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UPDATES
2004
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NEW
BOOK: THE CHALLENGE OF AN URBAN CONTINENT
By Eduardo Rojas
The Work of the IDB in Urban Development
Operating
in the most urbanized of developing regions, the Inter-American
Development Bank has devel-oped a large and complex portfolio of
urban loans. The Bank’s contribution to urban development in Latin
America and the Caribbean is linked to its origins... More
information
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GEO
Latin America and the Caribbean: Environment Outlook 2003
The global scene is quite different today to how it was in 2000
when the first Environment Outlook
for Latin America and the Caribbean was published. Security has
become the main agenda for the
global community, making it even more difficult to ensure adequate
coverage and financing of environmental issues...
More information
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WORLD
URBAN FORUM
The
Spanish Mediterranean port city of Barcelona is preparing to receive
some 2,000 to 3,000 delegates representing governments, local authorities,
non-governmental organisations and other experts on urban issues
from around the world for the second gathering of UN-HABITAT's World
Urban Forum 13-17 September 2004.Held every two years, the forum
is a key event on the international calendar,7 a new ground-breaking
global initiative to address and keep abreast of the main challenge
of the new Millennium - our planet's transition to an urban world.
The theme of this year's forum is: Cities: Crossroads of cultures,
inclusiveness and integration?
More
information (official site) / Brochure (350
kb)
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MERCOSUR
AGREEMENT ON ENVIRONMENT
It was approved the MERCOSUR Agreement on Environment, where Argentina,
Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay reafirm their committment to the Rio
92 Declaration.
Text of the Agreement (in Spanish only)
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International
Forum On Partnerships
For Sustainable Development
4-
6 March 2004
FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy
Organized
by:
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UPDATES
2003
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OCTOBER
6/10/2003. WORLD DAY HABITAT: WATER AND SANITATION FOR HEALTH CAMPAIGN.
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UN-HABITAT ANNA KAJUMULO TIBAIJUKA
The
theme this year of World Habitat Day on 6 October spearheaded by the
Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro is water and sanitation.
Never before has there been such clear international consensus that
sustainable development starts with health and dignity. These fundamental
conditions of human development cannot be met without sustained investment
in safe water and basic sanitation. Read
the full article |
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NO
TIME TO LOSEThe
second meeting of the Bureau of the twelfth session of the Commission
on Sustainable Development (CSD) took place in New York on 3 October
2003. Minister Børge Brende (Norway), Chairperson of CSD-12,
opened the meeting given clear statements: "We have no time to
lose when it comes to transforming global commitments into action
at the local and regional levels."For
more information visit http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd12/csd12.htm |
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THE
CHALLENGE OF SLUMS – UN-HABITAT’s NEW GLOBAL REPORT ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
October
1, 2003 -– The world’s slums are growing, and growing, with the number
people living in such dire conditions now at the 1 billion mark –
making up 32 per cent of the global urban population, according to
UN-HABITAT’s new Global Report on Human Settlements 2003. The report
published this month entitled, The Challenge of Slums, says the crisis
is such that the world will see this figure double in the next 30
years unless a concerted effort is undertaken to alleviate the situation.More
information: http://www.unchs.org/global_report.asp
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MILENIO
AMBIENTALMilenio
ambiental is the magazine of EMS. Is
a magazine of analysis, information and dissemination on subjects
related to urban environmental management in the cities of Latin American
and the Caribbean. Its
contents will be of technical-scientific nature, as well as informative-analytic,
from the collaboration |
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EMS
AT URBIS 2003 Following
a special invitation of the Sao Paulo City Government the EMS has
participated at the International
Fair and Congress of Cities URBIS 2003, an event
that gathers public and private companies, NGOs and municipalities
of Brazil and many countries. The objective of this Congress is to
contribute to the modernization and strenghtening of the public administration
of the cities. During this event, the EMS launched its Call
2003 within the framework of its Small Grant Research Programme
and presented the Manual for Environmental Planning of Vulnerable
Areas, based on the application of an Integrated System for Environmental
Management (SIGA). See the SIGA presentation |
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22 MARCH - WORLD WATER DAY
The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193
of 22 December 1992 by which 22 March of each year was declared World
Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993, in conformity with
the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development (UNCED) contained in Chapter
18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda
21.
Source: UNESCO
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WATER
FOR PEOPLE, WATER FOR LIFE
March 5, 2003 - For the first time, 23 United Nations agencies and
convention secretariats have combined
their efforts and expertise to produce the most comprehensive and
up-to-date report on the state of the world's freshwater resources. Source:
United
Nations Freshwater Year Official Site |
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3rd WORLD WATER FORUM16/03/2003.
Kyoto, JapanOrganized
by: World
Water CouncilIDRC
WEBCAST Coveragehttp://worldwaterforum.idrc.ca/ |
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22nd.
Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment
Forum
3-7/02/2003 - Nairobi, Kenya.
More than 40 decissions were adopted on issues related to international
environmental governance, water policy and strategy, environment and
cultural diversity, among others.Source:
PNUMA (Decissions
(full text) Word/500KB )
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“Environmental
Services Management for Vulnerable Populations in Central American
Cities”
In the scope of its regional activities and in order to support municipal
associations, the EMS is coordinating in Central America, together
with IADB (Inter-American Development Bank), a project that is being
implemented by FEMICA (Federation of Municipalities in the Central
American Isthmus):
“Environmental Services Management for Vulnerable Populations
in Central American Cities”.
This project provides assistance in environmental services
management in vulnerable populations and sets out to strengthen the
capacity of FEMICA in the provision of environmental services that
might be useful to its members.
The first phase benefits municipalities in Nicaragua and Honduras.
More
information here (in Spanish only)
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"Integrated
Sustainable Development Environmental Management in the Palajunoj
Valley, Municipality of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala"
In
order to tackle local sustainable development, the EMS monitors a
pilot project in Guatemala, together with two IDRC programs:
CFP (Cities Feeding People) and Eco-Health.
In this case, the role of the Secretariat is that of a multi-sectoral
project coordinator involving the civil society and the productive
sector to ensure the sustainability of Valle Palajunoj from the perspective
of the Quetzaltenango city.
This initiative responds to the request of the municipal government,
led by Mayor Rigoberto Queme, who aims at the implementation of a
comprehensive approach to develop his municipal policy.
The agency executing the project in Guatemala is MUNI-K’AT.
More
information here
(in Spanish
only) |
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IN THE MERCOCITIES |
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In
line with the agreement signed on November 2000, between the MercoCities
Network and the Environmental Management Secretariat for Latin America
of the International Development Research Centre (EMS/IDRC), two projects
have been developed:-
Diagnosis on Priority Aspects in Urban Environmental Management Policies
in the MercoCities Network. Responsible: A.S. Carlos Fagetti
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Public participation in urban environmental
management policies Use of the new information and communication technologies
by the municipal governments of the Merco-Cities Network. Responsible:
Lic. Alén Pérez CasasMore
information here (in
Spanish only) |
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2002 |
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KYOTO
PROTOCOL
CLIMATE CHANGE AND CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM IN THE REGION
Wokshop
in LAC aiming to implement Kyoto protocol to confirm LAC commitment
During
the Regional Workshop on Formulation of Projects for the Clean Development
Mechanism, held in Buenos Aires on November 25-28, 2002 it was presented
the legal and institutional framework of
Uruguay on climate change issues. Also, it was presented a study
on CDM & Kyoto Protocol aplication in Uruguay, financed by IDRC.
(available in Spanish only) |
Canada's
ratification of the Kyoto Protocol
Read the message from the Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretien
Kyoto Protocol receives 100th ratification and
may enter into force in early 2003. Ministers call for effective action
to limit emissions. See press release: Widespread political support
suggests Protocol may enter into force in early 2003
http://unfccc.int/press/prel2002/pressrel181202.pdf MORE:
UNFCCC
site
I
INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON WASTE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT
6-7 November 2002
São Paulo, Brazil
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Rio
+ 10: What's next after the WSSD? With
the purpose of providing an instance for reflection and exchange of
visions, the EMS is inaugurating a series of interviews to men and
women who eagerly followed the Johannesburg World Summit and who deeply
reflected on the outcome of the summit.
We are pleased to inaugurate this new section with Minister
Franco Micieli de Biase, EMS Advisory Committee member, an authority
in environmental issues and
member of the official delegation of the Italian Government
to the Johannesburg Summit. Read the interview |
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Case
Study: GIS and Proposal for Territorial Planning at the Malvín Brook
Basin in Montevideo, Uruguay |
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World
Summit on Sustainable Development Documents -
Local Government Declaration
- Draft Political Declaration
(PDF document - 168 K - direct link to the WSSD site)
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August 15, 2002 - The voice of the Mercocities
towards Johannesburg 2002
Mercocities and
the EMS/IDRC organized a press conference for the launching of the
Mercocities declaration towards WSSD 2002. Ms. Stela Goldenstein,
Municipal Secretary of Environment of the Municipality of Sao Paulo,
Brazil, on behalf of the Mercocities illustrated the main topics of
this declaration (read more...).
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September
2, 2002 - From our origins to the future: the Johannesburg commitment
on sustainable development Draft
Political Declaration , submitted by the President and host of the
Summit, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa (photo)
(PDF document - 168 K - direct link to the WSSD site)
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Johannesburg 2002 |
August
15, 2002 - Launching of the Mercocities document towards Johannesburg
2002
Ms. Stela Goldenstein,
Municipal Secretary of Environment of the Municipality of Sao Paulo,
Brazil, has lauched this document at a press conference. (read more...). |
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August 5, 2002 (Montevideo, Uruguay) - Meeting
on Clean Technologies for Latin America and the Caribbean.
As
part of the cooperation between EMS/IDRC and DINAMA within the framework
of the Basilea Convention and the Regional Coordinating Center of
Training and Technology Transfer on Hazardous Wastes for Latin America
and the Caribbean, the IDRC/LACRO represented by its Regional Director,
Dr. Federico Burone and Dr. Walter Ubal, Executive Director of EMS,
participated on this meeting convened by the Secretary of Housing,
Land Management and the Environment of Uruguay, Ing. Carlos Cat. Ambassadors
and Representatives of Cooperation Agencies participated in this meeting.
Within this framework, the Secretary informed that Uruguay, has received
the official support of Switzerland to organize the next preparatory
meeting. (see more
- in Spanish) |
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Public-private
partnerships on clean water systems and sanitation in San Fernando,
Argentina
Study
of indicators and methods to assess impact on the systems. (more
...)
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Innovative experience in LAC:
Study
of public-private partnerships for the management of urban solid
waste in the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, El Salvador
Legal, institutional and socio-economic elements
to ensure the efficiency and sustainability of consortiums
(more...) |
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Innovative experience in LAC:
Multi-partnerships in the management of urban solid waste in the Municipality
of Sao Bernardo, Brazil
Why
would the private sector be attracted in integrating a consortium?
How could participatory actions be integrated to the routine
tasks of municipal governments?
(more...)
(June 19, 2002) |
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World Environmental Day.Give Earth a Chance!
Today, June 5 we commemorate the World Environmental Day. It is a
simple day, it is about life. In spite of considerable efforts made
and significant achievements, many of the problems, which plagued
the Earth during the 20th Century, still remain. More than ever, we
need to take the necessary steps to bring again the environment at
the top of the global agenda. To improve the health of the planet,
serious steps should be done, but most of them begin with the urban
governance. (read
more...) |
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June 2, 2002 - ECO-TOURISM: Unique
Proposal from Latin America to the World Sustainable Development Summit
in Johannesburg
“The Declaration of Galapagos” was signed by Environment and Tourism
ministers and authorities and sets
out, in view of the Johannesburg Summit, to advance the development
of tourism in the region according to principles of ecological sustainability. (more...)
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Innovative experience in LAC:
Micro-enterprises multi-stakeholders partnerships in the management
of water in a municipality of the city of Lima
Public-private partnerships represented by municipality, citizens
micro-enterprises and research centres to ensure water supply and
quality in Villa María del Triunfo, Lima, Peru. (more...)
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April
3, 2002 - Tomorrow's
markets must respond to environmental and social trends - "Businesses
that wish to survive and thrive in a global economy must respond to
major social and environmental trends that are reshaping markets..."
report released by UNEP, WBCSD and WRI
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