UK’s International Champion on adaptation and resilience for COP26 Presidency concludes virtual Paraguay visit

The British Embassy in Asuncion received the virtual visit of the Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change and UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency, on 19 and 20 July, 2021.

Thanks to technology, and a bit of help on the ground, the visit began by planting a Tajy native tree at the Cerro Ñemby Park from 10,000km away. During the first day, Minister Trevelyan met with the Paraguay Chapter of the UN Global Compact, formed of businesses committed to tackling climate change through active participation in COP26 campaigns such as the Race to Zero.

She also held meetings with the National Youth Network, who are at the forefront of climate change activism. The day ended with a roundtable with leading scholars working on adaptation and resilience research in Paraguay.

On the second and final day, Minister Trevelyan met with Paraguayan Vice President Hugo Velazquez, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Ariel Oviedo and senior members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and congratulated Paraguay on its recent initiatives in climate change.

Just this month, the Paraguayan government announced an ambitious new set of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), including an adaption communication. Paraguay also recently co-chaired, along with Chile, an important decarbonisation summit for regional finance ministries and chaired the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC), a group of eight countries that share interests and positions on climate change.

Minister Trevelyan was joined throughout her visit by the British Ambassador to Paraguay, Ramin Navai, his Embassy team and the British COP26 Regional Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean, Fiona Clouder. Ambassador Ramin Navai said:

Paraguay has great potential for clean growth and it is a key priority for me as Ambassador to support Paraguay in its path to sustainable development. We hope this visit opens the door to many opportunities for collaboration between our nations across all sectors represented within this visit.

On the visit, Minister Trevelyan said:

The UK is deeply committed to helping Paraguay continue advancing in this global effort. There is a bright path ahead for this proud nation and the UK stands with Paraguay in realising its sustainable future.