Gathered in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) from 28 to 31 March 2016, on the occasion of the XX Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Ministers and Delegation Leaders reaffirmed that it is essential to promote the complete implementation of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration, in line with the reality and national legislation, for which it becomes fundamental the strengthening of international cooperation and the creation of capacity in the countries of the region.
In addition, the 33 ministers of the region adopted a Decision on Access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters (Decision 5 - Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration), in which they considered the significant progress of the regional process launched by the Declaration on the implementation of Principle 10 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and reaffirmed their commitment to work towards achieving full implementation of this principle in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Furthermore, they agreed to continue efforts to strengthen regional dialogue and cooperation, technical assistance and capacity building in support of the construction and implementation of its own regional agenda on the rights of access, considering the advances, tools, experiences and practices in place since the adoption of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, including the ongoing intergovernmental negotiation process.
