“Costa Rica, March 16, 2023 – The Municipal Environmental Management Congress ‘Climate Action’ brought together representatives from the municipal regime and academia in Costa Rica on March 10, 2023, to discuss local climate action and activities to be carried out within the framework of the National Strategy of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM). This dynamic is unique in Latin America and allows for a structured and long-term vision advancement in the country.
The GCoM expert, Rebecca Borges, explained that in addition to representing an important collaborative development and validation process among various national and sub-national actors, the working strategy for Costa Rica structures its activities in a way that achieves a powerful local result. “It is dedicated to scaling progress in local climate action and, therefore, expanding climate diplomacy supported by the European Union through the GCoM Americas. In this Congress, we celebrate this vision of the Costa Rican Strategy and the start of its activities,” she declared.
“The Cooperation Officer of the European Union Delegation in Costa Rica, Nazareth Porras, highlighted the importance of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy as the main instrument of the European Union for cities to address the effects of climate change. She also emphasized that the European Union is convinced that climate action is increasingly urgent, and events like this Congress are essential to bring together key actors in the development of territories and communities.”
“In continuity with the first phase of support for the implementation of the Pact in the country, in which very interesting products were generated, we trust that the current National Strategy and the subsequent activities of the Pact in the country will continue to be useful for municipalities and the institutions involved,” highlighted Porras.
The Congress was an initiative of the National Union of Local Governments (UNGL) in conjunction with the National University of Costa Rica (UNA) and included topics such as sustainable mobility, comprehensive waste management, and environmental sustainability in collaboration with indigenous peoples, among others.
“We celebrate this grand event that you have organized, where the National University practically offers you a space for open dialogue among local governments, with the key actors in the development of territories, regions, and communities,” emphasized the Vice Rector of UNA, Martin Parada Gómes, during his speech.
On his part, the mayor of Buenos Aires and President of UNGL, José Rojas Méndez, emphasized that “Costa Rica has exceeded 98% renewable electricity generation for the eighth consecutive year. This is undoubtedly an achievement of which we should feel proud, but above all committed to continue fighting from our territories to have sensitized and proactive communities in environmental issues,” stated Rojas.
The environmental manager of UNGL, Glenda Fernandez, highlighted the importance of fostering inter-institutional partnerships among local governments, academia, non-governmental organizations, and the public institutional framework to address the challenges of climate change. “This date allowed us to observe how collaborative work is one of the best mechanisms to address climate and energy issues. That is why the work carried out by the European Union through the Global Covenant of Mayors has allowed us to organize communities alongside their local governments in creating spaces for feedback and analysis,” she concluded.
Recognition of climate action
During the event, a ceremony was held to recognize the climate action of governments committed to the Covenant in the country. Among them are the Municipalities of Belén, Cañas, and San José. Additionally, municipalities with progress in mitigation, such as Desamparados, municipalities with advances in adaptation, such as Alajuela, Guarco, and Oreamuno, and municipalities in full compliance with the GCoM, such as La Unión, Montes de Oca, Monteverde, Quepos, San Rafael de Heredia, and Zarcero, were mentioned.
Rebecca Borges, Pact expert, presents the certificate of recognition for climate action to the committed governments in Costa Rica.
“The Vice-Mayor of Oreamuno and Costa Rican representative in the GCoM Mayors’ Forum, Viviana Carpio, emphasized that citizens are accustomed to municipalities collecting taxes, building roads, and such, but it is possible to do more and go beyond. She also highlighted the importance of women’s participation in the climate fight: ‘It is not about congratulating ourselves, but about continuing to involve ourselves, continuing to open spaces, raising our voices equally with equity. This is also a cross-cutting axis in climate governance,’ she pointed out.
“Representing the municipality of Belén, Environmental Manager Dulcehe Gimenéz Espinosa highlighted that the canton is small but with great contrasts, from having a lot of water to being 100% urbanized, which represents a great challenge to implement different actions. But the municipality has made progress and already has concrete results.
Representing Cañas, the Environmental Manager of the municipality, Katherine Gobando, emphasized that through the Pact, they have sought actions and plans related to climate adaptation and mitigation. “Since 2020, when we joined the Pact, we understood that it is not just about signing the letter but also about starting to define all the ambitions we have as a local government within our canton,” she explained.
Costa Rica has been a reference in climate action for decades, especially local governments have a genuine commitment to the climate agenda. National Coordinators work in coordination with municipalities for various projects, actions, and mechanisms under an integrated strategy in favor of the environment and a more sustainable future.
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