Specialists agreed today on the urgency of implementing a transformative change that allows progress towards a multiscale sustainable development where equality and sustainability are the goals, and where no one is left behind, during a parallel event to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum , held in New York.
The event Opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean for the integration of biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and the transformative action of women, indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as local and subnational governments, for the advancement of Goals 5, 14 and 15was organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Government of Argentina.
The multi-stakeholder meeting was opened by Jeannette Sánchez, Director of the Natural Resources Division of ECLAC; Juan Cabandié, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Argentina (video), and Betania González, National Director of Biodiversity of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Argentina.
Georgina Catacora Vargas, President of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology, also participated; Ricardo Campos, President of the Indigenous Tourism Network of Mexico; Esther Camac Ramírez of the Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas; Vivienne Solis, Associate and founding member of the CoopeSolidar RL organization in Costa Rica; Sergio Graff, Secretary of the Environment of the State of Jalisco, Mexico, and Paul Dale, Advisor for International Affairs of the Secretariat of Infrastructure and Environment of the Government of Sao Paulo. The event was closed by Ana Guezmes, Director of the Gender Affairs Division of ECLAC.
The meeting sought to contribute to disseminating concrete positive practices that the region is developing to overcome the structural knots of inequality, from economic, social and cultural rights, collective rights and those related to the environment, autonomy in decision-making, strengthening the transformative action of women, indigenous peoples and local communities and from subnational governments to reinforce implementation from the local to the regional.
During her opening speech, the Director of the Natural Resources Division of ECLAC, Jeannette Sánchez, affirmed that the UN Regional Commission advocates a transformative, structural change for the whole of society through a major push for sustainability.
He underscored that the SDG targets will not be achieved unless much greater efforts are made. In that sense, he specified that in this century the deforestation rate in the region was reduced by almost half, but in the last decade it increased in 15 of the 33 countries and continues to be high.
Likewise, most of the countries have more marine than terrestrial territory, the oceans are essential for the economies and livelihoods of the countries, however, the region is home to 2 of the 3 world fishing zones with the lowest proportion of sustainable levels and the contributions of the oceans remain poorly considered at all levels.
“It is not realistic to achieve significant changes through few transformations, a system of coherent and articulated changes is urgently required to address different crises at various levels, sectors and actors and we cannot miss the opportunity of the pandemic recovery efforts for it ”, he expressed.
Juan Cabandié, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development of Argentina, for his part, pointed out that the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have many vulnerabilities and socio-environmental deficiencies.
“We debate about sustainable development, but if the central countries of the northern hemisphere continue to grow in emissions, environmental degradation will continue to happen,” said the Minister and urged to build a fairer society in social and environmental matters.
Betania González, National Director of Biodiversity of Argentina, meanwhile, highlighted the National Biodiversity Strategy that the country has, a State policy that defines the main actions to promote greater knowledge and appreciation of our common goods and services. ecosystems that they provide.
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