FIIAPP pushes climate agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean at COP28

FIIAPP, through the European cooperation programme that promotes climate policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, EUROCLIMA, organised the event “Methodologies to unlock the potential of the circular economy in the Latin American and Caribbean region”. Likewise, the FIIAPP has participated in other parallel events on inclusive energy transition, investments, economic cooperation between Spain and Latin America in climate finance or clean mobility as a driver of sustainable urban development.

The effects of climate change are becoming more extreme every day and, for this reason, we continue to work hard to strengthen the commitment to a green and just transition, which is increasingly imperative. We do this through projects such as Amazonía+, Euroclima, AL Invest Verde and EU-Cuba expert-exchange project to promote renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.

In this edition of the COP28, Spanish Cooperation has had its own stand and has been present in several panels on financing for a just green transition and in relation to the progress of the construction of the Amazon Indigenous Peoples Platform, within the framework of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation.

Spanish Cooperation is committed to green transition and climate finance

The new Law on Sustainable Development Cooperation and Global Solidarity gives financial cooperation a key role in climate finance. Thus, AECID will dedicate at least 30% of new annual financial cooperation commitments to climate change. In 2023 the figure has been exceeded, approaching 162.6 million euros in commitments to this cause.

FIIAPP has launched a wide range of initiatives to support public policies to address the effects of climate change. The effort is particularly noticeable in Latin America and the Caribbean, where EUROCLIMA is active in a wide range of sectors to provide public authorities with tools to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of global warming.

“Today, it is still a challenge for countries in the region to access financing mechanisms to implement climate policies. At EUROCLIMA we are working to strengthen local capacities and make this possible, in large part, through the exchange of experiences with European countries that have more experience in this field,” said Elsa Velasco, coordinator of the EUROCLIMA Programme at the FIIAPP.

Another major challenge in the region is to carry out a just energy transition that manages to replace energy from fossil fuels with clean and renewable energy sources, without losing sight of the social aspect of the issue and incorporating women and other vulnerable groups such as young people, indigenous peoples and Afro-descendant communities into the economy. In order to make this just energy transition possible, the EUROCLIMA Programme, together with its Latin American partners, explores multiple ways to achieve the development of economic ecosystems that allow the implementation and development of clean and renewable energy sources, including the most cutting-edge ones such as green hydrogen (H2v).

The EUROCLIMA Programme is also addressing the environmental challenges caused by the continent’s growing urbanisation. The development of circular economy systems that allow the reuse and recycling of urban waste and sustainable urban mobility systems based on the incorporation of cycling and electric public transport are two key commitments in this field.

In addition, EUROCLIMA is strongly committed to the development of national Climate Empowerment Action Strategies (ACE). ACE aims to empower citizens to participate in climate policy making through education, training, awareness raising and access to information. “Public policies to combat climate change need the involvement of civil society to be truly successful. That is why the EUROCLIMA Programme and the FIIAPP are committed to citizen participation and climate empowerment, which are particularly relevant in countries with a long tradition of social movements,” said Elsa Velasco.