Context
Key economic players in Mexico and Central America have recognised environmental and climate technologies as potential new business areas. Renewable energy resources, energy efficiency, wastewater treatment, waste management and the efficient use of resources not only play a decisive role in such areas as light industry, agribusiness and the service sector (tourism, for example), but also offer major growth potential. At the same time, the governments of these countries recognise the private sector and its official bodies as important drivers of development for meeting the challenges of environmental and climate protection.
So far, however, the dissemination of expertise in environmental and climate technologies has not reflected this. There is a lack of professional consultants and project developers, and the national economic development agencies in the region have little knowledge of environmental and climate technologies. Due to this limited expertise, access to the European markets is difficult. At the same time, the demand for qualified technical personnel in the aforementioned areas (green skills) is expanding but can scarcely be met by the training and education currently on offer.
Objective
Improved conditions for technological cooperation in the countries of Central America and Mexico are contributing to sustainable economic development and to environmental and climate protection.
Approach
The Cooperation Platform for Northern Latin America (COPLAN) programme provides advice and guidance and has created and strengthened a cooperation platform that includes German, Mexican and Central American private-sector institutions, investment promotion agencies, and training and educational institutions. The purpose is to help disseminate and provide access to environmental and climate technologies available on international markets and to establish sustainable performance capacities in the countries of the region.
In order to enhance access to the environmental and climate technologies available on the international markets, COPLAN assists business associations and foreign trade and investment promotion institutions in their efforts to promote foreign trade and investment. In addition, COPLAN supports pilot projects serving to introduce environmental technologies, facilitates dialogue between companies and actors in the target countries, and organises visits and trips of delegations to Germany to enable first-hand observation of good practices and specific technological solutions.
Special importance is attached to improving the employment situation within the region, not only by preserving existing jobs, but also by creating new ‘green jobs’. The programme contributes to closer cooperation within the region and, hence, to creating a regional market that makes smaller countries more attractive for investment and as locations for establishing businesses.
Along with the promotion of green technology transfer, the training of qualified employees is also seen as decisively important. Since, in most countries of the region, the private sector is not sufficiently involved in creating structures for the training system or facilitating theory-to-practice link is inadequate, COPLAN advises training and educational institutions on adapting their curricula to the new challenges. In addition, COPLAN promotes the training of trainers.