Brazil assumes presidency of Climate Platform at assembly in Peru
Brazil officially assumed the presidency of the Agriculture Climate Action Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean (Placa), during the opening ceremony of the Annual Assembly, held in Lima, Peru.
The event, which began on June 30th and continues until today, July 2nd, brings together representatives from the 19 member countries of the Platform, as well as authorities from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
The transition of leadership was formalized in a protocol conducted by the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation of Peru, the country that held the presidency of the Board between July 2025 and June 2026.
The choice of Brazil to lead the Platform had been defined at the 2025 Annual Assembly, when the country was elected, unanimously by the members present, to co-presidency of the Board.
The passing of the baton took place between the Peruvian minister, Felipe Millán, and the secretary of Rural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Marcelo Fiadeiro, who represented the minister of Agriculture and Livestock, André de Paula.
On the occasion, Fiadeiro highlighted that the objective is to continue the legacy of the Peruvian presidency and further strengthen integration between member countries. "For this mandate, we propose the insertion of new strategic initiatives such as the Semillas Azul project, the sharing of experiences from our ABC+ Plan and the consolidation of the RAIZ initiative, focused on attracting new financing mechanisms for our regional projects. We value this integration because we are convinced that sustainable agriculture and food security are a fundamental part of the solution to the climate crisis," he said.
During the Assembly, in addition to the formalization of the Brazilian presidency, the election of the new co-presidency was held. Guatemala was elected to carry out the role during this administration and will subsequently assume the presidency of the Platform in 2027.
The Work Plan for the period from July 2026 to June 2027 and the regional priorities that will guide the Board's positioning towards COP31 were also approved, with emphasis on the expansion of climate financing opportunities aimed at the region's agricultural sector.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, at the head of the Platform, Brazil should highlight its trajectory in promoting sustainable and low-carbon agriculture, based on the results of the ABC Plan (Low Carbon Emission Agriculture), implemented between 2010 and 2020, and in the current phase of the ABC+ Plan.
What is the Plate?
The Plaque was launched during the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in December 2019, with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation on climate action in the agricultural sector.
The initiative operates under the protection and administrative support of FAO and brings together the Ministries of Agriculture of 19 countries: Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
The Platform aligns with the Rio Conventions, that is, the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. As well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, promoting integrated approaches to strengthen the climate resilience of agri-food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The work is organized into four thematic groups: Adaptation and Mitigation; Public Policies; Knowledge Management; and Research, Development and Technological Innovation.
Source: CNN