REGIONAL STRATEGY ON CLIMATIC CHANGE - ERCC: to contribute to preventing and reducing the negative impacts of climate change by increasing resilience and the capacity for adaptation in order to reduce human, social, ecological and economic vulnerabilities, build capacity to influence and reduce climatic threats and voluntarily contribute to reducing GHG emissions, as permitted by national circumstances

VULNERABILITY, ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND VARIABILITY AND RISK MANAGEMENT: Reduce vulnerability and promote adaptation to climate change and variability among the population and socio-economic sectors
1. EXTREME CLIMATE AND RISK MANAGEMENT : Promote regional institutionalism to reduce the population’s vulnerability to extreme climate, focused on sustainable development in the region aligned with the Central American Policy on Integrated Risk Management (PCGIR) and the Regional Plan on Disaster Reduction (PRRD).
  1. Strengthen applied research on reducing and managing disaster risk and promote information exchanges among national and regional institutions working in the topic, in coordination with CEPREDENAC.
  2. Coordinate technical/scientific information exchanges and integration mechanisms regionally, developing standards and protocols that include efforts made by specialized institutions and offices.
  3. Analyze, design and promote the implementation of risk transfer mechanisms for infrastructure, settlements, personal assets and public and private productive activities to reduce the socio-economic impacts of disasters, following the guidelines set forth in PRRD and the PCGIR mandates.
  4. Review, elaborate and apply standards for safe infrastructure construction in each one of the countries in the region.
  5. 1.1.5. Promote communication of climate information regionally and a capacity to respond to extreme climate.
2. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY : Reduce agricultural vulnerability to climate change and variability, incorporating adaptation measures in relevant regional policies.
  1. Build institutional capacity for adaptation to climate change, considering territorial vulnerabilities.
  2. Promote the creation, transfer and diffusion of information on technological and institutional processes for adaptation in agriculture.
  3. Strengthen technical and university training centers and meteorological and hydrological services in the topic of agriculture and climate change: mitigation technologies and adaptation to climate change and variability.
  4. Develop and promote financial mechanisms to manage climate risk in agriculture.
  5. Review sector policies to integrate climate change and variability.
3. FOREST ECO-SYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY: Society recognizes the importance of forest eco-systems and biodiversity for adaptation to climate change.
  1. Improve scientific knowledge on the vulnerability of forests to climate change. Reduce deforestation and degradation rates in forest eco-systems.
  2. Design and implement policies with economic incentives to reduce the vulnerability of forests and biodiversity to climate change, incorporating gender criteria.
4. WATER RESOURCES : Reduce the vulnerability of water resources and associated infrastructure to climate change and variability.
  1. Strengthen regional capacity to implement integrated water resource management practices.
  2. Coordinate implementation of ECAGIRH with other regional instruments.
  3. Develop economic instruments for hydrographic watershed management and a reduction in contamination in water resources.
  4. Promote best practices for efficient water use and the management of water-producing eco-systems.
5. PUBLIC HEALTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE : Reduce vulnerability to climate change and variability in the public health sector
  1. Build technical/scientific capacity in national, regional and professional training institutions.
  2. Design policies to reduce risk to diseases transmitted by vectors, infectious diseases and others exacerbated by GHG emissions.
  3. Build institutional capacity at COMISCA and national institutions to increase access to health services among the most vulnerable populations.
  4. Adjust regional population and development plans considering the current impacts of climate change
6. COASTAL/MARINE RESOURCES: Institutional and human resource capacity building in the region to generate knowledge on the relation between climate change and sustainable management of coastal/marine eco-systems.
  1. Improve knowledge about the effects of climate change and variability on eco-systems and coastal/marine resources.
  2. Integrate scientific research results in policies on comprehensive coastal/marine area management.
  3. Institutional strengthening of OSPESCA to improve its response regionally.
  4. Strengthen capacity building in coastal communities to reduce climate change vulnerability.
7. TOURISM AND CLIMATE CHANGE: Promote necessary adaptation to minimize risk derived from climate change and mitigate its effects on tourism sectors and actors, to stimulate greater tourism competitiveness for Central America as a multi-destination
  1. Determine the sector’s level of vulnerability.
  2. Increase resilience to climate change.
  3. Implement best practices in adaptation to climate change.
  4. Institutional capacity building at SITCA and Ministries of Tourism as those responsible for strategic implementation.
  5. Develop a baseline and inventory on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
  6. Establish a monitoring system for the indicators that are created.
  7. Develop projects that reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions
  8. Create awareness and social responsibility on climate change.
8. INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, ETHNICITIES AND PEOPLE OF AFRICANDESCENT: Strengthen traditional systems in local and indigenous communities focused on practices for adaptation and mitigation to climate change and fostering their active participation.
  1. Promote methods of adaptation and mitigation for climate change.
  2. Promote the participation of indigenous people at different levels and in climate change mechanisms.
  3. Promote and strengthen traditional knowledge from indigenous people.
9. PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE: Promote climate proofing and strategic public infrastructure for the social and economic development of SICA countries facing climate change.
  1. Increase public and private knowledge regionally on climate proofing public infrastructure in the context of climate change.
  2. Provide technical assistance to public institutions responsible for effectively incorporating risk and adaptation to climate change when rehabilitating or building new public infrastructure projects.
MITIGATION : Strengthen legal and institutional frameworks and create an environment that promotes appropriate mitigation actions nationally in SICA countries to reduce GHG emissions.
1. Promote greater use of renewable energy sources in regional energy generation grids.
2. Promote carbon sinks by expanding forest coverage, reductions in deforestation and degradation or sustainable forest management and conservation, together with adaptation to climate change.
3. Reduce emissions through the use of bioenergy as part of the 2020 Energy Strategy.
4. Promote reductions in GHG in small and large scale agriculture and livestock production.
5. Promote business practices on Cleaner Production (lower emissions).
6. Design and implement mitigation measures for solid waste in climate change projects.
7. Design and implement specific measures to reduce emissions in the transportation sector.
INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING : Increase and improve capacity to face climate change and variability
1. Capacity building in regional institutions.
2. Promote joint programs for adaptation to climate change.
3. Strengthen professional training centers and universities to research and transfer knowledge on climate change and variability.
4. Promote dialogue among SICA, governments and civil society (indigenous organizations, women organizations, cooperatives, academics, environmentalists, rural development specialists, etc.) on climate change, nationally and regionally.
EDUCATION, AWARENESS, COMMUNICATION AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: Involve civil society through education and awareness on climate change so that they participate in decision-making.
1. Promote formal training at institutions of higher education and secondary education on climate change.
2. Share information on mitigation and adaptation for climate change through the mass media.
3. Host activities to exchange experiences and elaborate regional proposals that contribute to adaptation and mitigation for climate change.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS: Develop a system to create and transfer technologies on adaptation and mitigation for climate change.
1. Create regional institutions on technology transfers and climate change.
2. Develop and transfer technologies for climate change mitigation.
3. Technology transfers for adaptation to climate change.
4. Design of financial mechanisms for technology transfers.
NEGOTIATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT:Improve effective participation of SICA countries in international negotiations on climate change.
1. Strengthen regional negotiation capacity.
2. Find/take advantage of synergies between different international conventions.
3. Capacity building for international financial resources.
4. Strengthen local, national and regional financial mechanisms.
5. Report on advances made in implementing the Regional Strategy on Climate Change.