6 February 2012: The 18th session of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment (FEM 18) of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) brought together high-level environment officials from 31 of the 33 LAC countries who adopted ten decisions and the Quito Declaration.

FME 18 convened in Quito, Ecuador, from 2-3 February 2012. Participants discussed, inter alia: implementation of the FME’s Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC), which is part of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) adopted at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD); means of strengthening the FME; possible elements for a regional framework convention on atmospheric pollution; an integrated strategy to increase the flow of funds to fight desertification and land degradation in LAC; ILAC work on common environmental indicators; and preparations and proposals for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20).

The Forum adopted the Quito Declaration, which among other things: commits to formulating a regional environmental agenda; forwards key messages to Rio+20; and sets out common positions on climate issues, technology transfer and commodity prices, among others.

FME 18 also adopted ten decisions prepared and recommended by a Preparatory Meeting of High-Level Experts, which met from 31 January – 1 February, regarding: governance; sustainable consumption and production (SCP); environmental indicators; the Regional Financial Strategy (EFIR); air pollution; chemicals, and hazardous and other wastes; landlocked countries; small island developing States (SIDS); environmental education; and the Central American and Caribbean countries.

The biennial FME was created in 1985 following several annual intergovernmental meetings of the region’s environment ministers to cooperate on environment issues of common interest. Secretariat services for the FME are provided by the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC). Since adoption of ILAC in 2002, FME work has been assisted by an Inter-Agency Technical Committee (ITC), coordinated by UNEP, that includes the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the World Bank. [IISD RS Coverage of FME18] [Quito Declaration]