Social articulation was the theme of a new session of the Second Dialogue among Peers.
In the second of three meetings, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, and Chile shared the experiences they are developing to ensure greater involvement of the different actors in society in the formulation and implementation of their NDCs.
Santiago de Chile, November 12, 2020. With a session focused on social articulation, the initiative “Dialogue among Peers to enhance NDC implementation in Latin America” of the EUROCLIMA+ Programme, held the Second Dialogue among Peers which, on this occasion, is being developed through three virtual sessions under the framework of the Joint Regional Event: Increasing Ambition for the NDCs.
The Dialogue among Peers initiative aims to promote and provide Latin American countries with a space for reflection, exchange and mutual learning, to boost the implementation of NDCs and increase ambition in the region. For its implementation, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) have formed a strategic alliance and received support from the AVINA Foundation.
The main purpose of this Second Dialogue among Peers is to simulate in an interactive way a "marketplace" where participants can identify needs ("demand") and opportunities ("supply") to strengthen climate action in Latin America with options to contribute to sustainable recovery.
The session began with a welcome from Paola Vasconi, Regional Advisor on Climate Governance for GIZ, who highlighted the relevance of spaces for reflection and joint learning, especially considering the global context of health, economic and climate crises. In her opening words Vasconi emphasized "Latin America has been one of the regions most affected by the coronavirus, with the consequent impact on the people and economies of the countries. In this scenario, the role and active participation of the so-called non-state actors, i.e., the private sector, academia, civil society, indigenous peoples and youth, girls and boys, is key to sustaining climate action and increasing ambition in climate commitments in the process of updating the NDCs".
Then it was the turn of Carlos de Miguel, head of the Sustainable Development Policy Unit of ECLAC's Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division, who stressed that, when reviewing countries' development styles, there are none that are on the right track. Therefore, significant changes are required in which social action and articulation are important, where the crucial thing is to integrate economic, social, and environmental aspects.
Likewise, de Miguel recalled that the Charter of the United Nations and the Principles of Sustainable Development establish that the challenges of sustainable development are a task for all, and that they demand the participation and involvement of society in all the issues that comprise it, highlighting in this context Principle 10 -- which guarantees that all people, particularly those in vulnerable situations, have access to timely and reliable information, can participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives, and have access to justice in environmental matters, contributing to the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals - as a fundamental tool for social articulation and informed participation of stakeholders and environmental justice. Review Carlos de Miguel's presentation here.
Next, the experiences of Peru, Mexico, Ecuador and Chile were presented, these shared some examples of how governments are promoting initiatives and installing mechanisms to ensure greater involvement and effective participation of different actors in the design and implementation of climate policies and commitments.
Nadia Alanya, from the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, presented the creation of the Indigenous Peoples' Platform to confront Climate Change in the country, which has among its main challenges to follow up on adaptation and mitigation measures, which is fundamental for climate action, in addition to implementing measures for climate change management and achieving coordination with state and non-state actors to build the climate and indigenous agenda.
In this regard, she stressed that this platform has managed to make contributions to the National Adaptation Plan, the guidelines for REDD strategies (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), and the implementation of measures for mitigation and adaptation to climate change, becoming an important tool for climate action in Peru.
On behalf of Ecuador, Eugenia Martinez from the Ministry of Environment, presented the Communication Strategy focused on Children and Youth to face climate change. With this strategy, the Government of Ecuador aims to strengthen the capacities and knowledge of young people, girls and boys through different means such as interviews, audiovisual material, interaction with technical professionals, and recreational strategies, among others, considering these population groups as future decision makers and relevant actors in the fight against climate change.
In turn, Leonardo Muñoz, Head of the Science and Government Office of the Chilean Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation showed how science can contribute to informed decision-making with the Chilean experience in the creation of the Scientific Committee on Climate Change. Based on the interministerial work that has been carried out, not only the Science and Technology portfolio has been involved, but also the Environment and Foreign Affairs ministries, among others. In addition, this process has been carried out with a transversal view, considering both the areas of adaptation and mitigation, as well as the Committee's sectoral work; reaching key issues for climate action such as cities, water, biodiversity, the cryosphere, and issues related to Antarctica.
Muñoz commented in detail on the pilot experience of the Science and Government Office, and showed how the work of the Scientific Committee played a key role in updating Chile's NDC. This allowed the identification of more than 600 scientists working on issues related to climate change, the formation of several working groups on different key issues, the holding of several workshops and the production of numerous reports where scientific evidence is gathered.
Finally, Juan Quimbar, General Director of Climate Change and Environmental Promotion CEDES, of the Government of the State of Sonora, in Mexico, presented the case of the involvement of the private sector in Sonora's energy efficiency strategy. This work is part of Sonora's Green Growth Strategy, in which decarbonisation and energy independence stand out as one of its objectives, and this involves a group of private and civil society actors, where the gender perspective is incorporated as well as key sectors for climate action.
The adjournment was the responsibility of Jimy Ferrer, ECLAC Economic Affairs Officer, who, besides highlighting the relevance of the experiences presented by the countries and thanking the interactions in the application (Funretro) planned to identify needs and opportunities, pointed out that "there are different mechanisms, strategies and tools to strengthen climate action" and that "the social dimension in any of them is fundamental for the formulation of updated NDCs and their subsequent implementation".
Ferrer also pointed out that the cases identified in the three virtual meetings could be considered as concrete cases for the implementation of the exchanges among countries that will take place under the Peer Dialogue Initiative during 2021, and that the inputs of the process will be used for the preparation of an orientation guide for the countries on the functioning of the peer exchange initiative.
You can review the presentations made by Ecuador, Chile, Mexico and Peru at these links.
The Dialogue among Peers cycle will continue with the next exchange scheduled for November 20 (financial articulation).
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About EUROCLIMA+
EUROCLIMA+ is the European Union's flagship programme for cooperation with Latin America. It aims to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects on the region by promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation, resilience and climate financing.
It is implemented in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean 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), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy (FIIAPP), and the UN Environment Programme.