CEC to examine genetic diversity of traditional maize varieties in Mexico
Montreal, 6/20/2002 – The Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America (CEC) has informed the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States that it intends to study, and prepare a special report upon, the potential effects of transgenic corn on traditional varieties of maize in Mexico.
This issue has been a source of public concern for several years and the CEC Secretariat has received numerous requests to initiate this analysis. As with other reports initiated by the Secretariat under Article 13 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the study will include input from competent international and national organizations, sector organizations, the private sector, interested members of civil society, as well as the three NAAEC Parties.
The CEC was established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to build cooperation among the North American Free Trade (NAFTA) partners in implementing NAAEC, the environmental side accord to NAFTA. The CEC addresses environmental issues of continental concern, with particular attention to the environmental challenges and opportunities presented by continent-wide free trade.
About the CEC
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established in 1994 by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a parallel environmental agreement to NAFTA. As of 2020, the CEC is recognized and maintained by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, in parallel with the new Free Trade Agreement of North America. The CEC brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including the general public, Indigenous people, youth, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and the business sector, to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations
The CEC is governed and funded equally by the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of the United States of Mexico through the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and the Government of the United States of America through the Environmental Protection Agency.