Ernesto Reyna says Controlling Price Volatility of Basic Products is Fundamental for Sustainable Development

Ernesto Reyna says Controlling Price Volatility of Basic Products is Fundamental for Sustainable Development
Quito, Ecuador 2/6/2012

Ministers attending the XVIII Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment from Latin America and the Caribbean in Quito agreed that it is essential to place environmental issues at the heart of sustainable development decisions.

As such, the meeting resolved to adhere to the United Nations Fight against Desertification by continuing the process of implementation of the “Strategy to Increase the Flow of Funds to Fight Desertification and Land Degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean.” In addition, they requested financial support to put into action the Multi-Agency Pre-investment Fund to ensure their effective use at the regional level.

Among their decisions, they included the importance of taking into account the United Nations draft resolution of “Addressing excessive international financial market speculation and extreme price volatility of food and related commodity markets.”

As such, the meeting resolved to adhere to the United Nations Fight against Desertification by continuing the process of implementation of the “Strategy to Increase the Flow of Funds to Fight Desertification and Land Degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean.” In addition, they requested financial support to put into action the Multi-Agency Pre-investment Fund to ensure their effective use at the regional level.

Dominican Minister of Environment, Ernesto Reyna Alcántara, stressed that the resolution taken by the United Nations Assembly following a proposal made by Dominican President Leonel Fernández Reyna constitutes an important advance in the process of mitigating the critical situation that exists currently in the region.

“At this event, delegates from different countries have pointed out how increased prices of commodities has led to a decrease in the well-being and quality of life of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the region and how this is affecting food security in the region,” said Minister Reyna.

The XVIII Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment from Latin America and the Caribbean included this United Nations resolution, accepted from a proposal presented by the Dominican delegation. The resolution takes into account decisions related to sustainable consumption and production, regional financial strategy and small, developing island states.

This Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment from Latin America and the Caribbean was held to deliberate on new, emerging and priority issues for the region and other issues on the road to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

The Río+20 Conference will be held in Río de Janeiro from June 20 to 22, 2012. This world meeting will mark the 20th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Río de Janeiro in 1992. It will also mark the 10th anniversary of the Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002.

Members of the Dominican delegation at the meeting in Quito included Minister Reyna, Professor José Rafael Almonte, Deputy Minister for Planning and Development and Víctor Viñas, Director of Climate Change from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

The Dominican delegation, headed by Minister Reyna, was elected to assume the vice-presidency of the Forum of Ministers, in representation of the Caribbean region. For that reason, the delegation played a vital role in the drafting and approval of the final declaration of this event.

Marcela Aguiñaga, Environment Minister from Ecuador; Ernesto Reyna Alcántara, Environment Minister from the Dominican Republic; Margarita Astrálaga regional representative of the United Nations Environmental Program; Achim Steiner,  Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Program and Víctor Viñas, Director of Climate Change from the Dominican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.