Strengthening environmental governance

The guidance and support of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to the implementation of the Environmental Governance subprogramme in the Latin American and Caribbean region focuses on:

  • Coherence and synergy: UNEP contributes to improve in the region the manner in which the UN system and multilateral environmental agreements are coordinated and to promote policy coherence.
  • Law and institutions: UNEP reaches out to executive branches and other parts of national governments (including judiciary, parliamentarians, and enforcement officers) and to major groups and stakeholders, to enhance the capacities of LAC countries to set up and enforce legal institutional frameworks and sectoral regulations to effectively address environmental priorities.
  • Mainstreaming the environment into development processes: UNEP helps LAC countries integrate environment into sectoral and development processes and plans and supports the integration of poverty and environment objectives, through its support to regional and subregional fora, its work with national governments and relevant stakeholder, and its coordination with the UN system at the regional level and UNCTs.

Programs and projects

Integrating environmental sustainability in the UN Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAF) and UN common programming processes

The project supports UN Country Teams to strengthen the integration of environmental sustainability, climate change considerations and multilateral environmental agreements´priorities.

Integrated Approach to Environmental Sustainability in Development Planning

In the framework of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, this project supports the strengthening of governmental capacities to integrate environmental sustainability in the sectoral and cross-sectoral planning processes.

The Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

PEI is a global programme that supports country-led efforts to integrate pro-poor and environmental sustainability objectives into the heart of government by mainstreaming these into national development and sub-national development planning, from policymaking to budgeting, implementation and monitoring.

Caribbean Biological Corridor

Demarcation and establishment of the Caribbean Biological Corridor: Framework for biodiversity conservation, environment restoration and development of sources of livelihood in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Environmental sustainability

Integrating environmental sustainability in the UN Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAF) and joint programming processes. The project supports the United Nations country teams to integrate in their work considerations on environmental sustainability, climate change and multilateral environmental agreements. Learn more

Environmental education

The Environmental Training Network of Latin America and the Caribbean aims to coordinate a community of practice among the environmental education heads of ministries of environment, and to increase specialized knowledge, mutual learning, exchange of experiences and environmental education practices through face-to-face and virtual meetings. 

Environmental Law

Laws on climate change have made important progress in recent years. In Latin American and the Caribbean, several countries have a framework law and others have undertaken legislative processes that are currently in parliaments or congresses. The normative and governance aspects of climate change have also called the attention of legislators, judges and experts in environmental law.