Governance and Peacebuilding Community of Practice

The Regional Programme has effective governance and peacebuilding as a key outcome, which focuses on addressing structural challenges related to how actors reach and maintain agreements to resolve conflicts and promote development. Improving mechanisms for inclusive civic participation and dialogue, particularly for women, will strengthen the legitimacy of institutions and build trust. If solutions are made possible to strengthen the rule of law, citizen security and access to justice, social cohesion, peaceful coexistence and the protection of human rights will be improved. Finally, by enhancing capacities at the national and local levels for evidence-based decision-making and harnessing innovation, countries will benefit from structural transformations towards resilient and sustainable societies, underpinned by effective governance.

UNDP LAC's Governance and Peacebuilding team knows that the complexity of development challenges and the rapid pace at which they arise require integrated, coherent and integrated responses at the international, national and subnational levels. The team's working focus is to support, connect and strengthen interventions and programmes at the national level.

The Governance and Peacebuilding CoP seeks to: 

• Lead a collaborative support approach based on integration and innovation, as a two-track thematic approach: integration of peer-to-peer experiences, methodologies and results achieved, combined with the identification of innovative solutions that address the demands and priorities of country offices. 
• Share priorities, actions, challenges and practical experiences in governance and peace based on global corporate guidelines and programmatic outcomes, focusing the discussion on the expected progress of achieving effective governance. 
• Connect experiences and provide inputs for the updating of regional thematic strategies to improve the identification of opportunities and strengthen the implementation of national initiatives. 
• Strengthen the CoP of Governance and Peacebuilding through a face-to-face meeting, a space for conversation for exchange, and constructive collaboration based on knowledge to contribute from UNDP to effective governance in the region. 

Environment Community of Practice

The Environment CoP aims to serve as a space for reflection on the environmental challenges facing the region and how solutions to them can also result in social and economic development.

The Environment team helps governments address inclusive and sustainable solutions tailored to the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of ecosystems and natural resources. There is an unprecedented demand for innovative and collaborative solutions related to the environment in the region, and it is also necessary to recognize the importance of integrated work to conserve biodiversity, build climate resilience, and achieve a just energy transition.

Taking these aspects into account, the main objectives of the Environment CoP are: 

• Analyse the current context of the work of the five Environment Hubs and their contribution at the project and policy level. 
• Discuss future initiatives and potential collaborations within the Regional Center and with country offices. 
• Assess challenges and opportunities to optimize the resources of vertical funds, corporate "pledges," and other projects to consolidate progress. 
• Discuss the role of finance as enablers of climate action and energy transition and their connectivity with UNDP's environment-related Signature Solutions. 

Inclusive Growth Community of Practice

The main goal of inclusive growth is to generate opportunities for all segments of society, especially for people who have been left behind, by distributing the benefits of prosperity more equitably. This is achieved by improving the mechanisms of social protection systems and developing instruments that generate decent jobs and translate into economic and social inclusion policies.

The Inclusive Growth team is committed to supporting the recovery by strengthening equality, social inclusion, and the capacities of national and local governments by reducing multidimensional poverty, promoting decent employment, social protection, and promoting fairer and more equitable financing for development.

With these challenges in mind, the CoP for Inclusive Growth aims to: 

• Anticipate future demands on employment and social protection so that we can ensure that no one is left behind and included in sustainable development. 
• Encourage innovative approaches to address informality and promote social protection coverage regardless of workers' employment status.
• Discuss long-term strategic public policy options, renewing and strengthening the links between the regional office and the country offices. 
• Assess the challenges and potentialities of social policies aimed at promoting decent work, as well as the role of social protection, in the context of a complicated fiscal space for the countries of the region. 
•  Share priorities, challenges and practical experiences related to social protection policies and programs designed under the principles of equality and sustainable development and discuss the use of instruments and measures against poverty and multidimensional vulnerability.
• To present empirical evidence on the effectiveness of active labor market policies in the region, with a specific focus on the identification of successful policies and their contextual applicability. Analyze the effectiveness of various interventions to facilitate employment opportunities, improve skills development, and promote sustainable livelihoods.

SDG Finance Academy 

The SDG Finance Academy is UNDP's innovative platform for enhancing development finance capacities for its internal staff and external partners. Its main objective is to ensure that all people possess the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to understand, shape and use sustainable finance instruments and policy reforms. The Academy does this through the Sustainable Finance Hub's (SFH) 4+1 offerings to leverage and align finance as a catalyst for corporate Signature Solutions, the SDGs and climate action. 

Following an introduction to the SDG Finance Academy by deputy representatives and sustainable finance focal points from the country offices and in March 2023, the Academy will bring together a broader group of LAC country offices and will be co-hosted by the SFH Thematic Teams and Panama Regional Hub. Colleagues from country offices will be invited to share their own experiences and case studies in sustainable finance.

The Academy will focus on the role of sustainable finance and SFH offerings in enabling specific development outcomes to achieve UNDP's Signature Solutions, while enhancing collaboration with governments and other partners. The Academy will also include thematic discussions on how sustainable finance can help increase trust in institutions; enabling a just, inclusive and gender-responsive transition; mitigating and adapting to climate change; supporting a green and energy transition; and increase productivity in the region.

Specific learning objectives of the SDG Finance Academy include:

• Understand UNDP's approach to sustainable finance, including the SFH offerings, the $1 trillion Moonshot, and how to design a Moonshot at the national level, with its key terms and concepts.
• Understanding the connection between sustainable finance and UNDP's Signature Solutions.
• Become familiar with financial instruments and policies to address development challenges at the country level.
• Adapt sustainable finance solutions for discussions and presentations with public and private sector partners. 
• Acquire the language needed to engage partners and mobilize resources for sustainable finance.