EcoAdvance Closes 2023 With New Advances in Sustainable Public Procurement and Eco-labeling
In a week of breakthroughs, the project makes progress in promoting global exchange on sustainable public procurement and eco-labeling.
© GIZ
Between November 14th and 17th, EcoAdvance held a series of events and meetings to foster global knowledge and experience exchange. At the beginning of the week, the first in-person edition of the Global Conference on Sustainable Labelling and Public Procurement was held, organized in collaboration with members of the consortium of implementing partners: the German Development Cooperation GIZ, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the German Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko Institut).
The event, held in Bogota, Colombia, brought together over 80 participants from 13 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and America. They discussed how to take advantage of the use and understanding of eco-labelling and sustainable public consumption and production, contributing to fighting the three main crises the planet faces: the climate change crisis, loss of nature and biodiversity, and pollution and waste.
The political partners of each country the project is implemented in (Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil) participated in several sessions on topics including circular economy, integration of social criteria, incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the role of quality infrastructure, and regional labelling strategies, and discussed important economic sectors such as food and construction.
© GIZ
The conference also saw the official launch of the EcoAdvance project. The opening cocktail featured speeches by Dr. Ulf Jaeckel, Director of the European and International Division of Climate Change Adaptation of the Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV); project director Álvaro Luna; Jorge Laguna-Celis, Director of the UN's One Planet Network, and Viviana López, researcher at the Öko Institut. Speakers highlighted the importance of the EcoAdvance project in promoting sustainable consumption and production practices at a crucial time to mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity, and conserve resources. The event was preceded by a performance by the typical Colombian folk dance group Enamoradanza.
Subsequently, the Regional Steering Committee of the EcoAdvance project held its first meeting, which was attended by BMUV, political counterparts from the five project countries (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico), GIZ, UNEP and the Öko Institut and AAA.
The participants discussed the main advances of the project in the region, the challenges and opportunities in the implementation from the strategic perspective of the leaders present, as well as the agreements and next steps.
The Regional Steering Committee is the project's body for policy and strategic dialogue on labeling and sustainable public procurement and serves as a forum for countries to share their strategic vision and progress at the regional level.
© GIZ
Likewise, on November 16 and 17, the workshop of the Environmental Alliance of the Americas (AAA) titled "Co-creating a Strategic Action Plan for the Environmental Seal of the Americas" was held. PRASA representatives made progress in establishing legal and institutional structures for a unified environmental seal for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The main outcomes of the workshop included establishing an action plan to formalize the creation of a common eco-labeling platform in the region, encompassing a governance model that ensures agile decision-making and balanced representation of countries, to be formalized by June 2024.
© GIZ
The Alliance is a regional initiative of Latin American and Caribbean countries that aims to create a regional ecolabel known as the Environmental Seal of the Americas to strengthen mutual recognition, trade, and awareness of more sustainable products and services.
With these advances, there is now a clearer path for actions and priorities in 2024, hoping to make steady progress in promoting sustainable production and consumption.
More information:
Website of the CIP Conference 2023- Country: Costa Rica
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