Americas

Join us for COP16 - Peace with nature

Paving the Way for Sustainable Development in the Americas

Cali, Colombia, hosts the Alliance’s regional hub for the Americas.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and malnutrition are overtaxing economic, social, political, environmental and health systems, gradually compromising our food and nutritional security.

This is particularly true for Latin America and the Caribbean, where 18.5 million people are in acute food insecurity because of economic and climate-related factors (Food Security Information Network, 2020). To further compound the problem, inefficient food production systems are deploying valuable genetic, water, and land resources and climate change is threatening food security for the most vulnerable, especially women, rural communities, and indigenous peoples.

Working at the nexus of agriculture, the environment, and nutrition, the Alliance is using science and research to sustain a pivot from this negative course of action.

Through ad hoc initiatives, co-developed and managed with our network of partners, we are leading the sustainable development of the Region.

Our Participation in COP16

The Alliance gears up for the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Biodiversity Convention (CBD COP 16) in Cali, Colombia (October 21 - November 1, 2024). This critical meeting will assess progress on the ambitious Kunming-Montreal Framework, a global roadmap adopted in 2022 that aims to transform our relationship with nature and achieve a future of "living in harmony with nature" by 2050.

A key target is protecting at least 30% of the Earth's land and oceans. The Alliance and CGIAR will be actively involved at COP 16, supporting efforts to translate the Framework's goals into action and ensure a more sustainable future for our planet.

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The Alliance at COP16 on biodiversity

Partnering for Biodiversity Research

Colombia, one of the world’s megadiverse countries, offers unparalleled collaborative opportunities for biodiversity research. Colombia BioConecta links you with the country’s leading research institutions to advance the global biodiversity conservation efforts.

Explore our partner institutions, their priority research areas, success stories, awards, and strategic alliances to find opportunities that match your interests. Use our dedicated contact forms to connect with Colombian researchers and develop impactful partnerships for MSc/PhD theses, sabbaticals, or the co-creation of joint research projects.

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Driving Impact Towards Sustainable Development

Our presence in the Americas delivers a robust impact, contributing to SDGs target achievement, especially SDG 1 (eradicate poverty) and SDG 2 (zero hunger), and enabling better use of natural and agricultural resources, using innovative, state of the art technologies and ideas.

For instance, through our applied research for development, we inform decision making, policy design, and practice. We also invest in innovative finance schemes to mobilize additional resources from the private sector. And by partnering with local, national, and regional stakeholders we design, implement and apply such research at scale.

Further, by using research and science to enhance food systems, we are increasing productivity in agriculture and land management, as well as helping reduce the degradation of natural resources, to foster healthy, resilient, inclusive agrifood systems.

We invite you to learn about the progress of the Sustainability Plan of the Palmira Campus, Colombia. In this page you will learn about the principles of ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) and the six strategic lines of action that will ensure the care of the environment, social welfare and good governance.

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Our Work Sustaining Development in the Region

Despite often challenging contexts, the Alliance is leading research and driving innovation on climate change management, sustainable agriculture, and food security.

Our policy and program work ensure fair and inclusive agricultural development via sustainable business initiatives as well as through the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources, water, and soil.

Further, we also focus on capacity building, transferring key capabilities to partners to improve research and ensure its application to development challenges.

Ultimately, through our work on the ground in the Americas, we are enabling more inclusive, resilient, and smarter food systems, creating green job opportunities and enhancing livelihoods – including for the most vulnerable.

Key Partnerships for Development in the Americas

Co-designing solutions are crucial to delivering a long-lasting, effective impact.

That is why in the Americas, as well as globally, we rely on a wide network of partners to co-create and roll-out integrated actions for development.

Our wide network in the region spans key stakeholders including INGOs, development banks, governmental institutes (including ministries of agriculture and environment), agricultural research institutes, meteorological institutes, the private sector, indigenous peoples' organizations, UN agencies, and donors.

Further, we also collaborate closely with other CGIAR centers in the region and abroad, and align our mission, vision, and work with the OneCGIAR Strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Flagship initiatives in the Americas

MAKING SEEDS SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE

The recently established Future Seeds initiative is hosted in our Palmira campus, in Colombia and holds the world’s largest repository of beans, cassava, and tropical forages. This global innovation hub guarantees the continued existence of crucial crops, essential to nourish hundreds of millions of people.

MATCHING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND TECH TO SUSTAIN DEVELOPMENT

Led by the Alliance with technology and support from NASA and USAID, SERVIR-Amazonia is part of SERVIR Global, a joint development initiative that uses information provided by Earth-observing satellites and geospatial technologies. The project helps design evidence-based tools, products, and services that can both improve decision making, and better incorporate the voice of women, indigenous peoples, communities.

ENDORSING CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE

Through Clima Low Cadmium (Clima-LoCa) we foster the development, implementation, and scaling of low cadmium, climate-relevant production practices that fit the diverse contexts of smallholder cocoa production. This helps foster resilient, competitive, and inclusive cocoa value chains. Further, it reduces the vulnerability of smallholder cocoa producers in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

EMBRACING NEW IDEAS TO SUSTAIN CONSERVATION IN THE AMAZON

The Catalyzing and Learning through Private Sector Engagement for Biodiversity Conservation (CAL-PSE) is a unique, new partnership approach between USAID and the Alliance. Through co-creation and co-investing with a network of local partners and private sector actors in Brazil, the project fosters the implementation of sustainable development activities and financing. Set to transform conservation in the Brazilian Amazon, the project will also significantly improve the well-being of indigenous people and local communities by spearheading opportunities towards more sustainable livelihoods.