37. The Cleaner Production Center network, supported by the United Nations organization for the Industrial Development (ONUDI) participated for the first time in a Meeting of the Government Experts. Mrs. Elisa Tonda (ONUDI) and Mr. César Barahona (CP+L from Nicaragua) jointly presented the structure and characteristics of the network, composed of 12 cleaner production centers from the following countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.
38. In their presentation, they handed out a CD which contained the tools to be used in the application of cleaner production in copanies1. Its reception was good. They also highlighted the existence of Training Centers of the Network and a variety of instruments to work with the enterprises. Among the main outcomes of the network, they mentioned the increase of 7% in productivity in projects with a recuperation period of less than 2 years, an average of 19% in energy savings, 3% in water, and 14% in residue reduction.
39. On the other hand, Mr. Ricardo Young, an ONGs representative presented the sector initiatives related to the Marrakech Process. He called attention to the need to build up a alliance among the Ministers of the Environment of the region and the organized civil groups as the only way to really move forward in the regional process. He called the civil groups to go deeper in their job and make their influence to be determinant in the definition of policies and regulations about the topic. Finally, he encouraged the government to conform national forums for public and private discussions and dialogues.
40. As a final point, Mr. Marcelo Kos mentioned some initiatives of the business sector for sustainability and environmental social responsibility. He described the program on Responsible Performance made by the ABIQUIM associate enterprises, as part of the world chemical industry programme called Responsible Care. He called the attention to the objective appeared on paragraph 23 of the Johannesburg Action Plan and adopted for this industrial sector related to the point that by the year 2020, chemical products must be produced and used minimizing all unfavorable aspects for human health and the environment.
IV. Regional Activities and Progress
on the Marrakech Process
41. Victoria Beláustegui from the Regional Office of UNEP started the panel with the presentation of the Regional Strategy and the Government Experts Council on SCP. She began describing the antecedents of the topic, revealing the importance of the Latin American and the Caribbean Initiative for the Sustainable Development (ILAC), defined and approved by the countries of the region in 2003, as the political framework for the Marrakech Process actions.
42. Ms. Belaustegui highlighted that the Ministers of the Environment agreed on including the topics related to SCP in the current Regional Action Plan (PAR) to put to work that scheme. So, she emphasized that one of the expected outcomes of the meeting was to have an Action Plan on SCP to be included in PAR, which will be approved by the Ministers every two years. She also mentioned the regional activities organized the previous three meetings, and the Forum mandates and decisions to the Council of Government Experts to go ahead with the program implementation to 10 years on SCP. She also described in detail the elements of the Regional Strategy on SCP. At the same time, she focused on the activities undertaken in the region by UNEP, in support of the topic.
43. Finally, Ms. Beláustegui underlined some important elements to be taken into consideration for the building up of the action plan on SCP. Each sub region will prepare its Action Plan according with its priorities, needs, realities and availability of technical, human and economic sources. In this way, the set of the 4 action plans will constitute the Regional Action Plan on SCP, allowing each region to direct its efforts toward topics of more specific interest.
44. Continuing with the meeting, Mercosur representatives and The Andes Community of Nations (CAN) presented the activities and achievements on SCP, as a sampling of the achievements reached in the region.
45. Mrs. Giselle Beja and Mrs. Graciela Rossi, as representatives of the Work Sub group N° 6 of Mercosur Environment 8, stated the policy of Promotion and Sustainable Consumption and Production Cooperation in Mercosur, recently signed by the presidents of the 4 country members (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). They pointed out the importance and strength of the sub regional process, along with the international cooperation to go forward with the topic. They particularly mentioned the Mercosur experience with the programme named Competitiveness and the Environment, organized with the support of the German Cooperation Agency GTZ, which has produced an important impact on the topic, as shown by the recent approval of the integrated policy on SCP. They also indicated that the sub region had prepared an action plan for that policy whose general terms were approved at an extraordinary meeting the day before. It would be ratified by the SGT6. In this way, the commitment to the action was fully confirmed.
46. In the other hand, Irma Suarez presented The Andes Environmental Agenda, which contained sub regional actions to short, medium and long terms. This adds value to the national efforts and contributes to strengthen the capacity of the country members in matters of the environment and sustainable development (Colombia, Ecuador and Peru). The CAN environmental priorities have been defined in three axes: Biodiversity, Climatic Change and Water Sources, agreeing upon integrating SCP as a side topic to these three themes.
47. In this sense, she mentioned that the main objectives for the sub region were to formulate, implement and strengthen the national and regional policies; to incorporate Cleaner Production concepts to the industrial sector and work for a Sustainable Consumption; and to support the Production and Consumption Center for The Andes region. At the same time, she defined the main action lines to be comprised in the national policy development, the configuration of dialogue instances, the development of abilities and the execution of pilot projects to assess methodologies on SCP.
