BECC-NADB has helped build environmental infrastructure in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region, including wastewater treatment facilities such as the one shown here.

Following the 1993 signature of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), two binational institutions were created to develop the environmental infrastructure of the U.S.-Mexico border region and enhance the well-being of residents in both nations. These institutions fulfill an essential role in supporting the improvement of environmental conditions in the border region.

• North American Development Bank (NADB): Exit Launched in 1994, the NADB is a financial institution, capitalized and governed equally by the United States and Mexico, which finances environmental infrastructure projects in the border region, certified by the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission.
• Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC): ExitSince 1995, the BECC has assisted border communities by designing and certifying environmental infrastructure projects on the border, based on set criteria established by the United States and Mexico. 

Explore Recent Projects improving the lives of residents today.

Governance

The BECC and NADB are jointly governed by the United States and Mexico , via a 10-member Board of Directors:

• From the federal government of the United States, the board members include the Administrator for EPA, and the Secretaries of State and Treasury.
• From the federal government of Mexico, the board members include the Secretaries for the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), Treasury (Hacienda; SHCP), and External Relations (Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores; SRE).
• The board also includes one state representative and one non-governmental organization from each country.

EPA has been an active participant as a member of the Board of Directors for BECC and NADB, helping to ensure that the projects approved by the Board achieve human health and/or environmental benefits, and that completed projects have achieved the anticipated results. In addition, EPA has made it a top priority that transparency and accountability continue to guide the work of the BECC and NADB.

Recent Border Projects

The total number of projects funded by NADB and the amount of financing provided by NADB from its inception until December 31, 2015 is approximately US$2.59 billion in loans and grants to help finance 218 certified projects.  To date, 97% of the contracted financing has been disbursed for project implementation.

Of the 218 projects receiving financing from the Bank, 172 have been completed, 40 are currently under construction or in various stages of completion, and five are in the design or bidding stage.  One project was cancelled.  An additional US$218 million in loans and grants has been approved to support nine projects, including three projects for which funding has been partially contracted.

Additional information can be found on NADB’s website.Exit