The meeting established a connection between the agendas of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty and COP30, to promote policies and financing to strengthen rural livelihoods and environmental conservation based on social protection
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in collaboration with the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), held the regional event “Strengthening rural livelihoods and environmental conservation through social protection: views from Latin America and the Caribbean for inclusive climate action”.
On March 18 and 19, government authorities, representatives of multilateral organizations, academics, and civil society met in Brasilia to share experiences and discuss social protection to strengthen rural livelihoods and promote environmental conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The sessions highlighted how investment in conditional cash transfer programs, conservation incentives, and innovative natural resource management schemes can generate win-win solutions for hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and ecosystem preservation.
In addition, financing opportunities were identified for social protection programs with an environmental focus, such as access to international funds and the mobilization of public and private resources, contributing to the resilience of the most vulnerable groups.
The conclusions of the dialogue between governments and international organizations contribute to the knowledge pillar of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, promoting instruments that unite social and environmental objectives. In addition, support was provided for developing technical inputs on access to climate finance in the run-up to COP 30.
The event was attended by Benjamin Davis, Director of the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division of FAO; Pablo Ibarrarán, Chief of the Social Protection and Labor Markets Division of IDB; Marina Silva, Minister of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil; Wellington Dias, Minister, Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger of Brazil; and José Cardona, Minister, Secretariat of Social Development of Honduras.
“The cost of the transition to more sustainable and climate-resilient economic models cannot be borne by the most vulnerable,” said Benjamin Davis, Director of FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division.
“Social protection plays a key role in supporting the resilience of resource-constrained households. This tool serves three important functions. First, it directly supports those most in need with transfers and services. Second, it can incentivize agricultural techniques and conservation practices that benefit both local communities and the environment. And third, it prepares communities to better respond to storms, floods, droughts, and other weather events that increasingly affect our region. In short, social protection not only addresses immediate needs, but also builds capacities for a more stable future,” said Pablo Ibarrarán, Chief of the IDB’s Social Protection and Labor Markets Division.
“It is not enough to mitigate or adapt; we urgently need to transform the perverse model that has led us to exceed the global temperature increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius,” Marina Silva, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil.
Policy Basket
The event highlighted the region’s extensive experience in cross-sectoral policies and programs, particularly Brazil’s Bolsa Verde Program, which supports environmental conservation in the Amazon and the generation of sustainable income for the most vulnerable rural populations, with an interface with participants in the Bolsa Familia social protection program. The Bolsa Verde program reduced deforestation in targeted areas by 22%. The benefits of the reduction in CO2 emissions exceed the program’s costs.
In addition, the meeting identified various policy instruments that simultaneously contribute to the care of ecosystems and climate resilience, from social protection or socio-environmental protection instruments, such as environmentally conditional cash transfers, which have been proposed to enrich the Policy Basket of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
Governance and financing mechanisms were discussed so that these policies could be scaled up and replicated in other national and subnational contexts in the region.
The event served as a platform to develop guidelines and recommendations for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will take place in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.
The economic and social benefits of decarbonization for the region outweigh the costs: the transition to zero net emissions economies could create 15 million net new jobs by 2030 and provide US$2.7 billion in net benefits by 2050.
In closing, those present emphasized the importance of linking social protection with climate action, ensuring the inclusion of rural populations and respect for biodiversity, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 10, and 17)
