To provide a space for reflection on public policies related to climate change, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will hold a seminar this Thursday and Friday, May 29-30, in Quito, Ecuador, called "Public Policies in the Face of Climate Change: Pro-development Measures, Environmental Tax Reforms and Progress on Universal Social Protection in Latin America."

The event-which will take place in the framework of the EUROCLIMA Program, funded by the European Union-will be attended by government officials and international experts from Europe and Latin America. The inauguration is scheduled for Thursday at 9:00 a.m. in the Eugenio Espejo Convention Center, in the Ecuadorian capital.

ECLAC, through the Climate Change Unit of its Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division, is implementing a new phase of the EUROCLIMA Program, an initiative that began to take shape in 2008 during the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean (ALC), held in Lima, Peru.

The objectives of the segment being implemented by ECLAC include designing and establishing a set of public policy measures for adapting to and mitigating climate change.

Simultaneously, ECLAC and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) are carrying out a program funded by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) that aims to support the region's countries in developing reforms that foster structural transformations, taking into account the implications for the climate and social cohesion.

Among the objectives of the seminar that will take place in Quito, one that stands out is the need to make progress on defining the public policy issues that are relevant to each country, so they can be incorporated into their climate change agendas.

Any queries should be sent to the ECLAC Public Information Unit.

E-mail: prensacepal.org; Tel.: (56 2) 2210 2040.

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