Welcome to the Regional Program Energy Security and Climate Change in Latin America of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). Freedom, justice and solidarity are the basic principles underlying the work of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The KAS is a political foundation, linked to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967), co-founder of the CDU and first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, united Christian-social, conservative and liberal traditions. His name means the democratic reconstruction of Germany, the establishment of foreign policies in a transatlantic community of values, the vision of the unified Europe and the orientation towards the social market economy. His intellectual legacy remains for us both a mission and a commitment.
In our European and international cooperation efforts we work for people to be able to live self-determined lives in freedom and dignity. We make a contribution underpinned by values to helping Germany meet its growing responsibilities throughout the world.
We encourage people to lend a hand in shaping the future along these lines. With more than 70 offices abroad and projects in over 120 countries, we make a unique contribution to the promotion of democracy, the rule of law and a social market economy. To foster peace and freedom we encourage a continuous dialog at the national and international levels as well as the exchange between cultures and religions.
Human beings in their distinctive dignity and with their rights and responsibilities are at the heart of our work. We are guided by the conviction that human beings are the starting point in the effort to bring about social justice and democratic freedom while promoting sustainable economic activity. By bringing people together who embrace their responsibilities in society, we develop active networks in the political and economic spheres as well as in society itself. The guidance we provide on the basis of our political know-how and knowledge helps to shape the globalization process along more socially equitable, ecologically sustainable and economically efficient lines.
We cooperate with governmental institutions, political parties, civil society organizations and handpicked elites, building strong partnerships along the way. In particular we seek to intensify political cooperation in the area of development cooperation at the national and international levels on the foundations of our objectives and values. Together with our partners we make a contribution to the creation of an international order that enables every country to develop in freedom and under its own responsibility.
Alongside the country-specific programmes provided by the country offices of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Latin America, there are cross-border regional programmes with separate thematic focuses. One of these is the Regional Programme Climate Change, Environment and Energy Security in Latin America based in Rio de Janeiro.
Objective of the Regional Programme
The global economy and society faces enormous ecological challenges. There is a need to react to climate change and the shortage of resources as well as to the growing demand for energy, especially in emerging countries. Over the past years KAS has already embraced these issues, however, the enormous importance and the urgency to react to the demands led to the establishment of the regional programme Climate Change, Environment and Energy Security in Latin America which has the ability to concentrate exclusively on these subjects.
The regional programme has been designed as a dialogue platform, in order to provide impetus for political decision-making processes. The programme understands itself as a consultative centre for the coordination of the individual KAS country projects on the Latin-American continent and supports the country projects with its expertise and network on the subject. Assuming the role of an initiator and consultant, it aims at complementing the activities of the country programmes by means of regional networks and the provision of know-how and thus, enhancing their impact. The programme organizes events on the regional level where experts and participants from the Latin American countries have the opportunity to exchange ideas. Its central goal is to raise awareness of the topics of climate change, environment and energy security in Latin America.
To achieve this goal the regional programme arranges regional discussion forums, conferences and seminars and releases reports, specialist publications and studies.
Why Germany?
For the coming years the German energy policy is based on a multi-party consensus in favour of an accelerated energy transition. Germany will seek to fully shift to renewable energy sources, drastically reduce cli¬mate-damaging greenhouse gases and improve energy efficiency by 2050.
However, this consensus demands that the coun¬try’s share of energy derived from nuclear sources has to be elimi¬nated incrementally by 2022. In order to successfully complete this task, Germany needs support of his international partners, especially from Latin America, by exchanging ideas and improving learning on all levels.
Why in Latin America?
Latin America is the ideal region to start an environmental related project due to its great abundance of green energy sources such as sun, water, geothermal energy, wind or biomass. Exploring and developing this potential will help Latin America to satisfy its growing demand for energy.
Moreover it posses a delicate natural richness, like the Amazonian rainforest or the Mesoamerican Biological corridor, which need to be protected to diminish climate change and preserve the worldwide biodiversity.
As a traditional and reliable European partner, Latin America offers prosperous ways for cooperation in the ecological field, and therefore was advocated for the implementation of such a pilot-project in the region. We expect that the joint endeavor strengthens the cooperation even further and facilitates achieving solutions for the ongoing global challenges.