Bolivian authorities specialize in climate financing management

• CATIE has developed 4 Diplomas and 3 international courses on climate financing, training over 150 Latin American professionals.

July 11, 2023. A total of 26 high-level officials from the Plurinational State of Bolivia have completed and passed the Capacity Strengthening Program for Climate Financing Management, delivered virtually by CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center).

The program concluded on Wednesday, July 5, with the participation of 11 women and 15 men, including three vice ministers and several directors general. The training was supervised by the FAO and funded by the Readiness Support Program of the Green Climate Fund.

Participants had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of climate change and the associated international governance, with a greater emphasis on negotiations and agreements related to mobilizing financial resources for climate action. They also gained a better understanding of the processes and requirements of different sources and mechanisms for climate financing, enabling them to develop successful climate financing proposals in the future.

The program was structured into eight thematic modules, each lasting one week, with virtual learning activities conducted through the CATIE Training Unit's virtual platform. These activities were complemented by eight webinars that delved into various topics, facilitating the exchange of experiences and dialogue among participants and facilitators.

"The training program for Bolivia has been a resounding success, with a 96% approval rate among the initially enrolled participants. This can be attributed to two important factors: 1) the commitment and responsibility shown by the participants despite their high-level positions, and 2) the quality of information and support provided by CATIE to the participants," stated Dr. Vladimir Valera, the program's academic coordinator and climate financing specialist from the Forests and Biodiversity in Productive Landscapes Unit (UBBPP).

Carlos David Guachalla, Vice Minister of Planning and Coordination of the Ministry of Planning for the Plurinational State of Bolivia and the National Designated Authority to the Green Climate Fund, expressed his gratitude to the public servants who took the time to participate in this training amidst their daily responsibilities. He also congratulated all the individuals who completed the course.

"I believe that we now have a strong group of professionals with a high level of expertise in climate financing. It is very important for us to have this kind of training, and we plan to expand with more courses or other types of training because our country needs this technical capacity for effective engagement," said the Vice Minister.

Guachalla highlighted and appreciated the work carried out by CATIE and FAO in making the course possible. "I believe this is an essential step in establishing technical capacity, and we will try to replicate it for other entities, such as universities. Therefore, we expect your institution to guide us in consolidating this technical capacity at different levels of the state," he concluded.

It is worth noting that, to date, CATIE has developed 4 Diplomas and 3 international courses on climate financing, training over 150 Latin American professionals in this important field.

Additionally, other courses related to the requirements of climate funds have been provided, such as environmental and social safeguards and climate proposal formulation. Therefore, governments or institutions interested in climate financing training can submit their requests to the CATIE Training Unit (capacitacion@catie.ac.cr).capacitacion@catie.ac.cr).