The Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) 31st annual Council Session and Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) Public Forum will be held June 24–26, 2024 in Wilmington, North Carolina under the theme “Strengthening Environmental Justice through Community Empowerment.”
#CEC31 will bring together North America’s top environmental officials and the public-at-large to learn from and engage with environmental justice advocates, Indigenous and community leaders, experts, youth, activists and others, including many of the partners CEC has worked with over three decades of regional collaboration to protect and conserve the North American environment. 2024 also marks the CEC’s 30th anniversary, presenting an opportunity for the CEC and North America to reflect upon and showcase three decades of regional environmental cooperation.
JPAC will kick off the three-day event on 24 June with a Public Forum, titled “Advancing Environmental Justice in North America,” providing public participants the opportunity to engage in an open dialogue and share their experiences on advancing environmental justice and empowering communities across North America, helping the CEC identify critical and emerging environmental issues at the local and regional levels.
Day two will feature an Expert Roundtable with the CEC Executive Director on “Environmental Justice: Origins, Evolution, and Emerging Policy in North America,” a high-level discussion on the unique histories and trajectories of environmental justice and its evolution in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The panel will feature renowned environmental justice leaders and activists sharing their experiences on the diversity of North American environmental justice paradigms, exploring emerging directions of environmental justice for overburdened communities in the three countries, as well as public policy experiences across the region to recognize and address historic and systemic marginalization, discrimination, racism and environmental inequity.
Day three will conclude with the Council Public Session, which presents an opportunity for North Americans to engage with the top environmental officials in the region. This year, discussions will focus on “Strengthening Environmental Justice through Community Empowerment”.
“The 2024 Council Session offers the opportunity for participants and the CEC to dive into the many intersectional facets of environmental justice (EJ) which has undoubtedly become one of the most critical development issues of our time. This Council Session will help identify best practices and provide critical guidance to further advance EJ across North America,” said Jorge Daniel Taillant, CEC’s executive director.
“Through engagement with environmental justice advocates, with community leaders and the general public, and by showcasing the CEC’s growing work on EJ, the Council Session will help advance a more refined, nuanced and intersectional understanding of EJ within a regional, North American perspective.”
Three decades of regional environmental cooperation
For 30 years, the Governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States have worked together through the CEC to conserve, protect and restore the North American environment. Each year, the CEC convenes the top environmental leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States to engage with the public in a dialogue on pressing environmental issues facing North America. This year, the United States Environmental Protection Agency will host counterparts from the CEC Council, Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat).
The 30th anniversary milestone presents a unique opportunity for the CEC to showcase three decades of cooperation and achievements throughout this year’s Council Session and JPAC Public Forum.
Agenda
The three-day event is open to the public, with live-streamed events featuring simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Spanish. #CEC31 events can be attended in person or virtually at no cost. CEC encourages participants to take advantage of the ability to participate remotely in this conference and avoid the need to travel.
Environment Journal will be covering this event and sharing the highlights with readers.
