On February 20 Federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced $2.5 million towards the establishment of a Canada-Mexico Climate Change Cooperation Platform, a project funded through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mexico as part of Canada’s $1.2 billion Fast-Start Financing.
The project was highlighted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper following the North American Leaders Summit in Toluca, Mexico on February 19, 2014.
Expected areas of focus under the Canada-Mexico Climate Change Cooperation Platform include:
• Strengthening Mexico’s national capacity to carry out climate modelling and analysis evaluating national, state, and regional vulnerability to climate change;
• Strengthening cooperation between Mexico and other Latin American and Caribbean countries on mitigation and adaptation to climate change; and
• Developing a national climate finance tracking scheme and the development of a virtual platform to track and report on climate financing.
The establishment of the Canada-Mexico Climate Change Cooperation Platform is part of Canada’s Fast-Start Financing commitment under the Copenhagen Accord to provide $1.2 billion in new and additional financing to support climate change action in over 60 countries.