Low Emissions Development Strategies 

DECEMBER 2020. GUATEMALA CITY. The Guatemala Low Emission Development Strategy Plan (the LEDS Plan) developed by the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) and RTI International under the USAID/Guatemala Low Emission Development Project is at the frontline of the country’s strategy to achieve the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets and guide climate smart investments in the next several years.

The LEDS Plan has been officially endorsed by the Government of Guatemala. On November 4, 2020 the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Foreign Relations held a special event to present the LEDS Plan to the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa. On December 12, 2020 during the Climate Ambition Summit 2020 in preparation for COP26, the President of the Republic, Alejandro Giammattei, reiterated the country’s commitment to implement the LEDS Plan for its sustainable economic development.

GLEDS Emissions Reduction Targets

The LEDS Plan entails 43 policy actions across sectors that were selected, designed, and analyzed through a collaborative, open, and fact-based process involving over 300 stakeholders with CCS’s facilitative and technical support.

The tailored Guatemala LEDS planning process demonstrated how a strong network of governmental agencies, civil society, academic, and private sector counterparts working together with expert support can have a visionary, lasting, and positive effect on low emissions policy frameworks and comprehensive climate mitigation action. It represents an effective template for national collaboration to build commitments and capacities for new and expanded actions in all sectors to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and generate economic improvements.
 
CCS is currently implementing a similar tailored template across six states and regions in the Latin America and Caribbean region under the Climate Pathway Project in partnership with The Climate Group and Winrock International to support subnational governments in the design of 2050 decarbonization pathways.