The VII Meeting of the Brazil-United States Common Agenda on the Environment was held on the 18th and 19th September 2003. The first meeting of the agenda took place in March 1996, in Brasilia, and both governments have met on an annual basis ever since, in Brasilia and Washington, to discuss priority issues of mutual concern in the areas of environment and sustainable development, with the participation of relevant governmental agencies from both sides.

In addition to the high-level consultations, the two sides are striving to enhance consultations and cooperation at other levels through the establishment of working groups to facilitate dialogue and cooperation in specific areas, and by way of bilateral discussions between relevant governmental agencies.

The VII Meeting focused on the following issues:

a) the sharing of perspectives and positions on key environmental issues such as global climate change and renewable energies, the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, forest policy issues, health and sustainable development, the sound management of chemicals, and use of remote sensing in the protection of the environment;

b) the program of work of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), the multilateral body responsible for the follow-up of the 1992 U.N. Conference on the Environment and Development, in Rio de Janeiro, and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesberg. In 2004 and 2005, the CSD will place special emphasis on water, sanitation, and human settlements;

c) cooperation on environmentally sound technologies and practices and their applications in the areas of energy efficiency and the use of new and renewable energy sources;

d) sharing of experiences and cooperation in advanced research and technology development under way in both countries, including hydrogen and biodiesel as energy sources and new technologies for the protection of forest areas;

e) sharing of expertise in the creation and management of protected areas, as well as in the field of environmental law enforcement.

To accomplish its goals, the common agenda encourages cooperation, as mutually agreed, with the private sector, educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations on relevant environmental and sustainable development programs and initiatives, particularly in the areas of technical cooperation and the development and dissemination of environmentally sound technologies; as well as the sharing of experiences and perspectives on each government’s partnership with major groups. The agenda also aims to facilitate scientific and technological exchanges and other joint efforts to address environmental issues of mutual interest.

The Brazilian delegation was headed by Minister Everton Vieira Vargas, Director of the Department for Environment and Special Affairs, at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations, and composed of representatives of the Ministries of Environment, Science and Technology, Mines and Energy, Health, Agriculture, and Defense, as well as other governmental agencies. The U.S. delegation was headed by John F. Turner, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and composed of representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Smithsonian Institution, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Brasilia, September 19th 2003