The sessions that inaugurated the event, which will last until November, were held over three days.

The health and economic crisis generated by COVID-19 poses the challenge of not neglecting national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, which also take on greater priority today due to the urgent need to promote a post-pandemic green recovery.  It is under this framework that the event Climate Action in Times of Crisis: Fostering Sustainable Recovery post-COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean is taking place.

The event brings together the efforts of important initiatives, programmes and organisations in the Latin American and Caribbean region that are working to promote climate action and transform the development of the countries in the region. Thus, the EUROCLIMA+ programme, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Regional Platform for Resilient and Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS LAC) joined forces to create a space for meeting, collaboration and learning for the region.

This completely virtual initiative will run from September to December 2020 and it is structured around three themes: Long-term strategies, led by the IDB; Updating of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and increasing ambition, co-organised by EUROCLIMA+, through the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) with its Dialogue among Peers initiative and the UNDP; and the Axis for sectoral action: transport, which is the responsibility of Sustentar.

Thus, during the first days of September, the inaugural sessions of the different thematic axes were held. Through presentations, group work and the direct participation of the attendees, these sessions addressed issues such as climate action for a green recovery; increasing ambition in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC); Long Term Strategies; Resilient Mobility and Transport, the presentation of the new NDC digital tool in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and the priorities for climate action.

With the perspective of green recovery as a guiding principle, the sessions identified challenges and opportunities for climate action such as the need to work together at the regional level so as not to leave anyone behind. Also, the importance of linking the short-term commitments established in the NDCs with the long-term ones was identified in the definition of the Long Term Climate Strategies (LTS) as was the need for multi-sectoral and social articulation, as well as the importance of sectoral plans and strategies. The relevance of the development of financing systems for the implementation of plans and how the health crisis poses the redefinition of concepts and habits cannot be ignored.

The urgent need for action to align with science's call to keep warming below 1.5°C was also recognised. This goal will only be possible if Latin America and the Caribbean increase their current decarbonisation rate of 0.7% per year to -7.5% by 2030, which must be translated into more ambitious NDCs and LTSs with transformative visions.

 

Durante estos meses, la agenda de actividades se irá actualizando y continuará abriendo espacios de participación y reflexión, para avanzar en una acción climática acorde a las necesidades que plantea el contexto post-COVID: una recuperación verde que se sustente en la colaboración, el intercambio y el aprendizaje.

Revisa a continuación las sesiones inaugurales del evento

2 September:

Climate Action for the green recovery				Increased ambition in the NDCs

3 september:

Long Term Strategies toward zero emissions				Resilient, low emission Mobility and transport

4 september

LAC NDC. A new tool for progress on the NDCs				Current climate action priorities in LAC

 

The updated agenda and registrations for the event are now available through the link: http://bit.ly/participa-eventoconjunto2020

About EUROCLIMA+

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme financed 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-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH and UN Environment.

More information:

Dialogue among Peers to enhance NDC implementation in Latin America

An initiative of the Climate Governance Component, EUROCLIMA+: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

For general Programme information:

Alexandra Cortés, communication and visibility for the EUROCLIMA+ Secretariat

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.