Inter-agency cooperation on climate change and resilience fosters better understanding of and preparedness for climate phenomena in the Latin America and the Caribbean region

The United Nations Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP) for Latin America and the Caribbean unites all UN entities working on sustainable development to ensure full collaboration and coordination of UN assets in addressing key challenges that transcend country borders. It provides policy support and access to expertise at the service of the specific needs and priorities of each region and in support of the work of Resident Coordinators and UN country teams at the country level. The RCP comprises 7 Issue-Based Coalitions (IBC) and Thematic Working Groups, and 6 Operational and Programmatic Working Groups.

The Issue-Based Coalition on Climate Change and Resilience is a collaborative effort involving 22 UN entities, with UNDRR and UNEP leading the coalition. The primary goal of this Thematic Coalition is to facilitate a cohesive and synchronized implementation of global agendas, specifically focusing on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. By promoting inter-agency coordination and accountability, the IBC seeks to strengthen the United Nations System's collective efforts in addressing climate change, resilience, and disaster risk reduction at both regional and subregional levels in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2023, in partnership with UNEP, the IBC on Climate Change and Resilience conducted a comprehensive series of capacity-building activities addressing key topics requested by the United Nations Country Teams/Resident Coordinators (UNCT/RCs) in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. These sessions, held from February to December of 2023, aimed to 1) enhance participants' knowledge and capabilities in the domains of climate change and disaster risk reduction; 2) ensure the effective integration of DRR into the Common Country Analysis and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework; and to 3) provide support and guidance to country offices on how to systematically integrate Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation with the principle of leaving no-one behind, economic impacts, and other relevant factors.

In 2023, as El Nio impacts were expected towards the later part of the year, a webinar, reaching over 5,000 ,people was held on the Preparation for the Impact of the El Nio Event in Latin America. It aimed to provide information and tools to support decision-makers in the region in implementing urgent preventive measures across various levels and strategic sectors. A meeting with RCs and UNCTs was organized to follow up on the webinar, providing a platform for country offices to ask questions to IBC members regarding the El Nio event. After the webinar, a brief on El Nio in Latin America and the Caribbean was published, which forecast the El Nio impacts in the region and provided key recommendations to prepare for them. Based on the success of the webinar and forecasts, the IBC will be leading a WMO-facilitated session on La Nia events in the region in 2024.

A series of six regional dialogues were held in preparation for COP28, with 5,800 participants between April and October 2023, gathering inputs to assist UN negotiators and country teams in Latin America and the Caribbean. The outcomes contributed to the preparations for the XXIII Forum of Ministers of Environment in October 2023. More than 20 side events were organized by two or more IBC members during the Regional Climate Week. After COP28, the IBC led a webinar with RCOs/UNCTs to discuss the implications of COP28 outcome for the Americas and the Caribbean.

In February 2023, FAO, UNEP, UNDRR, and WMO, along with the participation of other IBC members and co-organized with DCO, presented to UN Country Teams (UNCTs) the Technical Brief on Wildfires developed in 2022 in response to the severe wildfire seasons of 2020 and 2021 in the Gran Chaco and Amazonia region. This agreed inter-agency approach on wildfires is based on the Sendai Framework. Uncontrolled fires significantly affected societies, economies, and the environment, and insufficient resources and technical capacities hindered effective mitigation measures, which highlighted the need for standardized international methodologies to record and analyze historical wildfires for informed policy and decision-making. The report will further be shared with key stakeholders and members states that have been impacted by wildfires.

Pathways for sustainable development and policy coherence in the Caribbean region through comprehensive risk management is a study revealing that all sixteen Caribbean countries have achieved a partial level of coherence in aligning their national policies and plans with Sustainable Development Goals, Climate Change Adaptation, and Disaster Risk Reduction. The study was then followed up by a webinar attended by 350 participants, most importantly by RCOs/UNCTs of the Caribbean region in January of 2024.

The regional brief Gender Mainstreaming in Climate Change, Resilience, and Disaster Risk Reduction aims to provide strategic information and tools for decision-makers, UN Resident Coordinators, and country teams, supporting coherent implementation of global agendas and enhancing coordination, accountability, and gender mainstreaming. Agencies that supported the development of the brief include UNEP, UNDRR, UNDP, OIT, UN Women, ECLAC, UNICEF, UNHCR, and IOM. For 2024, the launch of the brief is planned, accompanied by a webinar to present the brief to RCOs and UNCTs and other events.

A regional brief on Energy Transitions in the Latin America and the Caribbean provided a concise overview of the current state of the energy sector in the LAC region, highlighting Greenhouse Gas Emissions, economic and social development, environmental commitments, investment trends, global dialogues prioritizing energy transitions, and identifies four key areas where the UN can influence and promote sustainable energy transitions. The brief was developed in collaboration with UNDRR, UNEP, ECLAC, FAO, ILO, IOM, OCHA, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOPS, WFP, UNFCCC, UN Women, DCO, and presented to RCOs/UNCTs in December 2023. For 2024, meetings are planned to facilitate discussions on additional support needed.

The strengthened interaction between the Issue-Based Coalition at the regional level and the RCOs/UNCTs in 2023 through webinars and the community of practice is expected to lead to an increase in requests for regional inter-agency collaboration within the scope to the IBC's Terms of Reference going forward.