Lima, September 11 (Andina-RHC) -- Peru’s Minister of Environment, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal opened Wednesday the seventh Ibero-American Congress on Environmental Education taking place in Lima until Friday.

This important meeting will gather representatives of all the Ibero-American governments who will use the congress to formulate a comprehensive package of announcements prior to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change-COP20 to be held from December 1st through the 12thin Lima.

Minister Pulgar-Vigal was joined by Mahesh Pradhan, head of UNEP's Environmental Education and Training Unit (EETU) within the Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI); and Flavio Figallo, Vice Minister of Pedagogical Management for the Education Ministry of Peru.

The theme of the Congress is 'Educating together for the sustainability of life' and its purpose is to contribute to the sustainability of life and the construction of environmental citizenship from the experiences and proposals of community-based environmental education in Latin America.

Among others, topics covered include foundations of community-based environmental education; relations between universities and communities on environmental issues and; coordination of networks and institutions in community-based environmental education.

Attendees will also discuss systematized experiences on community-based environmental education and; community-based environmental education in the media, social networks and other public spaces.