Latin America and the Caribbean with Team Europe: Working better together towards a Just and Green Transition

Expert Panel Discussion │ 12 July 2023 12:00 to 15:00 CET | Via Youtube

Latin America and the Caribbean with Team Europe: Working better together towards a Just and Green Transition

Purpose

In the face of a rapidly changing world and mutually reinforcing global crises, the role of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is now more important than ever. By working closer and strategically together, the EU and LAC can address global challenges more effectively. The LAC region is a key partner for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The EUCELAC Summit on 17-18 July offers new momentum for Team Europe and LAC partner countries to jointly discuss how we can bring our European and bilateral approaches closer together on our paths towards a socially just and green transition. In the run-up of this summit the German development cooperation plans to host an expert panel discussion on how to improve the complementarity of our approaches. The event will begin with a livestream of the launch of the BMZ paper on Latin America and the Caribbean by Federal Minister Svenja Schulze and will be followed by a high-level panel discussion.

Context

As one of the most pressing global challenges, climate change is significantly worsening long-term economic prospects and increasing existing inequalities in LAC. It is, therefore, vital that a “whole-ofsociety” approach is adopted to ensure a just transition – one which creates decent jobs, leaves no one behind and enhances low emission and climate resilient development. ‘Working better together’ as Team Europe is the EU’s strategic approach to strengthen coherent joint action in partner countries. With the EU-LAC Global Gateway Investment Agenda, LAC together with the EU are scaling up their commitment to a strong partnership by leveraging quality investments for a fair, green and digital transition. Euroclima is the programme on climate change, biodiversity and circular economy between Latin America and the Caribbean and the EU1 , contributing both to the regional Team Europe Initiative (TEI) “Green Transition in LAC” and to the EU’s Global Gateway strategy. It is a clear example of how joint European action can be implemented in practice by working together with partner countries and responding to their strategic priorities. The third EU-CELAC Summit of Heads of State and Government offers a great opportunity to build trust for a revitalised bi-regional partnership, based on shared values and mutual interests. In this context, the BMZ will present its new paper on cooperation with LAC countries, reflecting on three priority areas: just transition; good governance, peace and democracy; and feminist development policy.

We cordially invite you join the live event for a discussion on the complementarity of the BMZ approach with EU strategies and on how joint action together.

1 The programme fosters the strategic partnership between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean. Its objective is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in Latin America by fostering climate mitigation, adaptation, resilience and investment. Euroclima provides support in the water, energy, biodiversity/forest, risk management, urban mobility and food production sector as well as circular economy. EUROCLIMA is implemented by agencies of EU Member States (GIZ, AECID, AFD, Expertise France, FIIAPP) and the UN (ECLAC, UN Environment and UNDP).