CATIE promotes community-centered adaptation during COP30

• At the high-level event organized by CTCN and UNEP, researcher Ileana Ávalos represented CATIE and the PARES project, highlighting the need to integrate climate, peace, and security in the most vulnerable landscapes.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) participated on November 13 in the high-level side event “EU–UN Cooperation for Climate Security: Advancing Peace and Resilience Through Locally Led Climate Technologies and Solutions,” organized by the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the Nordic Pavilion of COP30.

Representing CATIE, Dr. Ileana Ávalos, researcher and coordinator of the project Peace, Action, Resilience, and Sustainability in Latin American Landscapes (PARES), presented the main results and lessons learned from twelve pilot initiatives implemented in six Latin American countries. Her presentation focused on how nature-based climate solutions can strengthen resilience, social cohesion, and peace in highly vulnerable contexts.

“Adaptation is not a one-time action; it is a transformation process that begins within communities. They are the ones who chart the routes that connect climate, peace, and security in their territories,” emphasized Ávalos during her presentation.

Ávalos also highlighted five key messages from CATIE and the PARES project experience:

1. Adaptation is a process of transformation, not an isolated action.
2. Communities lead adaptation pathways, integrating climate, peace, and security.
3. Strong governance is essential to scale up nature-based solutions.
4. Effective adaptation connects ecological and social systems within the landscape.
5. Flexibility and long-term vision strengthen sustainable impacts: currently, PARES implements 31 combinations of nature-based solutions in collaboration with 12 local organizations.

A space for multilateral cooperation

The event, which brought together figures such as Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP; Ariesta Ningrum, Director of CTCN; Luis Pocasangre, Director General of CATIE; and representatives of solar cooking initiatives in Africa, aimed to highlight the results of the collaboration between the European Union and the United Nations to promote local solutions in contexts of climatic and social fragility.

COP30 in Belém, Brazil, has been consolidated as a meeting point to promote a more inclusive climate action that integrates science, innovation, and local governance. Through its participation, CATIE reaffirmed its commitment to continue supporting the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in building resilient, sustainable, and peaceful landscapes.