The session made it possible to ascertain the progress made on climate policies, strategies, and action programmes in the field of Just Transition in Spanish and Latin American spheres.
In the framework of the Joint Regional Event, Climate Action in Times of Crisis. Enabling sustainable recovery after COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean, a meeting supported by Euroclima+, IDB, UNDP and the LEDS LAC Platform, on Thursday, October 29th, the session Just Transition: future scenarios for transformation was held. It was organized by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP) as the implementing agency of the EUROCLIMA+ programme, together with the Inter-American Development Bank IDB and the LEDS LAC platform.
The session aimed to share the status of progress on Just Transition policies, strategies, and action programmes in Spanish and Latin American spheres, highlighting the key role of JT in informing climate action and a green post-pandemic recovery.
The Just Transition approach can help boost climate action in the current pandemic context, as the urgent need for economic revival risks eclipsing other equally urgent objectives. By linking the environmental, social, and economic agendas, this vision can identify shared goals and enhance synergies. Its emphasis on equity and the employment dimension can achieve greater social acceptance and political momentum, as well as the essential financial resources needed to drive the profound structural changes required by the climate challenge.
For their part, long-term strategies can help governments manage the social impacts of decarbonisation and ensure a just and inclusive transition (IDB and DDPLAC, 2019). Well managed, the transition to a zero-emission economy is not only vital to avoid climate disaster, it can also stimulate a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery. But this will not happen automatically; it is necessary to anticipate changes and adopt policy measures that are timely and effective.
The session included an introductory presentation by Julián Martínez, representative of the Just Transition Institute of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of Spain, who shared the progress made in incorporating just transition into public policies to combat climate change in Spain. The presentation was followed by a panel with Felipe Diaz, representative of the Climate Change Office of the Ministry of the Environment of Chile who presented the integration of Just Transition into its NDC and in its long-term climate strategies; Oscar Fabián Riomaña, Deputy Director of Analysis, Monitoring and Labour Prospective of the Ministry of Labour of Colombia, shared the progress made in promoting green employment; Ana Belén Sánchez, Regional Specialist on green employment of the ILO-Mexico Headquarters, who presented contributions to integrate just transition into public policies; Peggy Martinello, Director of the Public Administration and Social Affairs Area of the FIAPP Foundation, who presented the importance of integrating the social, climate and economic agenda; and, Adrien Voigt-Schildt, Senior Economist on Climate Change of the IDB, who highlighted the need to integrate just transition into post-COVID recovery.
More than 90 people followed the presentations, after which they were able to have an exchange with the speakers. The conclusions of the session will be published shortly.
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), the German society for International Cooperation (GIZ), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), and UN Environment.
Contact
Daniel Fernández: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.