Research and Training Area
Electronic Dialogue 2003
Environmental Compliance and Enforcement
in Latin America - Role of Judges and Prosecutors

Steering Committee - Executive Group

Steering Committee - Advisory Group

Working paper by María Eugenia Di Paola, FARN

The role of judges and prosecutors is crucial for environmental compliance and enforcement in Latin America. The Global Symposium of Judges and the First Conference on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement in Latin America in 2002, and the Mexico Declaration of 2000, have clearly emphasized the importance of their role in achieving sustainable development.

The aim of the electronic dialogue was to identify and analyze the role judges and prosecutors play in Latin America. The difficulties that arise in relation to the intervention of judges and prosecutors on issues of the environment and sustainable development were also analyzed, as were the positive and negative experiences of different countries. The idea was to build an agenda of thematic needs and priorities in the region. The conclusions were not only valuable in themselves, based on the exchange of opinions and experiences of judges, prosecutors, civil society, academia and the government sector, but they also contributed to setting the Agenda for the Symposium of Judges and Prosecutors of Latin America - Environmental Compliance and Enforcement which took place in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 23 and 24 September 2003.

Dynamic of the Dialogue
The electronic dialogue was spread over three weeks, from 11-29 August 2003, and was subject to the following rules:

• All messages sent by the participants will be received by the facilitator, who will resend them to the list with related commentary.
  
• Participants may communicate in Spanish, English or Portuguese.
  
• Responses and comments from the facilitator will be in Spanish.
  
• Discussions will focus on the questions posed for the week in question.

Weekly issues

1st week (11-15 August):
Diagnosis: Identification of difficulties concerning the role of judges and prosecutors and environmental compliance and enforcement.

2nd and 3rd weeks (18-29August):
Lessons: Identification and exchange of positive and negative experiences that may be considered instructive for the role of judges and prosecutors, and the problems identified.