The Strategic Partnership between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean has the potential to reach beyond colaboration between the two regions to have a wider global impact. In the framework of the EXPLORE Programme, the EU-LAC Foundation is launching its Forum on Global Governance. Each year, the Forum will focus on a topic of global relevance that affects both regions in order to assess the contribution bi-regional cooperation on such topics can make. Through studies and events, the Forum seeks to identify opportunities for mutual gains from bi-regional cooperation in the global sphere.
This year, the EU-LAC Forum on Global Governance is focusing on cooperation between the EU and LAC in global climate governance. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is working to conclude a new climate change agreement by 2015. All three Conferences of the Parties (COPs) paving the way towards this goal will be held either in the EU or LAC: Poland in 2013, Peru in 2014 and a pre-conference in Venezuela in the same year, and France in 2015.
A study carried out for the EU-LAC Foundation by Guy Edwards and J. Timmons Roberts identifies potential for cooperation between the two regions in international climate change negotiations and makes suggestions on how the two regions can jointly advance towards an agreement. The study argues that existing relations and common goals between the two regions can serve as a solid foundation to build momentum towards a fair, robust and ambitious agreement on climate change in 2015.
You can download the study here.