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Media Release

#CEC28: Join the CEC’s Annual Council Session Virtually, September 9-10, 2021

Montreal, 30 August 2021—The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) invites the public to join the annual gathering of the CEC Council, composed of representatives from Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Celebrating a renewed commitment to North American cooperation on environmental action, the United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, as Council Chair, will virtually host CEC Council representatives from Mexico and Canada at the 28th CEC Council Session on September 9–10, 2021. This year’s Council Session will be conducted virtually.

The Council meets each year to assess progress on environmental cooperation in North America, establish shared priorities, and meet with the public to discuss pressing environmental issues facing the region. This year’s Council Session will include a public meeting led by the Council on the theme of ‘Climate Change and Environmental Justice Solutions’, which will feature a Q&A session with the Council and invited experts, as well as presentations by the winners of the CEC Youth Innovation Challenge. #CEC28 will also include a youth roundtable on ‘The Role of Youth in Ensuring Environmental Justice through Responses to Climate Change’.

The public is invited to participate in the following events:

  • September 9: A public forum of the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) focused on gathering input on the theme of the Council session. The JPAC forum will feature moderated Q&A.
  • September 9: A youth roundtable on ‘The Role of Youth in Ensuring Environmental Justice through Responses to Climate Change’.
  • September 10: A Dialogue with the Council on Climate Change and Environmental Justice, and presentations by the North American winners of the CEC’s annual Youth Innovation Challenge.

#CEC28 will also feature a virtual exhibition highlighting the CEC’s renewed commitment to trilateral environmental cooperation, showcasing current and future work of the CEC to protect and enhance North America’s environment.

Participation at the 2021 CEC Council Session and Joint Public Advisory Committee forum is open to the public and free of charge.

Simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Spanish will be available.

Registrants will also be able to submit questions and comments for public sessions via Sli.do, using #CEC28 as the event code. These submissions can be submitted from now until September 10, including during the Council’s public session.

Join the live sessions and online discussions at www.cec.org/Council2021.

If you would like to know more about CEC initiatives, you can sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media.

CEC Council Session 2021

But don’t worry if you missed the virtual event: we have videos you can watch of the Youth Roundtable, the Joint Public Advisory Committee Public Forum, and the 28th Annual Regular Session of the CEC Council.

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.

About the CEC video