EUROCLIMA+: Combatting climate change in Latin America

Project description

Title: German contribution to the EU Climate in Latin America programme, EUROCLIMA+
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Co-funded by: European Union
Country: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Overall term: 2016 bis 2024

Context

Unprecedented fires in the rainforest, species loss, population growth with accompanying urbanisation and mobilisation, land use changes as well as political and social upheaval in the wake of the COVID pandemic are among the numerous challenges faced by the Latin American continent, which plays an important role in global climate change mitigation. This demands a shift in how we think about growth and development, towards environmentally and climate-friendly alternatives, in particular in relation to agriculture and ecosystems as well as transport and energy.

Global warming can only be limited to 1.5°C if the targets specified in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change will be reached and the ambitions of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) will be further increased. This requires climate targets to be more firmly enshrined in policies and calls for greater involvement and coordination of various governmental and non-governmental decision-makers.

Objective

Relevant decision-makers in Latin America are better enabled to implement the Paris Agreement in alignment with the 1.5 degree target. The energy and transport systems as well as agriculture in the partner countries are aligned with climate targets, ecosystems and biodiversity are better protected and greenhouse gas emissions have dropped.

Approach

EUROCLIMA+ is a cofinanced regional programme of the European Union (EU). Its current objective is to improve the capability of 18 partner countries in Latin America to implement an effective climate policy and to initiate transformative change. To achieve this, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH cooperates with different organisations in of the following areas:

• Urban mobility (GIZ and Agence Française de Développement, AFD): In cooperation with the MobiliseYourCity partnership, partner countries are supported in developing national urban mobility policies and investment programmes as well as sustainable urban mobility plans and pilot projects on local level.
• Climate-resilient food security (GIZ and Expertise France, EF): Here GIZ finances and implements innovative pilot projects in smallholder, climate-adapted agriculture.
• In the area of forests, biodiversity and ecosystems (EF and GIZ), GIZ facilitates capacity building and provides technical assistance for the projects financed by EF.
• Climate-friendly energy systems (GIZ with AFD and Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo, AECID) promote an energy transition in order to contribute to decarbonisation and sustainability of the economy.

In addition, AFD and AECID implement measures for integrated water management and sustainable drinking water supply in cities as well as for reducing disaster risk and strengthening resilience to droughts and flooding.

Through country dialogues at the political level, the programme identifies and prioritises new actions based on the needs of the individual countries in order to facilitate implementation of the NDCs. GIZ focuses its efforts on promoting coordination and cooperation for NDC implementation. This takes place across sectors and with different actors of different levels, among other things by involving the private sector. Climate finance measures are another key area.

Further activities in the overlapping fields of plans and policies, transparency, action for climate empowerment as well as gender and vulnerable groups are conducted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Environment Programme and the Fundación Internacional y para Iberoamérica de Administración y Politicas Públicas (FIIAPP).

The measures are selected in close coordination with the EU and the respective political partners in the local environment and sectoral ministries, which are also involved in further cooperation.

Since Latin America is severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, special consideration should be given to a climate-friendly economic recovery. EUROCLIMA+ provides support for rebuilding the Latin American economies as resilient, sustainable and carbon-free as possible.

Results

The programme has developed the strategic competence of various actors in a range of different areas, including climate finance, drafting bankable projects, long-term climate strategies, multi-stakeholder cooperation, private sector integration, multi-level approaches, involvement of indigenous peoples, strategic and participatory urban mobility planning, agriculture measures for adaptation to climate change and various technical topics related to forests, biodiversity and ecosystems.

The exchange of experience and knowledge has also been stepped up and network-building supported. This was achieved through so called Communities of Practice with regular dialogue, peer-to-peer activities and regional workshops.

The virtual platform ndclac.org systematically consolidates information and experience related to NDC planning and implementation in the 18 partner countries.

The project also strengthens procedures and tools for the interaction and participation of different actors and/or institutions from various sectors and levels. The multi-stakeholder dialogue on climate finance and on supporting territorial NDC implementation deserves particular mention.

In order to integrate the gender perspective, cross-programme tools were developed, used and validated.
The programme generated and disseminated further knowledge through studies and (online) seminars. Topics included nature-based solutions as well as experience regarding private sector integration into the NDC processes.

Participatory processes and dialogues also improved the identification of various stakeholder representatives involved in developing and implementing urban mobility policies as well as NDC ambitions in the transport sector.
Finally, the programme succeeded in positioning the partner countries at international level, e.g. by organising events at the UN Climate Change Conferences (COP) or the Latin America climate week.

Last updated: April 2021