Climate Change in Latin America - European Commission

1.5. National Institutional
Framework
CDSMHI - The Conference of Directors of Ibero-
America's Meteorological and Hydrological
Services is a very strong network that operates in
the region and focuses on matters of interest to the
meteorological community. It has set up an environment
of work and cooperation that allows institutional
and operational capabilities to be improved. It also
allows experiences to be shared to increase the
amount of meteorological and climatological information
available about the region.
All 18 Latin American countries signed and ratified
the Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto
Protocol and committed to preparing reports, national
strategies and GHG inventories.
Table 4 contains a summary of the institutional
framework and the most relevant information for each
country.
RedLAC - Since it was established in 1999, the mission
of the Latin American and Caribbean Network
of Environmental Funds has been to promote the
interconnection and strengthening of Environmental
Funds in Latin America and the Caribbean. It stimulates
a learning system for the conservation of natural
heritage and for sustainable development in the
region. The Environmental Funds that are members
of RedLAC have financed more than three thousand
projects at a regional level and their combined annual
operating budget totals over 70 million dollars per
year for the entire region. RedLAC offers information
and technical support for the definition of methods
for the calculation of Payment for Environmental
Services (PSA) and REDD.
1.4.4. National Observers
The private sector and representatives from civil
society and the scientific sector may participate as
observers at the COP and informally express their
opinions about the decisions made by the Parties.
The countries that have the greatest number of these
institutions are: Argentina (24), Brazil (15) and Costa
Rica (4). Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and
Peru do not have any institutions that are listed as
observers.
Numerous environmental NGOs that actively
participate in the fight against Climate Change,
although they are not represented amongst the COP
observers.
The Ministers or Secretaries for the Environment
and Foreign Relations are the focal
points and national authorities designated
to represent nations for UNFCCC and KP
purposes. In terms of the Convention and
Protocol agreements, they serve to represent,
formulate policies and coordinate and execute
activities related to Climate Change and to
Clean Development Mechanisms.
After the Climate Change Convention had been
ratified, most of the ministries created, as part of their
organisations, inter-ministerial units, directorates
or committees to draw up policies to identify and
promote scientific investigation activities and to
encourage coordination at a national level between
the different sectors, civil society and the private
sector. These Climate Change Directorates and/or
Units and the Inter-ministerial Committees on Climate
Change are fundamental agents for the UNFCCC in
developing national measures.
A Fiche has been created for each country to analyse
the structure of the focal points and National Authorities
in working with the UNFCCC and KP (see Annex 2).
The first part of the Fiche provides an analysis of the
legal and institutional framework, responsibilities,
human and financial resources, performance and the
training they have received. The second part analyses
the extent to which these authorities coordinate with
each other at a national, sectoral and regional level
and the alliances that they have made in the COP.
The third part describes the sectoral policies that
facilitate the application of adaptation and mitigation
measures at the national level, including the quantity
and type of CDM projects implemented. The countries
have been geographically ordered by sub region.
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