Public lecture on 'Climate change and the Mayan vision'

Public Lecture by His Excellency Mr. Álvaro Colom Caballeros, President of the Republic of Guatemala, on “Climate change and the Mayan vision”.
In his presentation, President Colom will highlight how Guatemala despite having a relatively low carbon footprint has over recent years been confronted with an increasing number of natural disasters. The negative impacts of these disasters are most strongly felt by the poorest and most vulnerable within the national population. President Colom will introduce how Guatemala has developed a national policy on climate change which aims to reduce vulnerability to extreme weather events, to strengthen resilience and to further reduce overall emissions of greenhouse gases while promoting the active participation of the indigenous communities in implementing the policy and its strategies. In his lecture, President Colom will emphasize how Guatemala’s efforts to address the threats resulting from climate change can further contribute to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as other international initiatives while bringing to the forefront the Mayan vision.

The lecture is jointly convened by the Embassy of the Republic of Guatemala, the Inter-American Development Bank Office in Asia and the United Nations University.