Care for the environment.

• Position: OAS - Summit addresses environmental challenges - Brief article

TEN YEARS AFTER the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development took place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, representatives of the OAS member states returned to the same city to address the major environmental challenges facing the Americas.

The First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development, held December 4-5, laid the groundwork for cooperation in such areas as improving the sustainable management of water, reducing the risks of natural disasters, and promoting sustainable farm, forest and tourism practices.

"Development strategies need to include sustainability as an essential requirement for the balanced, interdependent and integral attainment of economic, social and environmental goals," said OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert. R. Ramdin, who opened the meeting along with Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca.

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