San José, Costa Rica, August 3, 2022.
Thirty members of the Community of Practice on Public-Private Articulation for Climate Action in Latin America (ArticuLAC) participated in a face-to-face workshop held July 25-27 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In a highly interactive space, participants had the opportunity to exchange experiences, strengthen capacities and interact with their peers in the host country.
ArticuLAC is a joint initiative of the EUROCLIMA+ Program through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the LEDS LAC Regional Platform and the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) of INCAE Business School.
The Community was launched in 2018 with the objective of promoting the creation and consolidation of spaces and mechanisms for the systematic participation of the private sector in the formulation and implementation of climate policies in the countries of the region, and the alignment of corporate climate action with national strategies and goals.
According to Pablo Rojas, Senior Regional Advisor of GIZ/EUROCLIMA+, "the active involvement and
The participation of the private sector is essential to accelerate and increase climate ambition at national and regional level. That is why from the EUROCLIMA+ Program and GIZ we support different initiatives to promote better intersectoral articulation and better coordination between multiple actors in society."
Currently, ArticuLAC is made up of 40 public and private organizations from 12 Latin American countries, whose representatives participate in virtual and face-to-face activities of exchange, training and generation of knowledge products. The Community has been very active virtually, but this is the first time members have met face-to-face since 2019. "I have participated in the community of practice since 2018, I have seen ArticuLAC grow and become more robust. Each face-to-face exchange session we have held has surpassed the previous one and that attests to the work of all members" said Carlos Adrianzen, Sustainability Manager of UNACEM, Peru.
The training and discussion sessions developed during the workshop focused on opportunities in carbon markets, sectoral approaches to meeting climate goals, business goals and metrics, the inclusion of adaptation considerations in business strategies and the strengthening of negotiation skills. In each topic, emphasis was placed on the opportunities and challenges for greater articulation between the public and private sectors. In addition, a panel was organized to learn about the experience of the Platform for the Articulation of Private Sector Climate Action in the Dominican Republic and an open session to share with Dominican stakeholders the lessons learned by ArticuLAC and its member organizations. Finally, the members of the Community identified themes and modalities for the future work of the Community, as well as opportunities to disseminate the knowledge generated.
Ana María Majano, coordinator of ArticuLAC, commented that with the strengthening of the capacities
The aim is to contribute to the work of their institutions to move forward in a coordinated manner with other actors towards resilient and low-emission development. In this regard, Valeria Cadena, Director of Production and Sustainable Development of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of Ecuador, said that "this space was a catalyst for synergies between public and private actors to enhance climate action in the region" and highlighted the commitment of those who participated in replicating and applying the lessons learned from their respective roles. Likewise, Fernando Mora, ALIARSE's Director of Environmental Projects in Costa Rica, mentioned that "for us as an organization this has a high value, as it allows us to find lessons learned, challenges and good practices for the promotion of public-private partnerships for development".