The Colombia–UK PACT programme has today announced 15 innovative projects to support Colombia’s transition to a greener and more resilient future. The new £7m portfolio of projects will strengthen Colombia’s climate action by building capacity across key sectors such as green finance, clean energy, transport and climate policy, and support sustainable livelihoods. Prioritising these areas to reduce emissions will allow Colombia to pursue more inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
As part of the UK’s International Climate Finance, UK PACT is the flagship capacity-building programme within the UK–Colombia Partnership for Sustainable Growth. The Partnership was formalised in 2019 and commits both countries to joint action on climate. The programme’s call for proposals was co-developed with the Colombian government to identify projects that best support the country’s climate priorities. This new portfolio will support the implementation of Colombia’s newly announced and highly ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement to cut Colombia’s emissions by 51% by 2030 compared to business as usual.
The successful projects will receive grants of up to £500,000 each. The funding was allocated following a rigorous assessment of almost 300 applications submitted in response to UK PACT’s competitive call for proposals in 2020. The 32 lead organisations and partners responsible for implementing the successful projects will support and work with key government beneficiaries at national, city and rural levels. Partner organisations include academia, private sector companies and NGOs from the UK, Colombia and other countries globally.
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Colin Martin Reynolds, British Ambassador to Colombia, said:
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UK PACT green finance projects:
Three projects will help accelerate Colombia´s ongoing progress towards unlocking and greening investments in the financial sector, with both public and private actors. Projects will focus on creating knowledge of climate transition risks and disclosure practices, as well as a national green taxonomy for climate investments.
UK PACT energy projects:
Two projects will support Colombia’s clean energy transition, ensuring that energy supply is less carbon-intensive and consumption patterns are more sustainable. The initiatives will increase capacity building for the development and financing of renewable energy sources in off-grid areas whilst also accelerating the deployment of smart-grid infrastructure.
UK PACT sustainable mobility projects:
Three projects will work to accelerate the transition to electric mobility in public transport across Colombia, promoting alternative mobility systems and developing models for sustainable freight transportation.
UK PACT sustainable livelihoods projects:
Four projects will support more sustainable production practices and help to implement zero-deforestation agreements. They will also support alternative livelihoods in post-conflict regions through sustainable tourism that will protect biodiversity and combat deforestation.
UK PACT climate policy projects:
Three projects will support climate policy implementation at the national, sub-national and local level. This will be done through supporting new regulation, policy and best practices. Long-term behaviour change will also be promoted through training of government stakeholders and public engagement activities.
ENDS
Read about the full list of projects:
| Implementing partner | Consortium partners | What's the project about? |
| Universidad de los Andes | Willis Tower Watson (Climate Policy Initiative (CPI)) 2Degrees Investing Initiative |
Combining applied research and training to improve knowledge, expertise and readiness on climate transition risks |
| Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) | Metrix Finanzas | Supporting the Colombian taxonomy implementation, which will provide clarity to the financial market on what activities are green |
| Transforma | Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) | Promoting the inclusion of climate change risks into investment decisions by institutional investors, including pension and private funds, insurance companies, and banks |
| Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) | N/A | Advancing Colombia’s energy transition and helping provide sustainable and affordable energy solutions to vulnerable and isolated rural communities and households |
| Carbon Trust | The Imperial College London Universidad Nacional de Colombia |
Developing Colombia’s smart grid market as a key instrument to improve energy efficiency, energy auto-generation and sustainable supply options |
| World Resources Institute (WRI) | Clean Energy Works (CEW) | Accelerating the adoption of electric buses in Colombia |
| Universidad de los Andes Bogotá | Cardiff University | Working in collaboration with key transport beneficiaries to help decarbonise Colombia’s road freight sector |
| Fundación para el progreso de la región Bogotá | GSD Plus | Helping to create a sustainable, efficient and multimodal public transport system for Bogota and 12 municipalities |
| Fundación Alisos |
Rainforest Alliance Wildlife Conservation Society |
Strengthening forest and landscape restoration and promoting sustainable livelihoods in post-conflict regions in the Colombian Amazon |
| RARE | The Nature Conservancy | Improving the uptake of climate-smart agricultural practices that promote the protection of soil, water and biodiversity |
| Los Viajes del Boga (Awake) | N/A | Reducing deforestation in the Amazon, Orinoquia and Pacific regions by strengthening nature tourism and increasing ambition for forest conservation |
| Grupo E3 | Acorn Tourism Consulting Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Think Galapagos |
Leveraging the potential of community-based ecotourism in biodiversity hotspots as a means to sustain rural livelihoods and reduce deforestation |
| Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) | N/A | Working with the National Department of Planning to help improve the implementation of Colombia’s national policy for green growth and development of new bioeconomy businesses |
| Fedesarrollo | The New York University (Marron Institute of Urban Planning |
Providing a first analysis of territorial planning in Colombia, identifying improvements for land use from a sustainability perspective |
| Organization for Environmental Education and Protection (OpEPA) | The Climate Reality Project The Climate Group |
Developing a long-term vision for low-carbon energy and transport at the subnational level. |
Since its launch in 2018, UK PACT has funded 13 projects worth £5m in Colombia. The new 2021 portfolio will build on the development of these low-carbon solutions and on the success of the first phase of Colombia–UK PACT projects.
Read more about the new portfolio of projects here.