The international community has worked over the years for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, the fight against climate change, and sustainable development.
Many countries have formed agreements established to implement comprehensive actions to reduce the climate crisis and guarantee a sustainable future.
The government of Jalisco, through the Ministry of the Environment and Territorial Development (SEMADET,) participated last week in the United Nations High Level Political Forum, entitled "Building a Sustainable and Resilient Future: Subnational Governments Leading Integrated Approaches for People, the Planet and Prosperity," organized by Regions4, a global network that coordinates the Advisory Committee of subnational governments of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in the fields of biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable development.
Currently, the government of Jalisco has the Vice Presidency of America for Regions4, and through this position it seeks to strengthen the cooperation of the subnational governments of America to promote the improvement of programs in the region to conserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change. This year, Jalisco is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
During his speech, Secretary Sergio Graf Montero of SEMADET, before presidents and ministers of regions such as Québec, Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Wales, pointed out that the great global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, and the fight against poverty demand strong actions from governments, individuals, and organizations. They need to find and implement diverse and effective solutions built locally in a collaborative manner between the different levels of government and society.
"We are convinced that the economic reactivation due to Covid-19 must be green, and that transversely environmental policy in all economic activity is essential for a successful implementation that allows us to continue advancing towards the sustainability agenda," he mentioned.
He also highlighted that for the conservation of the 4 million hectares of forests and jungles in the state, policies have been promoted in the agricultural sector, such as the Environmental Responsible Agave certification that was developed in conjunction with the Tequila Regulatory Council. This places the distillate worldwide as the first to have a certificate of no deforestation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that the way to achieve international goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals is to opt for nature-based solutions, which refers to the orientation of sustainable production practices that consider social and cultural factors, along with environmental with the intention to reduce negative impacts and make better use of natural resources.
During the session, the different representatives of subnational governments from the United Kingdom, Spain, Morocco, Ecuador, Nigeria, Finland, Brazil, Canada and Mexico shared experiences on how they have faced the environmental crisis in a post-pandemic context.
This high-level panel is the first of three events that Regions4 and its partners organize in 2021 to address the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda, and the interconnectedness between the well-being and prosperity of people and the planet.