On 19 and 20 August, the II Regional Symposium on Climate Change and Decision-Making took place in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay. The meeting was attended by over 90 specialists from the public and private sectors, academia, civil society, journalists and social communicators from more than 10 Latin American countries. ICLEI South America participated in the Symposium through its Executive Secretary, Jussara Carvalho, and Pedro Jacobi, President of the ICLEI network and Coordinator of the USP Team at the Regional Centre for Climate Change and Decision-Making.

The aim of the Meeting was to reflect on the relationship between science and politics and their integration with the challenges arising from climate change. In doing so, a multisectoral space was created that allowed for the exchange of experiences among participants and the consolidation of relationships and collaborative networks.

The Symposium was organised into three sessions that addressed specific themes over the two days. President Pedro Jacobi opened the first session on the panel that discussed ‘Challenges and Strategies regarding the relationship between science and policy. The Executive Secretary of ICLEI South America participated in the third session, ‘Institutional Designs to integrate climate change into public policies’, with a presentation on ‘Public Policies and Local Governments – strategies for internalising climate policies in local governments’. Jussara presented the work carried out by the ICLEI network of cities, and showcased the initiatives that have been developed with 8 cities through the project. Urban-LEDS.

With participation in the Symposium, the Executive Secretary suggested that a relevant action for the Regional Centre could be its contribution to the training of local managers. Also participating in this session were representatives of local governments from Montevideo, Uruguay, Gabriela Feola, Donatella Fuccaro, Municipality of Santiago de Chile, Chile and Lautaro Lorenzo from the Municipality of Esteban Echeverría, Argentina.

The Symposium is part of the activity agenda of the Regional Centre for Climate Change and Decision Making, an initiative carried out by the inter-institutional alliance between the Avina Foundation and UNESCO. The event was funded by the Avina Foundation and the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN).