By Abbas Nazil
Ministers of environment from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have adopted the Lima Declaration, committing to collective regional action to tackle pressing environmental challenges ahead of major global negotiations, including the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, and the seventh UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Lima Declaration, issued at the XXIV Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of LAC held in Lima, Peru, from September 30 to October 2, 2025, calls for more integrated and coordinated approaches to address climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification, drought, and pollution in all its forms.
It also reaffirms the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, emphasizing inclusive governance, multi-level cooperation, and the active participation of all sectors of society in solving environmental crises.
Participants adopted several key regional action plans, including the Regional Cooperation Programme for the Reduction of Methane Emissions from Organic Waste, the Action Plan for Chemicals and Waste Management 2026–2029, the Regional Air Quality Plan 2026–2029, and the updated Regional Plan for Ecosystem Restoration and Water Resilience.
Ministers further tasked the LAC Working Group on Plastic and Microplastic Pollution to implement annual programmes for 2026 and 2027 aimed at reducing marine and terrestrial pollution.
Resolutions were also endorsed for submission to UNEA-7, covering issues such as sustainable mineral management, environmental crime prevention, control of sargassum blooms in the Caribbean, and “Mother Earth-centric” approaches to sustainable living.
The meeting was preceded by youth, women, and civil society consultations, reinforcing inclusive participation across sectors.
The Forum reaffirmed the region’s shared vision for sustainability, resilience, and environmental justice, marking a united step toward strengthening global environmental governance ahead of COP30 and UNEA-7.
