On 19 October 2022, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) convened the International Climate Initiative (IKI) Interface Workshop in Colombia, an IKI priority country with 46 climate and biodiversity projects. IKI presented on its Colombia outreach as well as its global efforts, coupled with virtual participation from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).
Laura Bermúdez and Eliana Hernández, civil servants at the Ministry of Environment, presented the Colombian government's priorities for the Convention on Biological Diversity, the lead up to COP15 in December, and the climate change commitments of Colombia's NDC and Long Term Strategy.
The main discussion of the event centered around Gender and Climate Change. Juan Andrés Casas, Gender and Climate Change focal point at the Ministry of Environment, discussed the Gender and Climate Change Action Plan which is going to be launched at COP27. A panel discussion ensued with women representing different rural areas in the country narrating their perspectives on gender and climate change issues and the action plan process.
In the afternoon, break-out groups took place to encourage further exchanges; among the themes was a discussion on how best to incentivize private sector participation in climate and biodiversity commitments. The discussions enabled the exchange of various perspectives and experiences, including on the need to examine our assumptions regarding private sector interests in these issues, coordinating our approach to private sector participants to avoid overwhelming them with these topics from multiples sources and initiatives.