The Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week (LACCW) taking place in Panama City, Panama, from October 23 to 27, 2023, brings together representatives from local and national governments, Indigenous Peoples, civil society and the private sector to address climate challenges, inspire heightened ambition and contribute to the first global stocktake of the Paris Agreement – a crucial step to renew worldwide ambition at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
LACCW, for which the high-level opening ceremony takes place on October 25, is holding in parallel with the Forum of Environment Ministers of the region from October 26 to 27 in the same venue.
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are confronting escalating climate impacts. This year has witnessed a series of extreme weather events across the region, including fires, droughts, floods and record-breaking temperatures, underscoring the region’s vulnerability to climate change.
The region, on the other hand, also holds the key to multiple climate solutions. The unique natural assets of Latin America and the Caribbean, such as forests, mangroves and coral reefs, serve as carbon sinks and natural defences against floods. LAC also stands out as a clean energy leader, with almost 60% of energy generated from hydroelectric power and significant potential for wind and solar energy.
An estimated 3,000 participants from across the region are expected to attend more than 200 events that will frame discussions around four key tracks, each designed to provide region-specific contributions to inform the first global stocktake.
The four tracks will address challenges and solutions related to energy systems and industry; settlements, infrastructure and transport; land, ocean, food and water; as well as societies, health, livelihoods and economies, highlighting initiatives that are already underway and can be scaled up or implemented in the future.
LACCW is hosted by the government of Panama and organised by UN Climate Change in collaboration with global partners the UN Development Programme, the UN Environment Programme and the World Bank, and regional partners the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Development Bank and EuroClima.
LACCW 2023 is the third of a series of Regional Climate Weeks organised in 2023, which kicked off with Africa Climate Week in Nairobi, Kenya, followed by the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and closing – after LACCW – with the Asia Pacific Climate Week in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, in November.
