Joint Statement on the Second Meeting of the Environment Committee of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement

September 23, 2022

On September 23, 2022, the Environment Committee (“the Committee”) under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement held its second meeting.  The meeting was convened in Mexico City, and chaired by Mexico.  The Committee was established pursuant to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“the Agreement”) to oversee implementation of the Environment Chapter (Chapter 24) and to provide a forum to discuss and review Chapter implementation.

At the meeting, the Parties discussed progress made and challenges faced in implementing the environmental obligations since the Agreement’s entry into force on July 1, 2020.  The Committee also discussed follow-up items from the first Committee meeting, including the findings of a mapping exercise to identify gaps and opportunities for trilateral collaboration for implementation of Chapter 24 commitments, recognizing the need to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication with efforts already underway by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The Parties discussed next steps, including specific areas for near term cooperation.

The Committee received an update from the Secretariat of the CEC on the cooperative activities undertaken since the Agreement’s entry into force and the status of public submissions under the Submissions on Enforcement Matters (SEM) process.  The Committee recognized the valuable role of the CEC in enabling cooperative activities that advance shared environmental objectives and promote environmental monitoring, public participation, and environmental awareness.  The Committee stressed the importance of each Party effectively enforcing its environmental laws, which is an integral obligation of Chapter 24.

The Committee also held an in-depth discussion on circular economy and trade. The Parties then provided an overview of domestic efforts underway in transitioning to a circular economy and discussed potential areas of collaboration.

In addition, the Committee held a public session to share information and hear from interested stakeholders from Canada, Mexico, and the United States regarding the implementation of Chapter 24.  The Committee reported to the public on the issues discussed during the closed session, including respective efforts to implement Chapter 24, and stressed the importance of ensuring high levels of environmental protection and effective enforcement of the Parties’ respective environmental laws, regulations, and policies.  Public participants had the opportunity to engage directly with Committee Members and ask questions on trade-related environmental matters in North America.