FAO trained Latin American and Caribbean countries to access resources from the Green Climate Fund

The Regional Office of FAO for Latin America and the Caribbean organized a virtual workshop, "Strengthening National Capacities for Accessing Resources for the Revised Strategy of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readines Support Program and its New Operational Modality." This event brought together National Designated Authorities (NDAs), government focal points and members of FAO Representations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The overall objective of the workshop was to contribute to capacity building of Designated National Authorities and government focal points of the participating countries, enabling them to access funds from the GCF within the framework of its revised Readiness Strategy and its new access modalities. During the session, the revised Readiness Strategy was presented and the principles, steps and criteria of the new access modalities were outlined. In addition, opportunities to address aspects related to sustainable and resilient food systems in the proposals were highlighted. 

The event also provided a space for dialogue between representatives, focal points, and teams from FAO Representations in the different countries, promoting the exchange of experiences and prioritization in the programming of the country portfolio. It sought to increase the knowledge of authorities and focal points on how FAO support in agricultural activities, including forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, and crop and livestock production, can be implemented to sustain natural resources.

The workshop was held virtually and attended by government technical staff and members of FAO Representations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The invited Ministries and government agencies officially nominated participants, who are expected to support their governments in preparing, prioritizing, and strengthening their Country Programs.

The two-hour workshop combined presentations, lessons learned and recommendations. The methodology was dynamic and interactive, allowing space for questions and comments from government representatives.

The session began with welcoming remarks by Hivy Ortíz, Senior Field Program Officer, RLC, and Nadine Valat, Team Leader, OCB-GCF, FAO Headquarters. "FAO has established a strong partnership with the Green Climate Fund that seeks to support its counterparts, partners, and member countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, working towards the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, through the application of climate-adapted agriculture programs, policies, and practices that contribute to mitigate climate change and make local communities more resilient," said Ortíz. 

Subsequently, FAO's opportunities and comparative advantages for climate action were discussed, presented by María Mercedes Proaño, Climate Finance Officer, RLC, and the FAO-GCF Readiness experience in the Latin America and Caribbean region was shared.

The workshop highlighted the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing between participating countries and FAO, promoting an integrated and coordinated approach to address the challenges of climate change and move towards sustainable and resilient food systems.