Leaders from Latin American countries will announce a major new initiative to restore forests and agricultural lands during COP 20.

Initiative 20x20 is a country-led effort to bring 20 million hectares of degraded land in Latin America and the Caribbean into restoration by 2020. The launch event will feature ministers from Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, announcing restoration commitments, as well as prominent impact investors who will reveal their financial pledges to support the initiative.

The event and initiative are convened by the World Resources Institute (WRI), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The announcements will take place during the Global Landscapes Forum at the Westin Hotel in Lima, Peru. The event is open to media and will include a Q&A session.

WHAT

Launch of Initiative 20x20: Restoring Landscapes across Latin America and the Caribbean

WHEN

Sunday, December 7, 2014, 11:30 – 13:00 EST/PET

WHERE

Global Landscapes Forum, COP 20
Cusco 3, Westin Hotel & Convention Center, Urubamba Meeting Room
Calle Las Begonias 450. San Isidro
Lima, 27 Peru

WHO

Opening Remarks

  • H.E. Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment, Peru
  • Ruben Echeverría, General Director, CIAT
  • Jose Joaquín Campos, General Director, CATIE

Ministerial Panel Discussion

  • H.E. Minister Juan Manuel Benites Ramos, Minister of Agriculture, Peru
  • H.E. Minister Roberto Gabriel Delgado, Minister of Agriculture, Argentina
  • H.E. Minister Lorena Tapia Núñez, Minister of Environment, Ecuador
  • H.E. Minister Gabriel Vallejo López, Minister of Agriculture, Colombia
  • H.E. Minister Luis Fernando Zuloaga, Minister for Latin American Affairs, SAGARPA, Mexico
  • Sub Secretary Marcel Mena, Minister of Environment, Chile
  • Vice Minister César Montero Suárez, Ministry of Environment, Guatemala

Impact Investor Panel Discussion

  • Keith Alger, Senior Vice President Americas and Africa, Rare
  • Clément Chenost, Investment Manager, Moringa Partnership
  • Christian del Valle, Founder and Manager Althelia Climate Fund
  • Leslie L. Durschinger, Founder and Managing Director, Terra Global
  • Stephen Rumsey, Chairman, Permian Global

Closing Remarks

  • Grethel Aguilar, Regional Director, IUCN
  • Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute
  • Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia, Executive Vice-President, Andean Development Corporation (CAF)

Moderators

  • Walter Vergara, Senior Fellow, WRI
  • Sean DeWitt, Director, Global Restoration Initiative, WRI

RSVP

RSVP required to Luciana Gallardo Lomeli, LGallardolomeli@wri.org

Media questions contact Lauren Zelin, lzelin@wri.org, +1 202-729-7736

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