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A compilation of items recently posted to the Latin America & Caribbean Regional Coverage knowledgebase Latest News - 22 December 2011 Last Update for 2011 We_at_IISD RS wish you all the best for this holiday season and throughout the coming year. We will resume publication of our knowledgebases on 3 January 2012. Thank you for your support during 2011. continued... GEF-LDCF Reports on Support for Climate Resilience and Food Security in Haiti December_2011: Following the Haiti earthquake of 2010, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), through the Least Developed Fund (LDCF), developed a project on “Strengthening Climate Resilience and Reducing Disaster Risk in Agriculture to Improve Food Security in Haiti post-Earthquake.” continued... Cartagena Dialogue Participants Support GCF Draft Governing Instrument 14_November 2011: A two-day meeting of the Cartagena Dialogue, which brought together high-level representatives from nearly 30 countries, was held in Santiago, Chile. The meeting focused on finding a constructive way forward in the UNFCCC Climate Change negotiations and provided an opportunity for the most ambitious and progressive countries to discuss how to make the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UNFCCC as successful as possible. continued... World Bank Loan to Brazil to Support Energy and Mineral Sectors 20_December 2011: The World Bank has approved a $49.6 million loan to support Brazil's "Energy and Mineral Sectors Strengthening Project," which aims to build the capacity of key public sector institutions to improve the energy and mineral sectors' contribution to environmentally and socially sustainable growth. continued... FAO Book on Amazon Plants Addresses Importance of Forests for Livelihoods 20_December 2011: During a ceremony marking the close of the International Year of Forests, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) released a book titled "Fruit Trees and Useful Plants in Amazonian Life," which is meant to be accessible to readers without a formal education.  continued... IDB Provides Credit to Finance Sustainable Infrastructure Projects in Latin America 19_December 2011: The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a six-year, US$200 million revolving credit for the Spanish company Abenoga to finance sustainable infrastructure projects in Latin America. continued... Organizations Call for Extending Cooperation on UN International Day for South-South Cooperation 19_December 2011: Marking the UN International Day for South-South Cooperation, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) urged countries, development agencies and other key stakeholders to extend and sustain their cooperation in this regard. continued... CCAD Receives Funding to Implement Conservation and Climate Projects 14_December 2011: Germany's Ambassador Christian Stocks and El Salvador's Environment Minister Herman Rosa Chavez, on behalf of the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), have signed an agreement and exchanged three letters of cooperation whereby Germany will provide €17 million to support the implementation of four environmental, biodiversity and climate projects in Central America. continued... ECLAC Study Looks at Energy-Climate Change Interface for Central America Through 2100 December_2011: A recently-released sectoral study by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on energy and climate change in Central America looks at the probable impact of climate change on the evolution of its energy sector during two periods, the present through 2020, and 2021-2100.  continued... Caribbean Conference Assesses GEF Project on Watershed and Coastal Area Management November_2011: The Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded Project on “Integrating Watershed and Coastal Areas Management in Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean” (GEF-IWCAM Project) hosted its Final Project Conference to evaluate the achievements, challenges and lessons learned, as well as prospects for a follow-up project. continued... Please send suggestions for articles to Alice Bisiaux, LL.M at alice@iisd.org Generous start-up funding has been provided by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Latin America & Caribbean Regional Coverage is a knowledge management project focusing on delivering news, information, and analysis on international environment and sustainable development negotiations and policy making in Latin America & the Caribbean. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Reporting Services, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), launched the Latin America & Caribbean Regional Coverage (LARC) Programme in 2010 to improve the transparency of the region's policy discussions on sustainable development and raise its profile. IISD manages and is fully responsible for the content posted on the Latin America & Caribbean Regional Coverage website. Click here for further information on Latin America & Caribbean Regional Coverage