The Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Sunday 27^th January to Friday 1^st February 2008) was organized by the Government of the Dominican Republic through the State Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources and the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/ROLAC), in its capacity of Secretariat of the Forum.

The Forum wasl open with the Preparatory Meeting of High Level Government Experts (Sunday 27^th to Tuesday 29^th January 2008), with the presence of 28 countries and several representatives of sub-regional and inter-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies. At this preparatory meeting of experts, an agenda of environmental issues of regional significance was reviewed and proposals advanced for consideration at the Ministerial Segment, held from Wednesday 30^th January to Friday 1^st February 2008.

UNEP has also issued a call for participation at the UNEP Latin America and Caribbean Civil Society Forum (Monterrey, Mexico; 12th to 13th October, 2007), prior to the Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and Caribbean. At this gathering, civil society representatives prepared a joint statement with respect to issues of regional significance which will be submitted for consideration during the Ministerial Segment. They will also discuss issues that will be deliberated on at the tenth special session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (to be held in the Principality of Monaco, 20th - 22nd February, 2008).

The Sixteenth Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and Caribbean was an excellent opportunity to analyze prioritized issues on the regional agenda. The main items on the agenda included the evaluation of progress in the implementation of the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC), and the review of emerging issues and prioritized international environment-related negotiations on the global environmental agenda, such as climate change, incorporation of the principles of sustainable development in national policies and programmes: mainstreaming of environmental policies and Integrated Ecosystem Management.

Working documents, as well as information and reference documents are available as Acrobat Reader PDF files or MS-Word documents. Draft Final Report of the Sixteenth Meeting is now available in both English and Spanish versions.