Ensuring environmental sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean

The OECD already provides countries with a series of dashboards and databases to track progress towards climate objectives through the Climate Action Dashboard of the OECD International Programme for Action on Climate (IPAC); to provide information on to provide information on policy instruments relevant for environmental protection and natural resource management, and to track COVID-19 recovery measures with likely environmental implications.

The OECD will support the development of effective and harmonised indicator frameworks in LAC to assess both growth prospects and environmental performance and to support more effective policy-making (development, coordination, implementation, evaluation, and communication.

The OECD project “Enhancing Green Transition in LAC: From Commitments to Action” was launched to implement the Environmental Sustainability priority of the OECD Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Programme (LACRP). The project is co-funded by the European Union (EU), through its Regional Facility for Development in Transition.

Under the project the following events have already been organised:

• The 2nd LAC Expert Workshop on Environmental Sustainability was held on 4 July 2023, and focused on "Climate change indicators for evidence-based policy making in Latin America and the Caribbean". The discussions looked at climate-related hazards in the region and how best to support evidence-based policy choices to address them, and allowed for an exchange of views and experiences on climate information and data gaps and needs with input on a possible way forward.
  
  
• The 3rd LAC Regional Policy Dialogue on Environmental Sustainability was held virtually on 9-10 March 2023, and focused on “Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Latin America and the Caribbean”. The discussions highlighted the need to identify and better understand the region's adaptation capacity to climate change through nature-based solutions, as well as how to best support regional prevention and preparedness actions, including financing climate adaptation responses. The dialogue also focused on the need to integrate gender equality in climate adaptation actions.
  
  
• The 2nd LAC Regional Policy Dialogue on Environmental Sustainability was held virtually on 18-20 October 2022, and focused on “Enhancing Climate Finance and Promoting Technology Transfer in the LAC Region”. The discussions highlighted the need to focus more on access to information and data collection, especially concerning climate change adaptation; the need for capacity building for an effective use of climate and green financing; and for a set of green incentives to allow for technology transfers in LAC.
  
  
• An Expert Workshop on Priorities on Climate Neutrality and Resilience in LAC was organised on the 31 August 2022 bringing to the forefront suggestions on designing and implementing effective climate action to deliver on their national and joint environmental and climate commitments.
  • Watch the replay.
    

• On 18-19 November 2021, the OECD Latin America and Caribbean Regional Programme (LACRP) organised the first LAC Regional Policy Dialogue on Environmental Sustainability. The Dialogue served to discuss common priorities for an enhanced regional co-operation in the field of environmental sustainability, and identify the OECD’s value added with regard to other regional actors.
  • Watch the replay: Day 1 & Day 2.

The OECD Clean Energy Finance and Investment Mobilisation (CEFIM) programme aims to strengthen domestic enabling conditions to attract finance and investments in renewables, energy efficiency and decarbonisation of industry (clean energy) in emerging economies. The programme supports countries in the development of policies and instruments to help scale up a pipeline of bankable clean energy projects.

The OECD conducts country reviews, through a peer review framework, and presents policy recommendations to help the countries improve its environmental performance.  It also presents thematic reviews based on topic or region, such as the report Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use in Latin America.