TIOHTIÀ:KE, QC,
May 8,
2024 /PRNewswire/ - The Commission for
Environmental Cooperation's (CEC) 31st annual Council Session and
Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) Public Forum will be held
24–26 June 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.
REGISTER NOW (virtual or in-person)
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 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
#CEC31 is a three-day event that 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. We encourage participants to
take advantage of the ability to participate remotely in this
conference and avoid the need to travel.
Media and the public-at-large are invited to attend all events,
either in person or virtually, and will be able to pose questions
for all event sessions.
Time zone: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00)
24 June
2024
9:00–10:00
|
Opening ceremony,
welcoming remarks and keynote presentation
|
|
|
10:15–12:00
|
Panel 1: Legal and
Policy Instruments to Access and Implement Environmental Justice in
North America
|
|
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13:15–13:30
|
Report From the U.S.
National and Governmental Advisory Committee
Representatives
|
|
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13:30–15:00
|
Panel 2: Community
Mobilization and Environmental Justice Challenges
|
|
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15:15–16:50
|
Open Dialogue on
Opportunities for Environmental Trilateral Cooperation: Can We
Think about Environmental Justice From a Regional North American
Perspective?
|
|
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16:50–17:00
|
Closing Remarks by
Esteban Escamilla, JPAC Chair
|
25 June
2024
11:00–12:00
|
CEC Presentation on
Environmental Justice Work (Part 1): Air Quality Improvement
for Environmental Justice and North American Pollutant Release and
Transfer Register (PRTR) Initiative
|
|
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14:00–15:30
|
Youth Panel: Bridging
the Gap: A Conversation on the Generational Fight for Environmental
Justice
|
|
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16:00–17:30
|
Expert Roundtable with
the CEC Executive Director on Environmental Justice: Origins,
Evolution and Emerging Policy in North America
|
26 June
2024
10:00–11:30
|
CEC Presentation on
Environmental Justice Work (Part 2): EJ4Climate Grant Program
and Communities for Environmental Justice Network
|
|
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13:30–17:00
|
Council Public Session:
Strengthening Environmental Justice through Community
Empowerment
|
Click below to learn more, download the complete program of
public events and register for virtual or in-person
participation.
REGISTER NOW (virtual or in-person)
If you would like to know more about CEC initiatives,
opportunities and efforts, you can sign up for our
newsletter and follow us on social media.
Members of the media are encouraged to register for in-person
accreditation or virtual participation. For any media inquiries,
please contact info@cec.org.
For more information, please contact cec31@cec.org.
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SOURCE Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)