About the conference
Countries from the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are facing the increasing impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, including extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and ecosystem degradation.
Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer plenty of opportunities for addressing social, economic and environmental challenges while simultaneously fostering human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity benefits. However, scaling up NbS is often linked to significant hurdles in technical, financial, and governance areas. Overcoming these challenges requires coordinated efforts to enhance technical skills, devise innovative financing mechanisms, and improve governance frameworks to effectively scale up these initiatives to address environmental and societal needs.
To promote a comprehensive and collaborative approach, the European Commission has initiated an EU-LAC long-term policy dialogue on NbS, starting with a first conference in Brussels, Belgium, on 26-27 June 2024.
Through dynamic discourse and the exchange of insights, the conference seeks to identify concerted efforts towards the implementation of NbS across both regions. The meeting endeavours to catalyse innovative approaches and pragmatic solutions to pressing environmental and societal challenges. Moreover, it aims to foster cross-regional R&D collaboration, and to engender mutual understanding and cooperation between the EU and LAC in the pursuit of sustainable development and environmental protection.
Key programme and format
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26 June (afternoon): Presentation and exchange on existing research initiatives, projects and tools in EU and LAC on different types of NbS such as solutions across ecosystems or addressing societal challenges
- 27 June (morning): Technical visit
- 27 June (afternoon): Discussion on steps to further develop the EU-LAC policy dialogue and define joint objectives
Format: Presentations and moderated discussion, practical visit.