ICLEI South America, the Amazon Climate Foundation (FAS), I Care Brazil, and the Climate and Society Institute (iCS) held mentoring sessions over the past two months for three projects linked to the Amazon Climate initiative. Belém, Manaus, and Palmas each hosted nine individual sessions, totaling 27 meetings. At the end of the process, which aimed to support the development of fundable climate action projects, three initiatives were selected. After evaluation by the mentoring institutions, the “Palmas Recycles” project was chosen to be presented at COP27, which will take place in November in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The “Palmas Recycles” project aims to fully structure the selective waste collection system in Palmas, from raising public awareness to the final destination of recyclable materials and waste. The project seeks to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to strengthen the role of waste pickers. Details of the project will be presented by Mayor Cinthia Ribeiro at COP27.

In addition to Palmas Recicla, Belém structured the project “Environmental Protection Area – Murutucu Park” for funding, and Manaus the “Environmental Revitalization Project of urban microbasins in an Amazonian metropolis”. According to the session moderator, Daniel B. Machado, from ICLEI, the projects received specific and targeted comments from each mentoring institution. “The mentoring institutions proposed changes and optimizations to the proposals, and the cities qualified the initiatives. This allowed each city to verify, at the same time, the solidity of the technical information and the quality of the pitch "Regarding the sale of the project. There was rapid progress on the projects."”

Another highlight of the mentorship program was the increasing level of involvement from local governments. “At each session we received new information: mentored projects being presented to mayors and other secretariats; meetings with development banks; meetings with civil society organizations and academia; meetings with federal agencies, etc. All guided by the technical content and presentations produced over these two months. It was truly impressive to note the engagement of the municipal technical staff and the results achieved as a result of this effort,” Machado emphasized.

The project Amazonia through Climate This is a partnership between ICLEI South America, the Climate and Society Institute (iCS), the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAZ), and I Care Brazil.

Check out the summary of the mentoring sessions, also moderated by Felipe Jukemura from ICLEI, and the mentoring institutions:

Session 1 

– Theme"First impressions: an overview of the project from project preparation experts";

– MentoringBeatriz Fonseca, Junior Officer of Innovative Finance at the ICLEI Global Secretariat;
– MoreDuring the session, the cities' projects were analyzed in light of... TAP criteria.

Session 2

– Theme"The importance of participatory governance: contributions from an institution with local knowledge";

– MentoringGabriela Sampaio, Manager of the Innovative Solutions Program at FAZ;

– MoreBased on the analysis of the cities' projects, the participants reflected on the inclusion of elements of participatory governance and greater involvement of civil society.

Session 3

– Theme"Strengthening the project: SWOT analysis of a consultancy specializing in environmental issues.".

– MentoringDeborah Luisa Silva, Biodiversity Manager at I Care, and Leonardo Werneck, Country Manager at I Care.

– MoreAnalysis of city projects using the SWOT methodology.

Session 4

– Theme"Emphasizing aspects of climate change: key elements and indicators.".
– MentoringPriscilla Negreiros, Urban Climate Finance Manager at the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance, Climate Policy Initiative (CCFLA/CPI).
– More: bankability criteria used by financial institutions and contributions related to indicators that could link city projects to climate change and the SDGs.

Session 5

– Theme"Accessing technical assistance facilities: contributions from the City Climate Finance Gap Fund"
– MentoringGIZ Technical Advisors: Eduarda Freitas, Thomaz Ramalho and Ana Luísa Oliveira da Silva;
– More: submission criteria for the Gap Fund and the facilities Preparation of projects in general, contributions and technical support for the development of urban climate projects.

Session 6

– ThemeReady to receive funding? Investments from a development agency.;
– MentoringKatia Fenyves, Climate Finance Specialist at the French Development Agency (AFD);

– More: criteria necessary for obtaining funding, types of funding and funders according to the project profile, and logical and organizational structuring of initiatives for presentation to funding agencies.

Session 7

– Theme"How to present a good project? Preparing for national and global stages";
– Mentoring: Biodiversity Manager at I Care, Déborah Luisa Silva;
– More: practical elements of the process of pitch, such as presentation design/preparation tips, important elements of public speaking and of elevator speech, etc.

Session 8

– Theme"ICEI as a facilitator: applying it to TAP"
– MentoringBeatriz Fonseca, Junior Officer of Innovative Finance at the ICLEI Global Secretariat;
– MoreEvolution of city projects throughout the mentorship program and feedback from the TAP forms completed by the cities.

Session 9

– Theme"Making ideas viable: funding lines and possibilities for project expansion"
– Mentoring: Bruna Araújo, Sustainability and Economics Manager at the Brazilian Development Association (ABDE), and Henrique Schmidt, Sustainability and Economics Analyst at ABDE;
– MorePresentation of different funding options available to the city after project structuring, and funding access criteria tailored to the city and project scope.

Training Programs 2022

In the first half of the year, 12 Amazonian cities – Barcarena, Belém, Benevides, Boa Vista, Castanhal, Manaus, Marechal Thaumaturgo, Palmas, Porto Velho, Presidente Figueiredo, Rio Branco, and São Luís – participated in a series of training sessions. The objective was to raise awareness and strengthen local technical capacities regarding the development of fundable climate action projects and to promote the climate agenda in the Legal Amazon and for COP27. The mentoring sessions are an extension of this training series.

– Session 1It included a presentation providing an overview of climate change and its relationship to the Amazon;
– Session 2Introduction to climate finance;
– Session 3Its objective was to reinforce the importance of project planning for obtaining climate finance, with an emphasis on governance.;
– Session 4The goal was to reinforce the importance of considering critical technical aspects of the project to obtain climate financing.;
– Session 5The event was marked by the presentation of a wide variety of funding sources available for climate action projects in the Amazon. Participants learned about strategies and received recommendations on how to mobilize funding. blended finance to finance their projects.

Publication

Click here The Amazon Climate Diagnosis: Foundations for Climate Action in the Capitals of the Brazilian Legal Amazon. The publication presents an overview of the climate agenda in the 9 capitals of the region based on information about climate policies, instruments and projects, stakeholders, sources and opportunities for access to financing.

Cibele Carneiro