Uruguay assumed the presidency at the Annual Assembly of the Platform for Climate Action in Agriculture (PLACA)

Santiago, June 24, 2021 - The 2021 Assembly of the Latin American and Caribbean Platform for Climate Action in Agriculture (PLACA) was held on Thursday. The meeting was attended by representatives of the ministries of agriculture of Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic, member countries of PLACA.

Also present were partner organizations: the World Bank; Conservation International; the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA); the Natural Resources Institute of Finland (LUKE); and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

PLACA is a regional mechanism for voluntary country collaboration on agriculture and climate change, which seeks to generate a space for the exchange of knowledge, technologies, and collaborative practices in agriculture to support domestic climate change policies.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)  provide support as the Platform's secretariat.

The meeting highlighted the agenda for the past year and reported on the progress made by the technical groups in the areas of Adaptation and Mitigation; Public Policies; Knowledge Transfer and Best Practices; and Research, Development, and Technological Innovation.

The Assembly approved  the work plan until June 2022.Chile transfers the presidency to Uruguay, as well as the co-presidency from Uruguay to Costa Rica.

Work Plan 2021- 2022

Among the key issues on the agenda for the coming months were the development of courses for the agricultural sector on climate change adaptation and mitigation and public policies with an emphasis on climate change, the implementation of virtual workshops on climate action and climate finance for the agricultural sector, and the preparation of a study to identify successful experiences in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Also contemplated is a diagnosis of the state of knowledge and tools for the design and implementation of public policies for climate change; experiences in technical assistance and rural extension systems on climate change; and the identification of common gaps in research, development, and technological innovation in climate change in the agricultural sector.

The ceremony included remarks by the Minister of Agriculture of Chile, María Emilia Undurraga; the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries of Uruguay, Carlos María Uriarte; the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Alicia Bárcena; and the FAO Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Julio Berdegué, in addition to the technical teams.