CEC hero image, a photo of 26th Regular Session of the CEC Council and Meeting of the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC)

Event

26th Regular Session of the CEC Council and Meeting of the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC)

Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) Ejército Nacional 223, Col Anáhuac, Alcaldía Miguel Hidalgo, C.P. 11320
Mexico

24 and 25 June, 2019

Public

Celebrating 25 years of North American cooperation on environmental protection, on 24–25 June 2019, Mexico’s Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources’ Víctor Manuel Toledo will host the annual Regular Session of the Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) in Mexico City.

The Council meets each year in regular session to assess progress on cooperation and establish shared priorities and actions for environmental cooperation in North America.

The Council Session, with a theme of Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency, will include a public session led by the environment ministers, the third Youth Innovation Challenge, and other deliverables. The meeting will also feature a public forum hosted by the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory Committee, focused on advancing Council 2018 initiatives on extreme events and building disaster-resilient communities in North America.

Agenda

Monday, 24 June 2019

Building Disaster-Resilient Communities in North America

Floods, drought, hurricanes, wildfires and other extreme weather events are on the rise across the continent, presenting unprecedented risks to human and natural ecosystems in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. As North American communities face the reality of increasing climate variability, building local resilience has become a shared priority for all three countries. A significant public health concern in this regard is food security and the challenge of enhancing resilience of the food production system in the era of extreme weather events.

This JPAC forum will focus on how strategic partnerships, collaborative networks, and socio-technological innovation for early preparedness and effective response are being utilized by diverse communities confronted with, or at risk of, extreme weather events. Food security will be addressed in a discussion segment dedicated to emergent agricultural practices and technologies that aim to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the agri-food system.

The forum will highlight examples of community resilience from throughout North America and explore the significant efforts currently underway in all three countries to foster a culture of disaster prevention, through early preparedness, and effective response. In addition to providing a platform for exchanging diverse public perspectives on extreme weather events, the forum will also consider emergent needs and new possibilities for trilateral cooperation on disaster resilience under the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

8:00–9:30
(Lobby, Main Floor, Semarnat)

Registration of Participants

9:30–9:40
(Rooms 7 to 10, 3rd Floor)

Opening and Introductory Remarks by Sabaa Khan, JPAC Chair

  • Introduction of JPAC members, special guests, etc.
  • Role and general, short history of JPAC
  • Overview of public session theme
9:40–10:00

CEC Presentation

César Rafael Chávez
CEC Executive Director
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10:00–10:30

Keynote Presentation: Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience

Robin Cox
Director, ResiliencebyDesign Lab, Royal Roads University
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10:30–10:45

Break

10:45–11:45

Resilience Building Perspectives Part I: Community Viewpoints

Extreme weather events are impacting an increasing number of communities across North America, presenting distinct disaster risk-resilience challenges for populations living in different environmental conditions. This roundtable discussion will address the role of sustainability innovations in reducing the vulnerability of diverse communities and enhancing their resilience.

Moderator: Robert W. Varney, JPAC Member

Gordon Planes
Chief of the T’Sou-ke First Nation
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Lisa Cavicchia
Program Director, Canadian Urban Institute
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Gian Carlo Delgado Ramos
Research professor of the “City, Management, Land and Environment” research program at the Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias en Ciencias y Humanidades (Interdisciplinary Research Center on Sciences and Humanities), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico)
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Hilda Blanco
Project Director, Center for Sustainable Cities, University of Southern California
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11:45–13:00

Moderated Question and Answer Period with experts, JPAC members and audience

13:00–14:15
(Rooms 1 and 2, 8th floor)

Lunch [provided]

4:15–15:15
(Rooms 7 to 10, 3rd Floor)

Resilience-Building Perspectives Part II:  Enhancing Agricultural and Food Security

Climate-related disasters can endanger food security and cause major disruptions to agri-food supply chains. This roundtable discussion will focus on emerging agricultural practices and technologies that are being used to strengthen the resilience of our food systems.

Moderator: Gustavo Alanís-Ortega, JPAC Member

Jennifer Temmer
Project Manager, SDG Knowledge, International Institute for Sustainable Development
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Zafar Adeel
Executive Director, Pacific Water Research Centre, Simon Fraser University
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Gabriela Vargas Romero
Founder, President and Director of Huerto Tlatelolco, CultiCiudad A.C.
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Sarah Taber
Host & Producer, Farm to Taber
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15:15–16:15

Moderated Question and Answer Period with experts, JPAC members and audience

16:15–16:30

Break

16:30–17:00

Update on Submissions on Enforcement Matters

Robert E. Moyer
Director, Submissions on Enforcement Matters and Legal Unit
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17:00–17:20

Report from the National and Governmental Advisory Committee Representatives

17:20–17:30

Closing Remarks by Sabaa Khan, JPAC Chair

17:30–18:00

Break

18:00–20:00
(Lobby, Main Floor, Semarnat )

Welcoming Reception and Official Opening of the 26th Regular Session of the Council

Tuesday, 25 June 2019

Twenty-sixth Regular Session of the CEC Council

11:00–11:45
(Rooms 7 to 10, 3rd Floor)

Opportunities and Challenges for Reducing Marine Litter in North America

The session will begin with a presentation on the CEC project, Building Community Solutions to Marine Litter. Invited experts will discuss land-based sources of marine litter, including existing initiatives to prevent it from entering the ocean, and the role of innovation and the circular economy in reducing marine litter in North America.

Catherine Hallmich
Project Lead, Commission for Environmental Cooperation
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Orlando Anaya
Founder and Director, Fundación Kilómetro 1

Chever Voltmer
Director for Plastics Initiatives, Ocean Conservancy
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11:45–12:30

Moderated Question and Answer Period with experts and audience

12:30–13:45
(Rooms 1 and 2, 8th floor)

Networking Lunch [provided]

13:45–14:00

Break

14:00–17:10

Council Public Meeting: From Oklahoma to Mexico City and Beyond

  • CEC accomplishments over the last year (2017–2018 CEC Operational Plan)
  • Progress Report on Oklahoma Initiatives
  • Youth Engagement in the CEC: the 2019 CEC Youth Innovation Challenge
    • Daniel Gonzalez and Noor-ur-Rahman Shaikh, Canada
    • Adam Stager, Ray Zayas, and Vishnu Somasundaram, United States
    • Daniel Luna López, Omar Venancio Sánchez Animas, and Andrés Gutiérrez Castillo, Mexico

 

Dialogue on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency in North America
An exchange between Council members and invited experts:

  • Chever Voltmer, Director for Plastics Initiatives, Ocean Conservancy
  • Gustavo Pérez Berlanga, Senior Vice President for Sustainability, Toks Restaurants
  • Carolina Seward, Senior Policy Analyst, Circular Economy, Environment and Climate Change Canada

 

The exchange will be followed by a moderated Q&A with the in-person and online audience. The dialogue will be moderated by Sabaa Khan, JPAC Chair.

  • Council Announcements
  • Council Session Closing