Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Workshop launched in Chile

The 2nd BIOIFN Regional Workshop for Latin-America and the Caribbean gathered over 60 participants from 10 countries in Santiago de Chile. The opening session featured panel discussions involving Chile’s Environment Minister, Paul Badenier; Director of Sustainable Development and Human Settlement at the ECLAC, José Luis Samaniego and the Vice-minister of National Planning and Economic Policy of Costa Rica, Luis Fallas Calderón.

The workshop helped to share experience and review strategies countries used to apply the BIOFIN methodology. "Biodiversity ensures food security, health, air and water supply, contributing to local livelihoods and economic development: it is essential for poverty reduction. It is fundamental that global public investments get increased towards biodiversity conservation and management" explained UNDP Chile’s, Ignacia Holmes, during the opening session. 

Mr. Badenier, highlighted the work done by the government on the creation of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP). "Biodiversity and protected areas themes seem to belong to the specialized world, we want and seek these themes are part of the general public agenda. Sectorial ministries should be involved making biodiversity a priority for local and regional governments” said the minister.  

"Chile will have a strong institutional framework [on biodiversity finance] in the future. We have put the building blocks to create this framework for a long-term" added the Chief of Staff of the Secretary of Finance, Jorge Valverde. “I already see BIOFIN contributions: in one hand, generated and strengthened capabilities on biodiversity finance and in the other, more awareness on finance and environment as not separated worlds" he added.

The workshop was developed in three working days, where participants reviewed and discussed BIOFIN process.Colombia and Mexico presented its progress in Policies and Institutional Review, emphasizing on economics incentives that negatively affect biodiversity; Chile and Guatemala gave presentations on the costing of their national biodiversity strategies. Countries in general shared experiences on biodiversity costing and ran group exercises to discuss several aspects to be included in an updated version of the BIOFIN workbook.

The participants also discussed other topics related to the BIOFIN methodology, including the development of feasible national finance plans and the implementation of adequate financial solutions to ensure biodiversity is included in the national agenda of sustainable development.