Colombia and the UK announce partnership for sustainable growth
The partnership will be formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding at Ministerial level in 2019.
The United Kingdom’s Special Representative for Climate Change, Nick Bridge, Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ricardo Lozano, and the National Planning Department (DNP) Director, Gloria Alonso, announced that Colombia and the United Kingdom intend to form a bold new Partnership for Sustainable Growth.
The new partnership will be developed following this week’s visit to Colombia by Special Representative Bridge, who met with a range of Government ministers to review actions being taken at the national level and to discuss additional areas for joint work on green growth and sustainable development. Mr Bridge also met rural community leaders to hear about the implementation of existing UK-funded programmes and ongoing challenges.
Welcoming the new partnership, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ricardo Lozano, highlighted:
The Government of President Duque has among its priorities to advance ambitiously in the implementation of the Paris Agreement under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development as responsible entity, not only environmental legislation, among which the adaptation and mitigation of climate change is highlighted; but also to harmonize with the other government actors and productive sectors the road map towards a sustainable development with equity, entrepreneurship and innovation.
In the same way, the DNP Director Gloria Alonso referred to the two countries’ long and fruitful history of working together to tackle climate change:
We were two of the earliest countries to establish climate change legislation and are both now implementing ambitious national policies. As international leaders, we have already achieved much together through the Cartagena Dialogue, the Coalition for High Ambition and the Paris Agreement.
I look forward to our working together even more closely over the coming years to achieve an even more ambitious low carbon and green economic development path for Colombia that is sustainable, productive, innovative, competitive and harmonised with conservation and efficient use of resources, in line with Colombia’s 2018-2022 National Development Plan, the Pact for Colombia, a pact for equity.
Environment Minister Ricardo Lozano - who recently met the UK Minister for Energy and Clean Growth in London - met Mr Bridge before the Infrastructure Congress in Cartagena. They used the opportunity to reaffirm the importance and urgency of climate change, and the need to speed up action and work together to increase global ambition.
Speaking afterwards, Minister Lozano said:
Climate change is a global problem and it needs close international collaboration if we are to succeed. In recognition of this, and building on our strong existing relationship, today we are announcing that we intend to do more together as long-term partners, through a bold strategic Partnership for Sustainable Growth.
Nick Bridge said:
The UK stands side-by-side with Colombia in the global fight against climate change. We both recognise the urgency of action, and that we can achieve more when we work together. We have done so for many years, including with other international partners. It is clear that our Governments share the same goals: combating deforestation, increasing clean non-conventional renewable energy, reducing emissions and air pollution from transport, and increasing investment in green and resilient infrastructure. We know that transition to a low-carbon, green economy will bring sustainable economic benefits for our people. We already work together in many of these areas and our academics and civil society organisations collaborate closely in science, research, conservation, and biodiversity.
The UK has to date committed USD$160m of climate finance to Colombia - primarily for projects to combat deforestation - but our focus is increasingly on low-carbon infrastructure as well. Today we confirm that we will increase and deepen our collaborative efforts through a strategic partnership: sharing our experiences, fighting for global action, and further supporting Colombia’s ambitions for sustainable growth. This new Partnership, involving significant additional proposed investments by the UK Government, will enable us to do even more together to realise the opportunities presented by Colombia’s low-carbon transition and set an example to other countries.
A spokesperson said that the governments of Colombia and the UK have agreed to formalise this new Partnership for Sustainable Growth and will aim to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding at Ministerial level in 2019.