Switzerland is promoting the regional Andes Resilient to Climate Change Project in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. The project fosters transformational adaptation to reduce the vulnerability of Andean family agriculture to climate change and protect Andean ecosystems in order to move towards a sustainable and inclusive world.

Peru hosted the first session of the Resilient Andes Conference, 3 – 5 October. It was attended by over 50 officials, technical staff and specialists, government officials, climate specialists and representatives of international cooperation from Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, all in search of solutions to address climate change and the social and economic inclusion of the most vulnerable communities in the Andes, and to strengthen and develop family agriculture, protect food security and foster good water resource management.

During the three-day event, participants were able to discuss experiences, capitalize on lessons learned, connect ideas, promote agreements and innovative initiatives to formulate a regional agenda for addressing climate change and implementing inclusive and transformational adaptation that strengthens the resilience of Andean communities to climate variability.

The Resilient Andes Conference became an opportunity for different sectors in the Andean countries to interact, including water, environment, social inclusion and economy, to strengthen their capacities for responding effectively and promptly to the impacts of climate change, giving priority to rural areas, where because of the terrain, the population needs greater assistance for achieving resilient development.

“In the framework of its climate commitments, Switzerland promotes initiatives such as Resilient Andes, geared to finding solutions which promote resilience and inclusive adaptation with an innovative and inclusive approach”, said Paul Garnier, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Peru, on opening the event.

“The Resilient Andes Conference enables us to capitalize on knowledge, share experiences and scale up proposals. This is key for regional collaboration and for implementing policies that respond to the needs of the high Andean communities,” he added.

Yamina Silva, Deputy-Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources at the Ministry of Environment, said “The Ministry of Environment, in its role as National Authority on Climate Change, appeals for stronger south-south cooperation and internal coordination between the government and this initiative to the benefit of our ecosystems”.

The deputy-minister also pointed out the pivotal role of the Andes Resilient to Climate Change Project, pointing out that “it strengthens public and private stakeholders and connects them up to provide services for increasing the resilience and adaptation of Andean rural communities”.

Kaspar Schmidt, director of Helvetas Peru, said that “the Conference is an opportunity for action, to move from words to concrete strategies for promoting change, focusing on how to improve policies that can be implemented in the field and benefit the most vulnerable. Family agriculture, the countryside and water are priorities for the Andean region, and the cities depend on them for food and resources””.

Finally, Luis Miguel Artieda, Avina Foundation Representative in Peru, stressed the need to generate systemic changes through collaboration that connects up different actors around a common objective.

——–

The Resilient Andes Conference was a chance to hold thematic sessions such as: the Ayni of experiences and learning; dialogues on regional initiatives; the presentation of the EncontrAR platform; presentations on possible scenarios and projections for the Andean region in a context of climate change, with a discussion with four authors of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); social inclusion, and the role of Andean women in family agriculture.

The Conference ended with the Second Session of the Resilient Andes Project’ Regional Strategic Committee (REC), which defined a regional agenda to 2023.  The representatives of the Andean countries (Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia) committed to pool efforts in the project’s activities, including water security and family agriculture; creating forums for discussion, participation in the COP28, strengthening the communication strategy to make the project’s achievements visible, and strengthening the project’s capacities to position local experiences and lessons learned in global forums.

Resources:
Infographic (esp): Areas of action with cooperation in the Resilient Andes Project in Peru
Infographic (esp): Areas of action with cooperation in the Resilient Andes Project in Bolivia
Infographic (esp): Areas of action with cooperation in the Resilient Andes Project in Ecuador

Links of interest:
Brochure Regional Project: Andes Resilient to Climate Change
FS Regional Project: Andes Resilient to Climate Change
Facebook Andes Resilient to Climate Change