Concluding Remarks

The developments described above are accompanied by a recognition among policy makers, lending organizations, environmental authorities, and enforcement agencies that there is a need to continue to work on institutional capacity building, facilitate access to information, exchange experiences, and develop good practices and support alternative approaches.

The U.S. EPA and the Netherlands Ministry of Environment, with support from several other organizations, have established the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE). One of its main activities is the periodic International Conference on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement. The materials submitted to these conferences and their proceedings have contributed to a substantial literature on environmental enforcement. The Fifth Conference was held in Monterey, California, from November 16 to 20, 1998.

The Organization of American States is taking the lead in establishing a hemispheric network of “officials and experts in environmental law, enforcement and compliance,” as called for in the Plan of Action of the Bolivia Summit of the Americas for Sustainable Development. It is expected that such a network would focus its activities on facilitating an exchange of knowledge and experiences, serving as a focal point for cooperative efforts, and training.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) has submitted a proposal to the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) to finance an electronic database on environmental laws and regulations for Latin America and the Caribbean to facilitate access to their provisions and requirements with the hope that this would result in increased compliance.

In Colombia, representatives of groups like those mentioned above have organized national roundtables to explore ways to maximize the use of legal instruments for improving environmental enforcement. Such roundtables could serve as a model for the other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.