UNDP representative Jeffrey Avina, Natural Resources Minister 
Xiomara Gomez and U.N. consultant Richard Barathe.
(Photo by Suyapa Carias.)

By SUYAPA CARIAS

TEGUCIGALPA -- Natural Resources Minister Xiomara Gomez de Caballero this week presented the first Report on Environmental Perspectives in Latin America and the Caribbean, prepared by the United Nations Development Program for the Environment and launched simultaneously throughout the region.

The event was co-presided by U.N. official Jeffery Avina and U.N. environmental consultant, Richard Barathe.

The report, said Gomez de Caballero, "highlights the close links existing between environmental degradation, the undermining of the people's quality of life and the increase in poverty and marginalization, which shows the social dimension of these global changes, while the economic costs of urbanization, the fight against contamination and environmental restoration keep climbing."

Gomez de Caballero admitted that there are several environmental issues that remain unclear due to the lack of information and funds to acquire the necessary technology and infrastructure.

She also expressed her concern on the matter of disaster preparedness in light of the country's increased vulnerability.  "We are not prepared for another natural disaster," she said.

"We have stated the need for support and funds in different agreements and events," she said, adding that her ministry is currently working on a national environmental information system.

When asked what the U.N. can do to help eliminate an impunity-oriented political system that frequently allows natural resource destruction to continue and go unpunished, Avina said it is vital to make the environment a priority during the next 15 years.

"We at UNDP intend to exert more influence at a judicial level as well as with the media, because we all know that what's missing is the desire to act," he said.  "The environment is a fundamental issue in the country's strategy for poverty eradication.  But it is not only the government's task."

For Richard Barathe, the most valuable aspect of the report relies precisely on the importance of civil society's participation.  "It is imperative to take politics out of environmental issues and instead try to develop a long-term national plan that allows the sustainability of alternative processes and solutions."