November 2011: The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Regional Council of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Government Experts recently examined progress in implementing the LAC Regional Strategy on SCP, discussed the status of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on SCP, and considered possible contributions to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

At their sixth meeting, which convened in Panama City, Panama, from 24-25 November 2011, the Council agreed on a series of recommendations to forward to the biennial Forum of Environment Ministers due to meet in Quito, Ecuador, at the end of January 2012.

Besides briefing on the status of the 10YFP, the regional SCP strategy and regional preparations for Rio+20, the meeting included plenary sessions on “mainstreaming SCP,” which focused on the role of SCP in promoting a green economy, and on “resource efficiency: addressing the decoupling challenge.” Parallel working groups took place on sustainable tourism, the agri-food business and sustainable public procurement. Three additional parallel working groups were held on national SCP action plans and mainstreaming SCP in development, product sustainability and labeling, and responsible consumption and sustainable lifestyles. Participants also held a plenary discussion on key messages from the LAC region to Rio+20.

In its recommendations, the Council asked the Forum of LAC Environment Ministers to: promote at Rio+20 the adoption of the 10YFP; reaffirm the region’s four priority SCP focuses, namely SCP national policies and action plans, SCP implementation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), sustainable public procurement, and sustainable lifestyles; mainstream SCP objectives in the design and implementation of State policies; integrate pro-SCP actions in national development plans; internalize social and environmental costs and opportunities in the formulation of public policies; promote the life cycle approach as an instrument to build sustainability criteria; promote transparent information regarding sustainability attributes and characteristics; and support accelerated research and development on resource efficiency.

The Council meeting was hosted by the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Regional Office for LAC, and attended by nearly 60 representatives from government institutions, subregional organizations, nongovernmental organizations, cleaner production centers, academia, the business sector, the Latin American Development Bank (CAF), cooperation agencies and UN System bodies. [Meeting Documents]