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Over the past 30 years, Guatemala´s biggest department Petén lost 1.5 million hectares of primary forest coverage due to the excessive expansion of agriculture and livestock, a strong immigration from the neighbouring highlands and the mismanagement of its numerous national parks and protected areas. This dramatic ecological degradation is accelerating and causing further secondary damage to water resources, soil fertility and forest diversity. This is particularly worrying because the main forest mass of Central America and largest protected area in Guatemala, the Mayan Biosphere Reserve (RBM), with 2.1 million hectares of unique ecosystems and biodiversity, is in a fragile situation and threatened by irreversible damages. In addition, without an immediate and targeted intervention, Guatemala will not be able to fulfil its national determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce the greenhouse emissions.

The Global Gateway Team Europe Initiative, Fostering Green Transition in Petén, aims at promoting and dissociating the socio-economic development of Petén with environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources: 1) Improving the policy framework and funding for inclusive green economic development in Petén; 2) Strengthening existing and developing new wood processing value chains based on sustainable forest management, support climate resilient agriculture, livestock and agro-forest systems and developing a respectful tourism sector; 3) Improving services of solid waste and wastewater management at the municipalities of watershed Petén-Itza.

Objectives:

• Present the Global Gateway Team Europe Initiative, Fostering Green Transition in Petén, to IFIs and private sector to promote sustainable green investments in Petén.

Moderator:

Andrea Fión. Director of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Guatemala.

Speakers:

• Edwin Josué Castellanos López. Vice-Minister of Climate Change and Natural Resources. Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. Guatemala.
• Stefano Signore. Head of Unit DG INTPA F1 Climate Change and Sustainable Energy. Nuclear Safety. European Commission.
• Thouraya Triki. Director Internacional Partners. European Investment Bank. (EIB)
• Jezabel Domenech. Technical Adviser. Department of Cooperation with Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).