El Salvador and the European Union present the climate change action plan

In January 2022, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) of El Salvador requested EUROCLIMA to initiate the Country Dialogue, the tool used by this European Union Programme, co-led by FIIAPP, to provide support to the different countries according to their situation and needs. This work now leads to the presentation of the joint strategy between El Salvador and the European Union to address climate change in the Central American country. We are talking about the EUROCLIMA El Salvador Action Plan, which will be the guide that will develop national actions in the climate field during the period 2022-2023.

The Minister of Environment of El Salvador, Fernando López, the ambassador of the European Union in the country, François Roudie, and the Spanish ambassador, Carlos de la Morena, inaugurated the day of presentation of this Plan, whose objective is to promote the fulfilment of El Salvador’s international climate commitments, established in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) included in the Paris Agreements.

The EUROCLIMA El Salvador Action Plan encompasses four actions, with special emphasis on adaptation to climate change, given the country’s exposure and vulnerability to hydrometeorological events. These actions include the formulation of the Long Term Low Emission and Resilient Development Strategy; the support to the formulation of the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) for Livestock; the strengthening of the regulatory framework for the implementation of the NDC; and the development of regionalised climate scenarios.

Minister López also underlined his government’s firm commitment to global climate action: “As the leading institution in environmental and climate matters in El Salvador, this event is of great relevance in which the Country Action Plan will be presented, which emerged from the dialogue held in March between various actors, and promoted by the European Union’s Euroclima+ Programme. In this Plan, actions that contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the national climate agenda were prioritised,” he said.

“The Government of El Salvador is making significant adaptation and mitigation efforts to address climate change. Thus, under the coordination of the MARN and in coordination with other government institutions and different actors, the Nationally Determined Contribution of El Salvador was prepared and submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,” said Minister López.

The Ambassador of the European Union in El Salvador, François Roudié, at the opening of the conference, highlighted the relationship between the two countries: “Through the Green Pact, the European Union is promoting the green transition of the economy in the Latin American and Caribbean region, where El Salvador is a very important ally: the close cooperation in the framework of the EUROCLIMA Programme proves it”.

Felice Zaccheo from the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships during her speech.
Felice Zaccheo, from the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships, confirmed that the four actions of the EUROCLIMA Plan in El Salvador amount to a total of 1.1 million euros and referred to the EU resources focused on the Latin American and Caribbean region: “We are currently identifying and formulating actions to finance in the coming years, both through our EUROCLIMA programme, which has just received an additional 70 million euros, and through other regional and national programmes”.

For his part, the Spanish Ambassador to El Salvador, Carlos de la Morena, highlighted the role of Spanish Cooperation in this Plan, whose implementation is the responsibility of FIIAPP and AECID. “For Spain and for our Cooperation, being part of the EUROCLIMA Programme and being able to work jointly with different Member States of the European Union is a privilege that we are proud of”, he concluded.

El Salvador is the sixth country in the Latin American and Caribbean region to launch its Action Plan in the framework of EUROCLIMA. So far this year, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Mexico and Chile have presented their strategies, which will soon be joined by other Latin American and Caribbean countries.