CCFLA Mexico Forum – Advancing Collaborative Climate Action for Successful Project Preparation
The implementation of sustainable and climate friendly projects is crucial in the fight against climate change. To ensure a successful and sustainable performance of such activities, Collaborative Climate Action is key.
From 4th to 6th May, the 2021 Mexico Forum brought together representatives from government, finance, and Project Preparation Facilities (PPF) at local, regional, national, and international levels to support exchange and collaboration on climate action. The event was organised by FMDV and ICLEI with support of the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) and its Project Preparation Action Group (PPAG).
One of the major goals of the Forum was to raise awareness for Collaborative Climate Action across all governance levels in order to ensure successful project preparation and implementation.
Over the course of three days, the participants were engaged in the subjects of project finance on subnational levels, discussing possibilities of strong collaboration with stakeholders on the way to successful project preparation in urban development, and learning from best practices from different regions across Mexico.
For a successful project development on subnational level, local and regional governments (LRGs) face several issues, like a lack of information on funding opportunities or technical assistance, as well as a lack of coordination between local and federal governments.
To overcome such challenges, speakers from the Ministry of Environment (SEMARNAT) and the Ministry for Agrarian, Land and Urban Development (SEDATU) recommended stronger collaboration and encouraged LRGs to get in touch during project development.
Simultaneously, national government entities may serve as intermediaries bridging the gap between financial institutions and subnational governments. It became apparent that platforms, like the Forum, play an important role for a clear communication between the different stakeholders. The participants found that Collaborative Climate Action can be of particular benefit in early stage project preparation, as the different levels can identify potential for access to data and finance. It can moreover contribute to an effective transfer of best practices.
The Forum as well as the previous project preparation readiness training were perceived as a great success. CCFLA is therefore planning to replicate this kind of event in other countries in order to accelerate collaborative processes.