Ministerial Panel: “The Urgency of Climate Action in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Midst of the COVID Emergency and Recovery”

As the UN Secretary General has pointed out, the COVID-19 pandemic is more than a health crisis; it is a human crisis. However, perhaps COVID-19 opens an opportunity to review our development model. How do we make the model more inclusive, change our relationship with nature, and aim more decisively for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? The Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean has identified key areas that can produce climate action benefits for the region, among others: (i) strengthening regional and south-south cooperation integrating sub-national governments and cities; (ii) submission of new and ambitious NDCs considering the climate urgency, before COP26; (iii) fast-tracking access to the Green Climate Fund and recalling the UNFCCC Annex I countries commitment to meet the financial goals of the Paris Agreement; (iv) promoting synergies with Ministries of Finance to mainstream climate in their national agendas; (v) giving special impetus to Ecosystem-based Approaches for climate adaptation and biodiversity protection.