The European Commission, on behalf of the European Union, signs today five contracts for a total amount of €37 million for the implementation of the new regional programme in support of environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation and adaption in Latin America.
Five selected Agencies of EU Member States, all of which have previous experience in the sectors covered in Latin America, have been selected for the implementation of this programme. The contracts cover sectors such as disaster risk reduction and management, forests, biodiversity and ecosystems as well as resource efficiency in urban development.
At this occasion, Commissioner Mimica, in charge of International Cooperation and Development, said: "For the first time the European Commission is pooling together the EU financial resources and expertise with that of five EU Member States' agencies in the implementation of the EUROCLIMA+ programme. This programme, developed jointly with all our partners in Latin America, constitutes a key European response to address climate change in the region. I welcome the significant efforts being made by the EU and our committed regional partners to make climate change adaptation and mitigation a reality in Latin America".
EUROCLIMA+, which has a total allocation of € 80 million, will help 18 Latin American countries in the implementation of the commitments on climate change made at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21). The programme will promote environmentally sustainable and more climate-resilient development of Latin America region, in particular in the benefit of most vulnerable populations.
The new EUROCLIMA+ programme will build on the successful EUROCLIMA programme which began in 2010 and which will be concluded by mid-2017. The Lima Declaration, adopted at the Fifth Latin America - European Union Summit (Peru, May 2008), established EUROCLIMA as a joint programme between both regions. Actions are defined in a participatory manner based on the needs of the region, identified through the National Focal Points who guarantee synergies and complementarities with other initiatives, represent the position of their governments in the context of the programme and promote the application of the results.
Through its demand-driven approach EUROCLIMA+ is expected to contribute to environmentally sustainable and more climate-resilient development of Latin America, particularly where it affects living conditions of the most vulnerable populations. The objective of the programme is to further facilitate regional policy dialogue as well as provide technical and financial support to the development and implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation policies in the Latin America region.
The challenge is to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation in a policy framework that can at the same time deliver economic growth, improve social equity and enhance climate and environmental protection. Evidence suggests that countries can make rapid progress in climate mitigation when they integrate climate policy into their core development strategy. Moreover, the programme will support the climate change adaptation strategies and objectives, which Latin American countries have committed themselves to in the context of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
Background:
Climate change is rapidly becoming one of the biggest global challenges of the 21st century, with direct consequences on economies and living conditions and Latin America is particularly impacted by the effects of climate change; economic costs are estimated at between 1.5% and 5 % of the region’s GDP. Environmental sustainability, climate change and renewable energy are also of central importance for the new Sustainable Development Goals.
The signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015 has shifted the focus on the implementation of commitments taken (NDCs), and Latin America has high expectations with regards to an increased cooperation with Europe. Support to Governments in Latin America in their efforts to implement the NDCs is at the heart of EUROCLIMA+.
The EU Multiannual Indicative Programme for Latin America under the Development Cooperation Instrument provides a response to these areas under focal sector 4: environmental sustainability and climate change, and a major cooperation programme (EUROCLIMA+) is about to be launched in this context.
Source: European Commission