The Second Andes Resilientes Workshops took place in Quito, Ecuador, from September 18 to 19, 2023. This event was of great importance as it took place half a year prior to the completion of the technical tasks in the initial stage of the regional project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático.

Climate change poses an imminent threat to the Andes, endangering food security and the future of those who depend on this region. Impacts such as glacier melting, alterations in rainfall patterns, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events like El Niño are radically transforming the Andean environment and its agricultural practices. Immediate regional actions are required.

In this critical context, the second edition of the Andes Resilientes Workshops brought together political and civil society actors from Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru in a joint effort to address climate challenges, seeking collaborative and strategic solutions that enhance the food and water security of the region.

The agenda focused on a detailed exploration of the distinctive topics in the project’s action in the three countries with the aim of extracting meaningful lessons.  An exhaustive retrospective analysis of the project, its achievements, challenges, limitations, and lessons learned was also carried out. This provided a forward-looking vision of the project’s evolution and new approaches that it could adopt in its second phase, culminating with the in-person realization of the fourth session of the project’s Regional Strategic Committee on Wednesday, September 20.

As part of the event’s opening, several authorities representing the project’s leading organizations and the host country made speeches: Marianne Jenni, Swiss Ambassador to Ecuador, emphasized the need to address the global climate crisis and Switzerland’s commitment through Swiss Cooperation COSUDE to promote climate resilience in the Andean region. Karina Barrera, acting Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition, highlighted the project’s importance in overcoming development gaps and unmet needs in the region, emphasizing the achievements obtained in cooperation with the project.

Janine Kuriger, Head of the Climate, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Environment Section of COSUDE in Bern, emphasized the vulnerability of the Andean region to climate change and the need for a joint approach to address the challenges of sustainable development and resilience.

The event brought together 61 participants, of which 59% were women, from Bolivia (18%), Ecuador (52%), Peru (25%), and Switzerland (5%). Among the attendees were delegates from three government sectors with which the project has collaborated in each country: environment (40% of the participants), agriculture (49%), and social inclusion (11%).  Delegates from Swiss Cooperation COSUDE, the facilitating consortium Helvetas – Avina Foundation, and project team members were also present.

In addition to promoting reflection and collaboration among peers to strengthen resilience and climate change adaptation in the Andean region, the Workshops
provided space for sharing and learning about the progress and achievements in the implementation of adaptation measures in family agriculture in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. They provided the opportunity to promote collaboration among peers by driving collaborative initiatives, and support South-South exchanges that contribute to scaling up good practices and innovations achieved by each country.

Furthermore, the importance of involving the private sector was highlighted, focusing on shared responsibility and the fundamental role that businesses play in promoting innovation and mobilizing large-scale implementation of adaptation measures. In this regard, work already initiated with the microfinance sector and companies involved in the value chains in the gastronomy and alpaca fibre production sectors was emphasized. The organizations involved in these processes stressed the urgency of taking concrete actions since the effects of climate change are already being felt.

Source: Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático

Presentations

• (PDF esp) Ayni Bolivia – Fomento de la agrobiodiversidad y la agroecología como vía par el escalamiento de acciones adaptativas en la agricultura familiar andina
• (PDF esp) Ayni Perú – Fortalecimiento del accionar en agricultura familiar de subsistencia del programa Haku Wiñay de FONCODES
• (PDF esp) Ayni Ecuador – Planificación de áreas de protección hídrica sostenible
• (PDF esp) Estrategias para impulsar resiliencia climática en la agricultura familiar andina
• (PDF esp) La agricultura familiar resiliente al cambio climático y el financiamiento del Sistema Financiero Nacional de Perú. El Caso de Cusco y Puno. Perú (sector privado)
• (PDF esp) Manq’a – Bolivia (sector privado)
• (PDF esp) RFD – Innovando el sector microfinanciero para promover la adaptación climática de la agricultura familiar campesina – Ecuador (sector privado)
• (PDF esp) Plataforma de Aprendizaje Colaborativo para impulsar la acción climática en la agricultura familiar andina – ENCONTRAR
• (PDF esp) Iniciativas regionales y de enlace global
• (PDF esp) Balance retrospectivo – Andes Resilientes
• (PDF esp) Consideraciones Fase 2 Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático

About Andes Resilientes:

Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático aims to contribute to the strengthening and coordination of the capacities of both public and private actors to provide services that enhance the resilience and adaptability to climate change of rural Andean populations experiencing poverty and vulnerability, with the goal of improving their food and water security.

More information:
Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático Brochure (Span)
Brochure Bolivia – Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático (Span)
Brochure Ecuador- Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático (Span)
Brochure Perú – Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático(Span)

Fact Sheet Bolivia – Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático (Span)
Fact Sheet Ecuador– Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático (Span)
Fact Sheet Peru– Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático (Span)

Fact Sheet Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático
Facebook Regional Project Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático
Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climático Regional Project Website