Joint GM-ECLAC activities in Latin America and the Caribbean
3 September, 2008
The GM’s Regional Advisor for South America, Francisco Brzovic, is now hosted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The GM and ECLAC agreed on this hosting arrangement as a result of very positive joint activities in the past and as part of ongoing collaboration between the organizations. The GM and ECLAC are now looking forward to launching new projects directed to sustainable land management (SLM) giving particular attention to the impacts of climate change. Francisco Brzovic will be working in close collaboration with Joseluis Samaniego, Director of ECLAC’s Division on Sustainable Development and Human Settlements.
The first undertaking - launched in July 2008, together with ECLAC and in association with the GEO Centre of Mexico - is oriented to national assessment exercises on the actual and potential economic impacts of land degradation both at the national and on-farm levels in Chile and Mexico. This will build on earlier, more generic studies conducted by the GM at the global level and by ECLAC at the regional level.
The reason for this new initiative lies in the fact that one of the major barriers in combating land degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean is its low ranking within development priorities. This stems from a misperception that its impact is not substantial or that it is limited to marginally productive areas of little economic interest. ECLAC and the GM firmly believe and wish to provide evidence that land degradation causes significant economic losses and social costs.
As a first step of the initiative, the GM in partnership with ECLAC and the GEO Centre of Mexico, will:
- conduct a state of the art economic assessment of desertification and SLM;
- consider national and subregional economic assessments of climate change impacts based on the Stern Review in order to establish linkages between these initiatives;
- invite experts of national and international agencies based in Chile and Mexico to participate in consultative groups to provide advice on the initiative; and
- draw up the terms of reference of the national- and on-farm level economic assessments of land degradation.
For further information:
Mr Francisco Brzovic Parilo, Regional Advisor for South America
f.brzovic (at) global-mechanism.org
Mr Alejandro Kilpatrick, Programme Coordinator, Latin America and the Caribbean
Tel. +39 06 5459 2524
a.kilpatrick (at) global-mechanism.org
Related Links
Read more about the GM's Regional Programme for Latin America and the Carribbean