International Programs

EPA programs and activities in South America, Central America and the Caribbean support the work of our partners to build healthy communities by strengthening their capacity to implement environmental laws and programs, advance greater use of economic incentives, and promote stakeholder involvement in environmental decision-making.  These programs also support implementation of environmental cooperation mechanisms associated with Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). These mechanisms help build the sustainable development capacity of U.S. trading partners by promoting cooperation on the effective development and enforcement of environmental law, policies and programs; public participation and transparency in environmental decision making; and improved performance of the private sector.

Brazil

Brazil ’s size (the 5th largest country in the world and the largest in Latin America), large population, and high levels of economic growth and urbanization make its current and future environmental footprint the most significant in the Latin America and Caribbean region and one of the most significant in the world. EPA works with national and local environmental agencies in Brazil to exchange information on environmental management and risk reduction in areas of mutual interest.

Chile

Our trade and environment cooperation with Chile is guided by an Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA) and its associated Work Program. The 2007-2008 Work Program focuses on the following priority areas, with the following corresponding general objectives:

• Strengthening effective implementation and enforcement of environmental laws and regulations;
• Encouraging development and adoption of sound environmental practices and technologies, particularly in business enterprises;
• Promoting sustainable development and management of environmental resources, including wild fauna and flora, and protected wild areas;
• Civil society participation in the environmental decision-making process; and
• Environmental education.

In addition to these areas, the Work Plan provides for information exchange and collaboration on other issues, including critical issues in children and women's environmental health. Under this area of work, OIA has worked with EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education (OCHPEE) to help establish a Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) in Chile. EPA played a leadership role in implementing 7 of the 8 cooperation projects listed in the FTA. As of July 2008, all 7 projects have been completed.

For more information, please visit the following websites:

• US Trade Representative: About Chile Free Trade Agreement -- Full Text
• State Department: http://www.state.gov/g/oes/env/trade/index.htm

CAFTA-DR

The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) includes Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the United States.

EPA works as an implementation partner with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on environmental capacity building within the CAFTA-DR region in accordance with the priorities outlined in the CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA).

Other Free Trade Agreements:

The FTA is currently pending congressional approval.

For more information, please visit the following websites:

• US Trade Representative: About the Columbia Free Trade Agreement -- Full Text
• State Department: http://www.state.gov/g/oes/env/trade/index.htm 

The FTA has been approved by Congress and is now pending implementation.

For more information, please visit the following websites:

• US Trade Representative: About the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement -- Full Text
• State Department: http://www.state.gov/g/oes/env/trade/index.htm

The FTA is currently pending congressional approval.

For more information, please visit:

• US Trade Representative: About the Panama Trade Promotion Agreement-- Full Text

Other initiatives in the Region

• New! At the Fifth Summit of the Americas (April 2009), President Obama invited all countries of the Western Hemisphere to deepen cooperation on energy and climate change, by launching the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas. Peru recently hosted a follow-up symposium to discuss cooperation on energy and climate change, two of the most critical issues facing our region. Learn more
• Learn how EPA works to Protect Drinking Water Quality in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Inter-American Forum on Environmental Law (FIDA)- For more information, please visit the website for the Organization of American States (OAS) at http://www.oas.org/dsd/fida/