Carbon forum to advance Paris Agreement
The Latin American and Caribbean Carbon Forum (LACCF) is set to kick off in Panama City on Wednesday, 28 September, bringing together key players from the private and public sectors to discuss ways to speed up the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through national climate action plans and market-based mechanisms, and to reach out to cooperation agencies, potential investors and service providers.
The meeting follows last year’s historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change that embodies the commitment of countries around the world to move forward together to address climate change, and it is taking place only a few weeks ahead of the next major UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech in November.
Governments, businesses, civil society institutions and other stakeholders are focused on turning targets and plans into climate action, also with the help of key regional meetings.
The event in Panama will provide a platform for discussions and experience sharing on challenges and opportunities in the Latin American and Caribbean region in line with the Paris Agreement such as:
*   Implementing national climate action plans (“Nationally Determined Contributionsâ€)
*Â Â Leveraging public and private finance for climate action
*Â Â Carbon pricing mechanisms and carbon markets
*Â Â Sustainable development and transformational change
*Â Â Public-private partnerships
* Innovative business models to fight climate change
The Forum will also feature the latest advances and resources on:
*Â Â Â Sustainable cities
*Â Â Â Agroindustry
*Â Â Â Energy
*Â Â Â Extractive industries
*Â Â Â Forests
*Â Â Â Transport
What to expect
LACCF’s comprehensive and substantive program consists of plenaries, parallel thematic discussions and training sessions. The LACCF exhibition space is ideal to identify business opportunities and connect with supporting organizations, cooperation agencies, potential investors and service providers.
For the first time this year, the LACCF and the annual workshop of the Low Emission Development Strategies-LAC platform will be held back-to-back, becoming the largest climate event of the region: the 2016 Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week.
The Vice President of the Republic of Panama, Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, will deliver the keynote opening remarks on behalf of the host country on 28 September. There will also be an opening press conference at 10 a.m.
The meeting in Panama is jointly organized by the Government of Panama, the World Bank Group, the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the UNEP DTU Partnership, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America.
