Sostenibilidad

Home to more than 48 million people (1), Colombia is the fourth biggest economy in South America. With over 400.800 square miles and nearly 85 ecosystems made out of plains, rivers, coasts, moors and vibrant lungs of humid forests (2), Colombia is located in the northern border of the continent and serves as a natural habitat for more than 51.000 species, placing it among the most diverse countries on earth. In addition, nearly 4% of its total population belongs to one of its 80 ethnic groups; 1.45 million people, speaking over 65 native languages (3).

Monitoring and evaluating policies, projects and programs are particularly important for the development of any country. These two activities allow us to assess whether programs and projects are implemented efficiently, and to evaluate their success in terms of their objectives, goals and target population. Only if we know well how a plan is being implemented, and what results and impacts it has in the short, medium and long term, can we refine and improve the design of the policies on which these projects are built.

The chronic gap in infrastructure quality and quantity of the Latin American region requires a regime shift that sees the mobilization of private investors as an essential step. While data shows that the private sector has largely been more active in Latin America than in other developing-nation regions over the last decade, particularly in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru; unfortunately, private investment in the region’s infrastructure has faltered in recent years. After 2014, investment levels in infrastructure from both private and public sources in Latin America declined.

The Paris Agreement requires concrete action that is increasingly urgent and far-reaching, and this transformation requires significant financial investments by governments, businesses, and civil society. A group of multilateral development banks (MDBs) has just published its annual report on climate finance which provides details on US$43 billion of approvals in for developing countries.

Finding suitable land to build social infrastructure is a great challenge. Budgets are usually very limited; there are few available lands and often they have legal problems or debts, lack of public services or require additional work besides those of the project itself. In many countries, through intergovernmental agreements, donated land is accepted, which seems to be the ideal solution since, in theory, there is no cost. However, the reality is very different. Many of the lands that in the first instance seem to be costless can present problems and "hidden" costs.

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, there are exciting signs that climate change action is going mainstream. From the issuance of the first sovereign green bond in the Americas in Chile to various cities across the region acquiring electric buses, Latin America and the Caribbean is embracing an ambitious agenda to help transition to low-emission and climate-resilient economies. This is not just about greener and cleaner policies but reigniting growth.

The 65 000 fishermen that share the 1 770km of the Haitian coastline rely on rudimentary equipment and fishing vessels such as canoes and wooden boats (representing 51% and 37% respectively of the country’s estimated 28,000 active fishing boats). However, even with basic equipment, the techniques used have negative impacts on the marine resources and ecosystems.

It’s World Oceans Day on Saturday, June 8th and it is time to acknowledge that its condition is very poor. We’ve all seen the dramatic pictures of the plastic being removed from the insides of marine birds, whales, and all kinds of fish.

Last year the top climate scientist of the world presented a report that answers the call nations tasked them to study: what will be the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and what paths could the world take to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C? The answer to the first question is grim: What is at stake if we do not stabilize climate change is the prosperity of all and the development gains to lift people out of poverty.

The environmental and social safeguard policies have as objectives to prevent, minimize and mitigate adverse impacts that affect the environment and society. They also promote the conservation of biodiversity and ensure the provision of ecosystem services. These policies have been the answer for improving actions during the implementation of activities aimed at managing environmental risk in infrastructure projects in the different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.