Panama: Model of Sustainable Development

Posted on 2018-05-30

Panama advances in its model of sustainable development and needs to articulate and integrate its public policies to unite all efforts in one direction and continue to advance. This was the main conclusion of the forum: Panama: the future we want. Action for Climate, Biodiversity and Ecosystems for Sustainable Development. The Director of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guadalupe Rudi said that Panama is one of the countries that has done its best to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and part of that success is to integrate it into public policies.

He added that public policies will allow quantifying the results of the agenda, in the environmental case, for the benefit of biodiversity. For its part, the German Ambassador, Uwe Wolfgang Heye, who also financed one of the sustainability projects on the subject of mangroves, indicated that it is essential to advance public policies for the conservation of the environment. "We must mitigate climate change, adapt to climate change and protect biodiversity to improve living conditions," said the diplomat.  For the Deputy Minister of the Environment, Yamil Sánchez, it is imperative to transform the environmental model of the State towards a green economy that transforms society. The forum was also attended by the Director of the Alexander Von Humbolt Institute, from Colombia Briggite Baptiste, who assured that transversality is vital among all the components that lead to development, in order to build sustainability. The policies and plans were also emphasized so that the country can cope with the scenarios of climate uncertainty and environmental deterioration.

Harold Robinson, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said that Panama has achieved important achievements in terms of sustainable development and the environment. He added that if the rhythm continues, the country could meet the agreed goals for the year 2030. Among the achievements, the country's progress in complying with the United Nations climate agreements was highlighted, as well as the progress to have a national strategy for biodiversity conservation. Other milestones are the creation and efficient management of protected areas, the management of coastal-marine wetlands as axes of community development, and other initiatives that have received funding and technical assistance from international cooperation.

The UNDP said that Panama should bet to place public environmental policies at the heart of its development strategy to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate economic and energy transformations to overcome poverty, close gaps and promote equity. "We have to move from a conventional model of development alien to environmental costs towards a new paradigm that recognizes the value that biodiversity and healthy and healthy ecosystems provide. From an economy based on emissions and fossil fuels to a low carbon economy, based on renewable energies and with minimal environmental impact, "Robinson explained. Modernizing environmental management, promoting the conservation of forests and wetlands and providing opportunities for local communities are some of the priorities on which national institutions are working, with the Ministry of the Environment, and with the assistance of UNDP and other partners. strategic The Government of Panama is registering important advances in the integration of environmental considerations at the center of its policies, in coherence with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement against climate change and other multilateral commitments signed by the country.

Source: AN Panama