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Strengthening Environmental Governance in the face of Climate Change Risks in Guatemala
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Implementing Agency and Partnering Organizations:
Summary:
Guatemala is the most northern country on the Central American isthmus, and has been identified as a region which is highly vulnerable to climate variability and change. This vulnerability is exacerbated by conditions of poverty and by weak environmental management. These problems were seen clearly during recent catastrophic events related to the drought in the eastern part of the country, such as the episode of severe famine in the Ch’ort’i community in the municipalities of Jocotán and Camotán in 2001. Guatemala also suffers severe socioeconomic and environmental damage as a result of inundations caused by hurricanes or storms. A recent example was the situation following Tropical Storm Stan in 2005, which precipitated landslides and floods in the western part of the country with economical losses ascending up to US$50,000,000.
The most vulnerable populations for both inundations (mostly Western Guatemala) and drought (Eastern Guatemala) in the Country are poor and indigenous. Especially women and children will suffer most from effects of drought and climate change, which will alter the quality and productivity of the natural resources and the ecosystems (MDG 7). Of the total national territory, 48% is at “high risk” from desertification and drought. This risk is latent in the central, eastern and Atlantic regions of the country. In those areas, 41% of the population is still living on less than US $1 per day, and the poor populations in particular are directly dependent on the use of natural ecosystems for their supplies of water, food and energy (consumption of firewood). See attachment for MDG indicators 26, 30 and 31.
It is similarly important to stress that Guatemala has the highest levels of social inequality in Latin America (with the exception of Brazil). Faced with this situation, the challenge is to expand public and private investment to guarantee sustainability of critical environmental services provided by ecosystems (such as food, water, protection of the soil, disease control and protection against natural events). It is essential that the strengthening of environmental financial mechanisms through public-private alliances, are taken into account in poverty reduction efforts, in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and in strengthening the capacity for adapting to imminent climate change.
The current obstacles to achieving the integration of climate risk considerations and to strengthening weak environmental and territorial management are:
a) the basic needs of rural communities who depend on natural resources have not been met,
b) there is weak coordination and inter-sectoral effectiveness as regards the environment,
c) the limited financial resources of the governing bodies,
d) the legal frameworks and institutional mandates are confusing and lack instruments for implementation, and
e) there are no mechanisms which financially promote the added value of sustainable use of the natural resources.
In order to deal with, and to seek opportunities for removing these barriers, the Joint Programme of Guatemala intends to articulate the most relevant social and environmental policies in order to integrate the issue of climate risk and to provide a framework of mechanisms for achieving adaptability: a) Policy for Fighting Poverty, Social Inclusion and Multiculturalism, b) National Policy of Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, and c) National Policy for Integrated Management of Water Resources.
The UNS in Guatemala has had experience in responding to emergency situations such as Hurricane Mitch in 1997, the Severe Famine in Jocotán-Camotán in 2001 and recently with Tropical Storm Stan in 2005. The lessons which were learned from these experiences illustrate the UNS’ capacity for mobilizing specialized human resources and for identifying technologies and helping in their transference. It also illustrates that the UNS often provides far more consistent support than the government. This provides more continuity in terms of national expertise (very few government officials experienced these three events, while, on the other hand, various UNS officials participated in the response to them). The Programme can also help the UNS in Guatemala by helping it improve the coordination of the development of more comprehensive efforts and helping UNS avoid duplication of efforts and viewpoints with government entities.
_Source: Strengthening Environmental Governance in the face of Climate Change Risks in Guatemala, Concept Note, June 2007._
Project Components:
The purpose of the Joint Programme is to develop environmental governance mechanisms to strengthen the capacity for adaptation to climate change in Guatemala, especially for the most vulnerable and poorest of the population.
Expected Outputs:
The Programme intends to strengthen those mechanisms which allow for the proper administration of environmental interests and that foster adaptability to climate changes at a) at the national level, through interinstitutional coordination and strategical implementation of three relevant national policies (social, environmental and water resources), b) at subnational level, focusing primarily on the strengthening of financial and administrative environmental management, specifically of the drought corridor of Guatemala, and c) at the local level, through pilot project interventions in communities and municipalities.
The expected outcomes of this programme include:
**1.** Institutionalization of national mechanisms which facilitate coordination and implementation in the carrying out of national policies relevant to climate risk and adaptation. The outcomes sought for the institutionalization of coordination mechanisms are:
**1.1** That there exist defined coordination mechanisms for the implementation of the three policies.
**1.2** That institutional, sectoral and territorial jurisdictions regarding climate risk will have been clarified and agreed upon.
**1.3** That the successful experiences in the country in terms of adaptation to climate vulnerability will have been systematized.
**1.4** A decentralized implementation strategy will have been defined for policies related to poverty, the environment and integrated management of water resources (at the joint community of municipalities and municipal levels), through a joint action and investment plan of “demonstration interventions”.
**1.5.** Models of administrative and financial management have been defined and approved which achieve long term sustainability of resource management and of the provision of basic services.
**2.** Institutionalization of financial and administrative mechanisms in order to improve environmental management, with special focus on water resource management and environmental services. This will occur at a subnational level, articulating ecosystemic approach and watershed management with sociopolitical organizational structures. The expected outcomes at the subnational level for implementation of the policies are:
**2.1** Models of environmental management will have been approved and promoted for adaptability to climate change.
**2.2** Administrative Systems will have been designed at the level of joint community of municipalities and promoted which provide for democratic and participatory management of water resources.
**2.3** Potential Payment for Environmental Services mechanisms will have been identified and negotiated with local communities and involved actors (such as private sector) for implementation at the level of joint community of municipalities.
**2.4** Payment systems for basic public services in water and sanitation (respecting the concept of the right to access to water, at the minimum amount of 30 liters/day for the poorest) will have been defined and negotiated with the local communities and involved actors.
**3.** Development of pilot projects that demonstrate the environmental management of water resources at the level of the joint community of municipalities and of municipalities for the implementation of, and feedback concerning, policies at that level. The expected results at the local level are:
**3.1** Pilot projects for the reduction of climate risk will have been undertaken in the communities and local governments.
**3.2** The experiences of the demonstration interventions will have been systematized, so that strengths and weaknesses in the process will have been identified, which will then be used for the preliminary evaluation of the contents of the three national policies.
**3.3** Environmental management monitoring systems will have been established at the municipal and local levels.
**3.4** Public/private organizations and institutions which manage the provision of environmental services will have been established.
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Contacts:
Rene Mauricio Valdes
rene.mauricio.valdes@undp.org
Carmen Aida Gonzalez
carmen.gonzalez@undp.org.gt
Ana Lucia Orozco
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
ana.orozco@undp.org
Julian Duarte
UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund
jduarte@unicef.org
