The world-famous salsa city of Cali (home to countless dance-clubs) became a hub for eco-diplomacy as it hosted the UN Biodiversity Conference this fall. While the summit brought mixed results‚ Latin American nations showed theyʼre ready to dance to their own tune
President Gustavo Petro of Colombia made the conference a center-piece of his green-focused agenda‚ even though his eco-plans have hit some road-bumps lately. During the two-week meeting new partnerships emerged: four Amazon nations science groups joined forces and nine Indigenous federations created their own alliance (which they named the G-9)
The money-talk at the summit wasnt so upbeat; rich nations put up just $163-million for nature protection – way below the multi-billion target. However Colombia and Brazil are moving ahead with their own eco-finance strategies: Colombiaʼs putting together a $40-billion project list while Brazilʼs got a $10.8-billion green-plan ready
In other regional news‚ Uruguayʼs voters kept things steady-as-she-goes in their latest election with two middle-road candidates heading to a run-off. Brazil made waves by saying “no thanks“ to Chinas Belt-and-Road plan; choosing instead to work out its own deals
- Mexicanʼs celebrate their Day of the Dead festival
- Venezuela recalls its Brazil ambassador
- Political prisoner numbers in Venezuela jump to 1‚953
- Uruguay prepares for November run-off vote
The plans from Bogotá and Brasília are a step forward; now that the countries are showing this leadership
In Venezuelas latest moves President Maduro pulled his ambassador from Brazil – making an already-tense situation worse. The move came after Brazil wouldnʼt back Maduros disputed election win and blocked Venezuela from joining as BRICS partner