Successful experiences in caring for the environment were shared in the II Meeting of those Responsible for the Environment

The Third Meeting of those Resonsible for the Environment in Provinces, States, and Regions of Latin America took place in the presence of 43 representatives from sectional governments of Latin America. In the event, participants shared their successful experiences in conservation and the sustainable management of nature, implemented in different cities of Latin America. 

Doménica Tabachi, Vice-Mayor of the city of Guayaquil, inaugurated the event and highlighted the importance of protecting the environment through initiatives that involve the municipality, the private sector, and citizens. The Vice-Mayor used as example the actions to protect the environment and the work developed by the Municipality through the Fund for the Conservation of Water, with resources that are allocated to preserve the Guayas River and its basins. 

The first panel of the event: "Development Banking and Management with Local Governments in the Region" included the presence of Bernardo Requena, CAF's Director Representative in Ecuador; Milena González, Junior Professional Associate of the GEF (Global Environmental Facility); Daniel Lovera Dávila, Professor at the Universidad Mayor de San Marcos; and Horacio Belaustegui of the Biósfera Foundation.

During his speech, Bernardo commented that the environmental component constitutes a need in CAF's projects, focused on contributing to a low in carbon economy, and resilient to climate change. In addition, he stated that CAF's objectives are to be a main actor in the transformation processes toward a green economy and their financing in the region, and to be a model with respect to environmental management to promote sustainable development. In addition, he referred to the cities, their challenges, and opportunities. In this context, he presented CAF's program "Cities with a Future", which seeks to promote cities that are more inclusive, competitive, eco-efficient, intelligent, and sustainable, in order to improve the quality of life of the urban population.  

In the panel: "Footprints of cities in Latin America'' Mauricio Velásquez, Principal Executive at CAF's Direction of The Environment and Climate Change, highlighted the program Footprints of Cities promoted by the institution together with Alianza Clima y Desarrollo (CDKN) (Climate and Development Alliance). During his intervention, he stated that the program seeks to work together with municipal governments, to guide the measurement of footprints (carbon and water) in the cities, the responses to reduce said footprints, and the establishment of reduction goals through a portfolio of prioritized projects. 

Other presentations developed during this event addressed subjects such as successful programs for the conservation of natural resources, technologies applied to mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and management systems of local governments. 

The forum had other objectives, such as favoring a closer relationship between the directors and executors of the initiatives with Multilateral Organizations that provide technical and financial cooperation; promoting education and awareness in the social spheres where projects that deal with the problems of climate change are developed; and integrating programs in our region to the forum, so they can be copied in other countries.