22 March 2010: The Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN has addressed a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) dated 8 March 2010, which contains theDeclaration of Support for the Yasuní-Itt Initiative. The Declaration was adopted at the first Latin American and Caribbean Unity Summit, held in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico, on 22-23 February 2010. The letter and annex will be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 53 (d) (Sustainable development: protection of global climate for present and future generations).

The Yasuní-Itt Initiative was promoted by Ecuador and aims to build an efficient voluntary measure to address the issue of climate change and to ensure the conservation of the Yasuní National Park, one of the most biodiverse locations in the world. According to the initiative, Ecuador will cease to mine 846 million barrels of petroleum present in the subsoil of the Park, thereby preventing 407 million metric tons of carbon emissions from being released into the atmosphere. The Initiative will contribute to the respect for the indigenous cultures of the peoples in the Yasuní Park, as well as to social development and nature conservation, and will encourage the use of renewable energy sources. [The Letter]