In addition to the partnership announcements, MOU endorsements by Governors and delegates, and incredible level of dialogue and discussions throughout the 13th Annual Meeting of the GCF Task Force in Merida, Yucatan last week, participants were able to engage with and learn from an incredible program of moderators, panelists, and audience members. We also recognized four outstanding individual leaders from within the GCF Task Force for their contributions to the climate and to the network. The full agenda is available here and we hope to be able to provide a video recording of the panels. For now, we’re sharing some photos from throughout the public session and from our awards ceremony.
Wednesday Panel Discussions
Governance & Public Policy: Leadership Perspectives on Climate, Forests, Communities, and Governance
Colleen Scanlan Lyons, Rafael Antuni, Jorge René Chávez Silvano, Manuel Gambini Rupay, Gilmer Horna Corrales, Antonio Pulgar, Otaviano Pivetta, Arnulfo Gasca Trujillo, Drs. Paulus Waterpauw, Dr. Regis Richter Alencar, Gladson Cameli
People & Communities: Challenges of Implementing the Guiding Principles for Collaboration and Partnerships between Subnational Governments, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Juan Carlos Jintiach, Francisca Arara, Elsa Esquivel, Javier Kinney, Rafael Antuni, Penny Langhammer
Knowledge, Innovation, & Technology: Exploring Tools and Metrics to Support Results
Omshanti Romero, Sassan Saatchi, Miguel Guimaraes, Prof. Daddy Ruhiyat, Franklin Paniagua, Luis Briseno, Raysa Maciel Queiroz
Finance, Investment, & the Private Sector: Partnerships, Challenges, and Opportunities
Sri Wahyuni, David Yedra, Elise Christensen, Rocio Sanz Cortes, Christina McCain, Eduardo Taveira, Laura Calderon, Gustavo Sanchez
Thursday Panel Discussions
Governance & Public Policy: Examples of Success Across the Global GCF Task Force Network
Shereen D’Souza, Estiko Wiradyo, Glicério Marcos Fernandes Pereira, Génesis Romero-Carrión, Mario Aguilera Cirbian, Jene Thomas
People & Communities: Advancements in Participatory Processes
Shannon Dilley, Juan Carlos Jintiach, Tuntiak Katan, Fermín Chimatani Tayori, Josefina Braña Varela, Lucia Madrid, Olo Villalaz, Andrew Davis
Knowledge, Innovation, & Technology: Pushing the Boundaries for More Effective Conservation and Development
Mauro O’de Almeida, Mauren Lazzaretti, Jorge Lopez-Doriga, Holt Thrasher, María del Rosario Bonifaz Alfonso, Sofía García, KOUAKOU Aphely Amon Auguste
Finance, Investment, & the Private Sector: What States Need to Conserve Forests and Promote Economic Development
Leonardo Letelier, Marli Santos, José Luiz Gondim dos Santos, Karime Unda Harp, Gustavo Suárez de Freitas C., Charlie Heatubun, Camilla Penna de Miranda Figueiredo, Alejandra Blanco
Thursday Awards Ceremony
At the close of our Annual Meetings, the GCF Task Force Secretariat has the distinct pleasure of recognizing outstanding efforts from within government over the previous year. And this year, we were thrilled to honor the following individuals for their leadership, courage, tenacity, and all-around-awesomeness.
Everyday Hero Award: Prof. Daddy Ruhiyat, East Kalimantan
Everyday Hero Award: Diana Pérez Jaumá, Yucatán
Senior Leadership Award: Sayda Melina Rodriguez Gomez, Yucatán
Distinguished Service Award: Sergio Graf Montero, Jalisco
Project Lead William Boyd presenting Everyday Hero Awards to Diana Perez and Professor Daddy Ruhiyat (along with Project Directors Colleen Scanlan Lyons and Jason Gray)
Sergio Graf, Sayda Rodriguez, Diana Perez, William Boyd
Friday Field Trips
Finally, participants were treated to a series of field visits to experience the cultural, biological, and community richness, beauty, challenges, and solutions on display in Yucatan. This included visits to wonders such as Ek Balam, deep water cenotes, shallow mangrove lagoons, and community ecotourism cooperatives and traditional milpa practices, among others. On each tour, we doubled down on why each of us participates in these exchanges and in this network – to learn from each other, to work together to bring forward solutions to our hardest climate and land use challenges, and to keep moving forward together.
Thank you to the entire Yucatan team for hosting this 13th Annual Meeting of the GCF Task Force!