High-level launch of the Regional Circular Economy Coalition: Join the event

The XXII Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will take place the 1^st and 2^nd of February 2021. The Forum will address the pressing environmental issues of the region, opportunities for a sustainable recovery, and urgent actions for nature in the next decade to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Circular Economy Coalition will also be launched at the side event during the forum on the 1st of February, Monday, 13 EST.

Please register for the event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkceCtqDIrHtyVNHyCoe_kITQfOk…

During the Forum, Ministers will discuss priority areas for the region, including biodiversity, climate change, pollution and the transition to a circular economy, which are all important to build back better and sustainably in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. At this important Ministerial Forum, Government will welcome and recognise the establishment of the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Circular Economy Coalition. 

“By limiting waste and keeping materials and products in use, the LAC region has a huge opportunity to build a restorative and regenerative economy that can benefit business, society, and the environment. We are very pleased to  join this important coalition and to continue to provide technical support. I believe that this cooperation will generate a strong momentum in contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation in the region,” said Director Rose Mwebaza of the UN Climate Technology Centre & Network which is providing technical support for circular economy strategies to 11 countries in the region.

The LAC region has been very active promoting circular economy. Countries are interested in, are developing, or have already developed their national circular economy strategies, plans and/or roadmaps. However, there is still a need to increase cooperation, scale up initiatives and strengthen public-private partnerships, as well as finance for innovation and capacity development. 

The idea of a coalition started by the end of 2019, responding to the great interest and initiatives on circular economy promoted by governments, private sector research institutes and other stakeholders in the regional, as well as by the multiple initiatives regional and international organizations providing technical support for the innovation, circular approaches, and the transition to circular economy.

The Circular Economy Coalition brings together the unique expertise, mandate, and knowledge of eight strategic and permanent partners, who came together to build cooperation, identify synergies, and deliver a more coherent support to countries and to the LAC region, creating a bigger impact, while avoiding duplications.  The strategic and founding partners are: the Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN), the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy Coalition (PACE), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Read more here. 

The Coalition will be led by a steering committee composed of four high-level government representatives on a rotating basis, starting with Colombia, Costa Rica, Perú and the Dominican Republic for the 2021-2022 period.

Draft agenda of the side event