July 21, Colombia—26 Colombian cities signatories to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy of the Americas project concluded on Wednesday (19) a training cycle that is part of the Colombian National Strategy in partnership with ICLEI Colombia.
The overall objective of the training was to provide cities with the foundations and necessary knowledge to develop Greenhouse Gas Emissions inventories using the calculation guide and reporting tool provided by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADS).
This instrument ensures the quality and comparability of the results between the cities’ inventories and the National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory.
26 key cities participated in the training cycle for the GCoM’s project, including cities from the Amazon region such as Florencia, Pasto, Mocoa, and Santa Rosa. Cities like Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) and Maneiro (Venezuela) also participated, cities that recently committed to the GCoM and have been very active since joining, along with other cities active in the climate agenda, also associated with ICLEI in the Andean region, such as Lima, Peru; Tarija, Bolivia; Quito and Cuenca, Ecuador.
The training was structured into live sessions and three content modules, combining informative videos and reference materials.
The first module addressed awareness to action: an introduction to climate planning and governance. The second module translated the methodology and defined the scope of the GHG emissions inventory. Finally, module three provided a guide for the development or updating of GHG emissions inventories in Colombian cities and the next steps in the climate agenda.
In the third and final session, two experiences were shared: one national with the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), an entity attached to the Ministry of Environment that is directly involved in the inventory issue, and one from the city of Valencia, in Spain, which explained its best practices from an international perspective.
Experiences were also exchanged from various cities involved with the climate agenda, such as Pasto, Yopal, and Tópaga – the Colombian city member of the GCoM Mayors’ Forum of Latin America.
Global Covenant of Mayors – Latin America
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the largest global alliance of cities and municipalities leading the fight against climate change, with the support of municipal networks and other critical actors in subnational climate action. It has over 12,700 committed cities in over 140 countries worldwide, representing more than 11% of the world’s population.
In Latin America, the GCoM is funded by the European Union’s Partnership Instrument and includes the participation of more than 650 cities from 17 countries in the region.
More information:
Press and communication
Alexandra Cortés, Communication [email protected]
Technical aspects
Belén Jiménez, technical advisor [email protected]
