technologies, chemicals management, and Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers.
The implementation of the Agreement is overseen by a Committee on the Environment, composed of officials from ECCC and Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The 3rd Committee on the Environment Meeting took place in May 2018 in Canada.
Other Interesting Links
- Canada-Colombia Agreement on the Environment: Factsheet
- Canada-Colombia Agreement on the Environment: Full Text of Agreement
- Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
- Embassy of Canada to Colombia
- Colombia Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
Key Elements of the Agreement on the Environment
Under the Canada-Colombia Environment Agreement, the countries commit to:
- ensure that their laws and policies provide for high levels of environmental protection;
- effectively enforce their environmental laws;
- not relax their environmental laws in order to encourage trade or investment;
- ensure that procedures for environmental impact assessment are maintained;
- promote trade and investment in environmental goods and services;
- ensure that proceedings are available to provide sanctions or remedies for violations of their environmental laws;
- promote public awareness of environmental laws and policies;
- promote the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity;
- respect, preserve and maintain traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities; and
- encourage voluntary best practices of corporate social responsibility.
The Environment Agreement also includes enforcement and complaint mechanisms, which:
- allow any Canadian or Colombian to submit a written question to either country regarding any obligation under the Agreement;
- provide that any Canadian or Colombian can request an investigation of alleged violations of environmental laws in his or her country; and
- establish a dispute resolution mechanism to address any matter that may arise under the Agreement.
The Environment Agreement will further create a framework to undertake environmental cooperative activities.
For more information on the Environment Agreement, please refer to the Summary of the Canada-Colombia Environment Agreement.
Environment Elements in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
The FTA itself also includes environment provisions and an Environment chapter that:
- recognize the need to implement the FTA in a manner consistent with environmental protection and conservation and the sustainable use of their resources;
- stipulate that, in the case of inconsistent obligations, Multilateral Environmental Agreements that both countries have signed and ratified (e.g., Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer) prevail over the FTA;
- require that the countries not weaken domestic health, safety or environmental measures to encourage investment;
- allow the countries to take certain necessary measures to protect human, animal and plant life or health which may be inconsistent with trade or investment obligations; and
- commit the Commission established under the FTA to consider reports and recommendations from the Committee on the Environment, in respect of any trade and environment-related issues.
Reports and Publications
- Initial Environmental Assessment Report--Canada-Andean Community Free Trade Negotiations (January 2008)
- Final Environmental Assessment of the Canada-Colombia and Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement Negotiations
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