The closing event of the EUROCLIMA+ project Pachayatiña Pachayachay in the Risk Management sector was held in Bolivia.

La Paz, 1 December 2021. Authorities, farmers and technicians from the meteorological and hydrological services of Bolivia and Peru exchange lessons learned in the framework of the project

"Information, governance and action for drought risk reduction in Peru and Bolivia in a context of climate change", which is part of the European Union's Euroclima+ Risk Management Programme, implemented in both countries since January 2019 with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the French Development Agency (AFD).

In the opinion of Grover Mamani, Coordinator of the aforementioned project, "the purpose of the project was met to increase the capacity for prevention, preparedness and response to droughts in the context of climate change, of public entities with competencies in agriculture, at national and subnational government levels, as well as in farming families in prioritised territories of the Bolivian-Peruvian highlands".

In this context, a delegation from Peru, made up of more than 30 people from the districts of Taraco, Pusi, Ilave and Mañazo in the Puno region, as well as from Lima, arrived in Bolivia to exchange methodologies and tools with their peers in the municipalities of Sica Sica, Calacoto and Achacachi in the department of La Paz.

This "flagship project", so named by Euroclima+ Risk Management, highlights as priorities the implementation of the Intercultural Climate Service, the mainstreaming of Risk Management in public planning and investment, and the implementation of drought risk reduction measures.

The Deputy Director of Climate Prediction of SENAMHI Peru, Grinia Ávalos, highlighted "the recovery of ancestral knowledge and practices - with respect to climate - to generate products that allow us to respond to adverse events, such as drought, which impacts the Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia". The expert pointed out that "Meteorological Services have data from more than 40 years ago, which show climate change; communities also have natural signals that allow them to know the behaviour of the climate in order to make decisions; the challenge lies in linking, from an intercultural approach, both forms of knowledge for better knowledge and action in the face of critical events such as drought". In this context, Juan Enrique García, Head of AECID Programmes, highlighted the lessons learned in the institutionalisation of Risk Management by municipal governments, as well as the intercultural climate service that links ancestral knowledge with academic knowledge.

From 23 to 25 November, the municipalities of Achacachi, Calacoto and Sica Sica were learning spaces for delegations from Bolivia and Peru with the support of the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (SENAMHI) of both countries, HELVETAS of Peru and Bolivia and the Centre for Disaster Studies and Prevention (PREDES) of Peru.

Richard Haep, Programme Director of HELVETAS Bolivia, highlighted that the binational lessons learned include, among other important results, "the SENAMHI Bolivia digital information platform that contributes to efficient access to Climate Service information; as well as the development of tools such as the Pacha Uñtawi and Waña Katari, which provide climate information according to the producer of the highlands of Bolivia and Peru".

The lessons learned, methodologies and tools developed by the project were shared at the event marking the conclusion of the project on Friday 26 November at 18:30 in the Germania Room of the Hotel Europa.

About the projects of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management component: droughts and floods

A total of seven projects are implemented through the Risk Management component of the EUROCLIMA+ programme. For more information on each project please visit this link: https://www.euroclima.org/en/risk-management

About EUROCLIMA+

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient development in 18 Latin American countries, particularly for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and UN Environment.

Contacts

For more information about EUROCLIMA+, contact Alexandra Cortés: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For information about the Risk Management component of EUROCLIMA+, write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.