APRONAD accepted in the Declaration of the First 50 Carbon-Neutral Organizations, Panama

Panama, September 3, 2021, sent by the Directorate of Climate Change (DCC) of the Ministry of the Environment (MiAMBIENTE) to Mr. Francisco Rivas, President of APRONAD indicating:

The Directorate of Climate Change (DCC) of the Ministry of the Environment (MiAMBIENTE) is pleased to inform you that the Association for the Promotion of New Development Alternatives has satisfactorily complied with all the legal requirements to be part of the Declaration "The 50 First Carbon Organizations - Neutro ”, which groups together the first fifty (50) organizations in Panama committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, in line with the long-term objective of the Paris Agreement. This initiative, together with the Reduce Your Corporate Footprint - Carbon program, makes them part of the national climate action and recognizes them for their early action aligned with the national goal of keeping the country carbon negative by 2050.

The note adds:

It is important to emphasize that, in order to specify your participation in the Declaration and be a creditor of the seal of "The First 50" you must deliver your Action Plan towards carbon neutrality by 2050 according to the guidelines established in the Declaration Manual and comply with all the GHG emissions reporting requirements under the virtual platform of RTH Corporativo Carbon as of October 30, 2021. MiAMBIENTE reserves the right not to grant recognition to organizations that do not comply with the aforementioned requirements. The Declaration Manual will be posted on the virtual platform of RTH Corporativo - Carbon no later than September 15, 2021.

The APRONAD technical team on Climate Change is preparing the Action Plan, once the Manual is published by MiAmbiente.

GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) COMPENSATION AGREEMENT

APRONAD develops the Project: "Panama Forests Conservation Project Reduction of GHG Emissions Through Deforestation and Avoided Degradation", an alliance of Indigenous Peoples and Rural Communities of Panama, The Project provides benefits such as mitigation against climate change by reducing emissions of GHG from unplanned deforestation that occurs due to historical and social factors; that contributes to the conservation of biodiversity, including the High Conservation Values related to the Protected Areas determinAed by the Panamanian State, and the promotion of sustainable development of local communities.

This project has been registered in VERRA (verra.org), under the VCS v4.0 standard, VCS Methodology VM0015 v1.1, CCB Standards Third Edition and is awaiting verification by AENOR. This project is expected to generate benefits for:

a) the protection of approximately 61,707.41 ha. of primary and secondary forests during the useful life of the project, located in the Protected Areas and their buffer zones. The project would prevent the release into the atmosphere of 11,195,383.00 tCO2e of GHG emissions in 30 years, with an annual average of 198.22 Ton / Co2e per hectare, and

b) forge a strategic alliance between indigenous peoples and peasants and agro-industrial companies, around the conservation of forests, helping to consolidate environmental governance.

APRONAD offers interested companies to compensate through this project, a total of 6,505,562.06 tons of CO2 not verified, corresponding to the year 2020, for a value to be agreed.

This project is in the verification process and will be certified in 2022, including CO removals for the period beginning in 2017 and until 2046.

For more information:

Francisco Rivas email apronad@gmail.com

APRONAD Sent report to UN Global Compact

The Association for the Promotion of New Development Alternatives has sent its Communication on Engagement, Coe, to the UN Global Compact, of which it is a party.

In the UN Global Compact, is the Corporate Sustainability Initiative Bigger Planet. It is basically a call for companies to align strategies and operations with the universal principles of human rights, work, the environment and the fight against corruption, and to act to advance the objectives Social.

Those of us who are part of the UN Global Compact are obliged to send a biennial report called "Communication on involvement", where we reaffirm our support for its ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor standards, Environment and anti-corruption.

In this communication on involvement, we describe the measures taken by our Organization to support its principles.

Prior to the breakdown of activities and results, we conducted a contextualization exercise with the Tittle Of The environment and the challenges of the Global Compact in Panama “

"Despite being considered a country in transition, with macroeconomic stability and comparatively high growth rates, Panama has high indices of poverty and social exclusion, which has placed it as one of the countries with the greatest inequality in the World According to the Gini index applied to income. Poverty and social exclusion are geographically and socially well-located: women, children, the disabled, the indigenous, the poor peasants and the inhabitants of the urban-marginal areas are the most vulnerable groups, not only In economic terms but also environmental.

Despite the efforts made by the corporate leadership with the support of the Global Compact and other international entities, the conditions of inequality and exclusion in which large sections of the population live have undergone few changes.

A Panamanian NGO, Apronad, has raised a course of action that seeks to approximate non-traditional business sectors to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact, so that the movement acquires new protagonists and new alliances.

Principle Eight: The environment offers great potential for unifying the efforts of the business sector, communities, indigenous peoples and civil and environmental society.

Part of the implementation of principle 8, it has focused activities in the forestry sector by designing and developing the "Panama Forest Conservation Project – Reduction of GHG emissions from deforestation and forest degradation", the Strategic objective is raised in terms of integrating forests into all policies to advance the objectives of sustainable development.

It has selected the scope of action in the platform for "roads to low carbon and resilient development".

For those interested in getting to know the detail of our Coe You can download it at the following link (in spanish): Communication on ENGAGEMENT (COE) – APRONAD.

Owners of Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro forests prepare project to obtain carbon credits.

Four carbon inventories have been carried out in Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro using 20 x 50 m plots. The inventories allow us to know how much carbon these forests store. Carbon that, in case of being released into the atmosphere (by deforestation, fires), would merge with Oxygen, resulting in the fearsome CO2 (carbon dioxide), one of the main Greenhouse Gases (GHG), one of the main causes of Climate Change.

To prevent this from happening, large companies, international financial agencies, and international foundations are willing to "compensate" the efforts of forest owners who are committed to their conservation, with the delivery of carbon credits which are sold in the Voluntary Market of Carbon, a totally private compensation mechanism.

This requires the rigorous preparation of a carbon project, which will be audited by an international company, which will be responsible for accepting (or rejecting) the study carried out. If the internal auditor gives the "go", then the owners can receive the bonds, and not before.

The owners who participate in Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro, now add an extension of 1,241 hectares. and 2, 048.94 Mts. of reductase of primary and secondary forests in a zone of life characterized by the Very Humid Tropical Forest (bmh-T), with an average annual precipitation of 4,000 mm. and heights higher than 1,900 meters. These are primary forests, with huge trees in a habitat rich in flora and fauna.

The samplings were carried out in 4 sites (see attached map):

One in the Province of Bocas del Toro, Admiral District, Corregimiento de Nance de Riscó, Community of Uri, on the property of Paulino Castrillón,

Two in the Province of Chiriquí, District of Bugaba, Corregimiento de Volcán, Community of Cotito, in the properties of Cruz Mojica, and Gabriel Mojica.

Finally, another in the Province of Chiriqui, District of Boquete, Los Naranjos Township, a community of Bajo Mono on the property of Ronnie Pitti.

The technical file is currently prepared so that the Spanish validation company AENOR, proceed to the corresponding certification.

Do you want to participate as a partner in this project? Communicate to the email erasmo.proyectocarbono@gmail.com

COMMUNITY EMBERA -WOUNAAN IS INCORPORATED TO THE NATIONAL CARBON PROJECT

Arimae is an indigenous Panamanian community that incorporates two distinct cultures: Embera and Wounaan. It is located in the Collective Lands of Arimae / Embera Puru, 210 kilometers from the capital city, oriented to the edge of the Pan-American Highway, to the Northeast of Panama. In administrative terms, it is part of the Corregimiento of Santa Fe, District of Chepigana, Province of Darién.

On December 10, 2015, after 40 years of fighting, the 1,300 inhabitants (220 families) of Arimae and Emberá Puru received the title of their collective lands, by the National Land Administration Authority (ANATI). It is 8,191 hectares, of which 4,000 ha are estimated. correspond to primary forest.

Considering the favorable conditions created with the granting of title to the collective lands, the Local Congress of the Community of Arimae, of Emberá-Wounaan Collective Lands, agreed to design and implement, with the support of APRONAD, the "Climate Project, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) for the Voluntary Carbon Market (MVC) ".

The Agreement establishes "... prepare the technical, legal and administrative documentation necessary to register a Project according to the CCBA methodology, in the VCS Standard (Verified Carbon Standard), using at all times the principle of prior, free and informed consultation and the participatory techniques of Popular Education ". The decision was adopted unanimously by the General Assembly of the Local Congress of the Community of Arimae.

The noted biologist Heraclio Herrera held a participatory community workshop, to identify on a map drawn up by the participants, the key aspects related to forest conservation and threatened wildlife. In addition, the alternatives for self-managed community development were analyzed. All this with a view to the income that will be generated by the sale of carbon credits.

Do you want to participate as a partner in this project? Communicate to the email erasmo.proyectocarbono@gmail.com.

The PRO CARBONO Association Panama is a non - profit association, of character and private law, based in the city of Panama. It associates landowners with important forest resources, indigenous organizations, and Grassroots Community Organizations (CBO) who are concerned about conserving forests and obtaining economic benefits through different forms of economic compensation for environmental services.

Meeting with forest owners in Bocas del Toro and Chiriqui

The organization was created to ensure its member's economic support, technical assistance, training, and marketing support, in their task of conservation of forest resources and obtaining economic benefits through the sale of carbon credits, mainly in the Voluntary Market of Carbon (VMC).

Presentation of carbon inventory results in Los Santos and Veraguas

The participation of the associates will facilitate that the country has an organized social force, committed to the conservation of forests, at a time when deforestation threatens to cause desertification in different regions of the national territory. The members of the PRO - CARBONO Panama Association have extensive experience in the conservation of forest resources.

The women's participation also participates in the estimates of the
WTP of the trees. Palmas Bellas Arriba, Panama east.

APROCARBONO expects to offer 3 million carbon credits to the International Financial Agencies that participate in the Green Climate Fund. Foundations and International Non-Governmental Organizations. Mainly, foreign national and foreign companies interested in exercising environmental leadership, participating in the fight against climate change. In short, companies would add value to the brand by committing to offset the emission of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) through the purchase of carbon credits. With the purchase of carbon credits, companies want to effectively communicate with to their final public the contribution they are making to save the planet.

By boat to the forest that will be inventoried

With the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama, three million years ago, Panama became a road that allowed the migration of many species of animals and plants from North America to South America, and vice versa. The bridge made it easier for animals and plants to migrate between the two continents. This event is known as Great American Exchange.

Therefore, with the purchase of carbon credits from Aprocarbono, not only does it help to avoid the emission of GHG emissions. We work so that private forest owners and communities can conserve a unique biodiversity on the planet.

Towards the mountain: owners and technical staff in
 La Pintada, Coclé.

Benefits for buyers of APROCARBONO bonds:

• They avoid GHG emissions, contributing to position themselves as environmental leaders in the scope of Panama and Latin America.

• They will contribute to improving the socioeconomic conditions of poor rural communities located in the environment of primary and secondary forests. With the income generated by the sale of carbon, owners can offer employment in the tasks of conservation and sustainable management of forests (Corporate Social Responsibility CSR).

• The income generated from the sale of carbon credits will allow forest owners and nearby communities to develop initiatives for the conservation of local species and ecosystems, such as zoo breeding and nurseries of forest varieties with species in danger of extinction are found with some degree of threat or in danger of extinction.

• The purchase of bonds will also help finance the conservation of water resources through the conservation of forests.

To contact us you can write to apronad2@gmail.com

THE INTERSECTION OF CORRUPTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN WATER SCARCITY ISSUES

WATER SCARCITY — A DYSTOPIAN REALITY.

Earlier this month, news outlets reported that Day Zero – the day that Cape Town would officially run out of water – will no longer fall this year. The narrative and tone of Day Zero-related headlines have indicated the onset of a rather dystopian reality, where the pushing forward of the day when one of the world’s major cities will completely run out of water is considered good news. First, Day Zero was pushed to April, then May, June, July, and now it has been moved out of the 2018 calendar completely — provided Cape Town’s inhabitants continue adhering to a stringent regime of water conservation and reuse.

What Day Zero and its coverage have ultimately demonstrated is that society is and will be changing profoundly in the coming years. Water, which is essential to all human life and activity is becoming increasingly scarce; UN-Water has stated that by 2025, almost one-fifth of the global population is likely to be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, while two-thirds of the population will most probably live under conditions of water stress. How society adapts to such conditions as the pressure on water resources increases is a question that is becoming more pertinent by the day; it is a question that is already dominating domestic and international politics in drought-ridden regions of the world, and will continue to do so for years to come.

An equally important question, however, which remains unsatisfactorily answered and examined — is how do societies get themselves into the critical situation of water scarcity in the first place? Climate change is undoubtedly a central thread, given its effects on the water cycle, as is evidenced by the situation in Cape Town. But another less widely discussed thread is that of corruption.

A workshop hosted by Transparency International (TI) and the Water Integrity Network (WIN) aimed to address just that. In February, a group of twelve journalists gathered in TI’s Berlin office during their study tour with the Institute for Journalism in Norway. The tour was designed to give journalists a deeper understanding of pertinent societal issues. The workshop organized by WIN, TI’s Climate Programme and MiCT (a non-profit organisation that implements media development projects in crisis regions), focused on corruption in two seemingly niche, but vitally important areas; the water sector and climate finance.

WATER SCARCITY IS AS MUCH A CORRUPTION ISSUE AS IT IS A CLIMATE CHANGE ONE.

“Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.”

– Transparency International

Most people in developed countries probably take access to clean and safe water for granted, and may not necessarily put the words ‘water’ and ‘corruption’ together. The reality is that in many regions of the world, the water sector is highly prone to corruption for a number of reasons, and it can be attractive to exploit for personal interest by those working within it, when considering the large amount of public and private investment needed, for instance to develop water infrastructure. Compounding this is the complexity of the sector; water governance tends to be broad and dispersed across various agencies, and its management requires highly technical scientific and engineering expertise, meaning that a relatively selective number of people have a comprehensive understanding of and, by extension, control over the sector. Because of this complexity, it becomes harder for others who do not have this specialised expertise to identify when things are going wrong and to hold those in charge to account.

These are the key factors that WIN outlines as contributing to water sector corruption. Although there is a lack of comprehensive research on just how much money leaks out of the sector due to corruption, the water sector is a high-risk area for corruption, and corruption takes on many forms. There are countless cases of important water projects remaining unfinished due to funds being embezzled, arbitrary and unfair tariffs being set for water usage, funding being spent on inappropriate or poorly constructed infrastructure to ‘cut costs,’ bribes being demanded for water services, and facilities being subject to poor operation and maintenance (see the Water Integrity Global Outlook 2016 for more information on this). Whatever form it takes, corruption and lack of integrity in the water sector has profound effects because it ultimately makes water services more difficult to access, and especially the poor, marginalized and voiceless are affected most. When monetary resources are diverted away from the development of sustainable water infrastructure, operation and maintenance costs, or inappropriately spent, the result is sub-standard service delivery, or sometimes even a complete absence of water provision. This seriously aggravates the problem of water scarcity.

Water sector corruption has been an ongoing saga in South Africa, and a report published by the South African Water Caucus last November on the state of affairs at the Department of Water Sanitation does not point to any improvements. Of the many issues the department faces, “poor financial management (including overspending, accruals and corruption allegations), considerable policy and institutional uncertainty and incoherence, major challenges to institutions that are critical for water governance, deterioration in … infrastructure due to lack of maintenance and investment and significant deficiencies in reporting, compliance monitoring and enforcement” raise considerable concerns about how transparently projects and processes are being managed, and whether those in charge are being held accountable.

But how linked are Cape Town’s current water woes to corruption? More nuanced writing on water shortages in Cape Town has made compelling cases that corruption has worsened what could’ve been an avoidable fate. For example, Dr. David Olivier, a post-doctoral fellow at the Global Change Institute, has argued that the water crisis has been driven more by politics than by drought, and an article published by The Atlantic last month also identifies the city’s issues as having been exacerbated by corruption.

CLIMATE FINANCE — ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE?.

Acknowledging the role of corruption in growing water scarcity is important because too often the problem is examined only as a climate change issue. This is not to negate the importance of addressing climate change as a factor — but without a comprehensive understanding of how the effects of climate change are exacerbated by poor governance, solutions that are put forward for climate-related problems such as water scarcity may be rendered ineffective.

One such solution is climate finance, which TI highlighted at the Berlin workshop. Climate finance refers to money that is invested to help countries prevent global warming and adapt to its worst effects. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commits industrialised countries to channel up to US$ 100 billion a year by 2020 to support developing countries in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change. In a handbook TI has designed for journalists interested in covering climate finance corruption, it is stated  that the “stakes involved in financing such programmes are high; how these funds are spent could save the lives of millions now, and ensure billions in the future are set on a safe path.” But they also warn that the governance structures involved in responding to climate change problems may not be strong enough to manage the threats effectively, pointing out that “some of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world also fare the worst on their Corruption Perceptions Index.”

A noteworthy example from TI’s research and investigations into tracking where climate finance actually ends is that of $3.1 million of national climate funding being used to build ‘climate resilient housing’ in south-west Bangladesh, in the aftermath of Cyclone Aila. Investigations by TI’s Bangladesh Chapter revealed that these ‘houses’ were not even built with walls; according to TI Bangladesh, this was so that the department responsible for carrying out the project could halve their costs and take credit for building more structures.

Water scarcity is more and more so being viewed as a climate change problem, a problem that will inevitably require climate finance in order to fund projects that make the water sector more ‘climate ready.’ In 2014 – 2015, around US$4.1 billion was given to the Water Supply and Sanitation sector globally, making up about 9 per cent of total climate-related development finance. Given increased levels of climate change-induced water scarcity, particularly in developing countries, it is probable that the share of climate finance the water sector will receive in coming years will increase. However, as water sector corruption is in part motivated by the huge amounts of money the sector requires, committing further funding to the sector in the form of climate finance, without comprehensively considering where weak governance, transparency and accountability may be compromised and taken advantage of, could simply end up as money down the drain.

CONNECTING THE DOTS — THE ROLE OF JOURNALISTS.

What investigations into climate finance by organisations such as TI and GermanWatch bring to fore is that climate finance is not something that can simply be slapped on to climate change problems such as water scarcity. This is not to say that climate finance will not be instrumental in combatting these problems. Rather as TI puts it, ‘we need to highlight corruption cases in climate finance to make climate finance work better, not because we think climate finance is a bad idea.’

The workshop organised by TI and WIN in February aimed to emphasise two main points; first, that some very pertinent and relevant societal issues are aggravated by corruption, and second, that journalists need to make that connection in their reporting so as to improve wider understanding of how these problems are being mismanaged, and what factors might hinder the effectiveness of their solutions. From WIN’s perspective, investigations into the water sector are pivotal to revealing corrupt practices that affect water availability. Journalists can and should play an important role in breaking down the technicalities of the water sector, and communicating important investigative findings to the broader public. Moreover, journalists are a crucial means through which advocacy messages can be delivered, and a voice can be given to disadvantaged social group and stakeholders affected by water sector corruption.

TI’s presentation on climate change highlighted that ‘climate change communicators have done a good job of turning technical topics such as greenhouse gas emissions into a widely understood and recognised problem’; however, journalists need to bring the conversation further by shedding the same light on the solutions available for these problems, starting with climate finance. Journalists have a huge role to play not only familiarising broader audiences with climate finance, but also in tracking funds committed to projects in the name of climate mitigation and adaptation. This is particularly important for money committed to the water sector, given the integrity risks that already exist within the sector.

This post was written by Huda Awan, who has worked with the Water Integrity Network as an intern.