The Central American Region has one of the highest levels of inequality in the world, with significant differences in living conditions between countries, regions, sectors, and socioeconomic spheres. Access to quality health services, education, and employment is limited for many people. The region also faces ongoing challenges related to high levels of social and political conflict, rising crime, corruption, deteriorating human rights, gender inequality, and numerous urgent humanitarian situations.
The combination of an economic slowdown in recent years and the projected climate change scenarios for the region are not optimistic and may worsen further. Central America is among the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change. Issues such as decreased crop yields, the incidence of new pests and diseases in agriculture, increased numbers of tropical cyclones, intense droughts, wildfires, and increased rainfall intensity will become more frequent, especially affecting marginalized regions and people.
All of this indicates that climate change is creating new challenges, exacerbating the problem of underdevelopment in the region, increasing food insecurity, and causing migrations to urban areas and other countries offering safer conditions and a better quality of life.
The green economy is integral to GHG mitigation and climate change adaptation strategies. A project centered on the green economy addresses environmental aspects and can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by adopting clean technologies, enhancing energy efficiency, or fostering more sustainable agricultural practices. Therefore, the green economy emerges as a key strategy to combat climate change and move towards a more sustainable and resilient future.
Through the launch of the online competition, the Climate Innovation Challenge (CIC) will promote the implementation of promising solutions to the challenges of GHG mitigation and climate change adaptation, green economies, gender, labor, and migration issues in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). As part of the continuation and expansion of LA RED de Innovación e Impacto (La RED), an initiative that brings together organizations to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs) by promoting sustainable economic growth and prosperity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
