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By Elena Martínez NEW YORK - Mexico was a pioneer in the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, Brazil came up with the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, Chile led the way in the Convention on Biodiversity, and Colombia did so regarding the Biosafety Protocol. The countries of Latin America played a key role in the adoption of the Plan of Action at COP4 in Buenos Aires, while the island nations of the Caribbean have been trailblazers in making adaptations aimed at reducing their vulnerability to natural disasters. These are developing countries that have demonstrated ongoing interest and willingness to take concrete steps toward preserving the world's resources. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) backs Latin American and Caribbean countries in their efforts to be informed and active agents in international conventions. Thus, it supports Tierramérica, a platform for communication and debate on human development with the aim of raising awareness and generating action. At the UNDP, we realise that the liberalisation of international trade has been accompanied by an increasingly polarised controversy about the effects of the process on the world's poor and the environment. In Latin America, according to ECLAC calculations, 220 million people live below the poverty line. Though there are indications that liberalisation of the balance of payments has had positive impacts in reducing poverty, it is also evident that its consequences in terms of inequality have in many cases been negative. In addition, it remains unclear how trade liberalisation policies can be harmonised with the requirements stipulated by international conventions on the environment. The different interpretations translate into lack of agreement that, in the most extreme cases, leads to a categorical rejection of free trade or a sharp questioning of trade measures that include environmental protections. This was manifest in the failure of the World Trade Organisation's Ministerial Conference in Seattle in December 1999. Despite the current controversy, the UNDP looks to the future with optimism and stakes its hopes on the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Tools like Tierramérica enrich the discussion among all sectors of society in the region and help governments achieve harmonisation of trade and environmental policies in order to tackle the most pressing global challenges, climate change among them. The Convention on Climate Change reinforces this UNDP commitment for two basic reasons. In the first place, because the potential high costs of emissions abatement make tradable emissions credits an effective option. If some countries can cut emissions at a relatively low cost, that will increase global commitments to reduction and fuel the transfer of resources from the North to the South as payment for providing a new environmental service. The second reason has to do with the fact that the poorest sectors in all countries disproportionately suffer the impacts of climate change, and we cannot remain passive when facing such inequality. When it comes to assigning funds, development agencies are putting priority on supporting the very poor and the most vulnerable because, beyond the text of the Kyoto Protocol, what is at stake is our quality of life in the centuries to come. * The author is UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean . Copyright © 2000 Tierramérica. Todos los Derechos Reservados |
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