The Amazon Basin Project (OTCA/UNEP/GEF) and the Caribbean Blue Economy Financing (CAR BluEFin) project, implemented by the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), held on May 12, in Brasília, the first in-person meeting between the teams of the two projects under the GEF IW:LEARN Twinning Program. The following day, representatives from CAR BluEFin participated in the Regional Financing Workshop: Exchange of Experiences and Financing Strategies for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), organized by the Amazon Basin Project.

The collaboration between the initiatives aims to expand cooperation between projects in the Amazon and the Caribbean—on issues related to financial sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and integrated water resources management.

During the meeting held at the headquarters of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in Brasília, the teams discussed common challenges and opportunities for technical cooperation aimed at strengthening innovative financing mechanisms for biodiversity conservation and integrated water resources management in the Amazon and the Caribbean. On that occasion, OTCA Executive Director Edith Paredes presented the Amazon Mechanism for Cooperation and Action (MACA), an initiative aimed at mobilizing resources and strengthening regional cooperation to support the implementation of the Amazon Basin Strategic Action Program (PAE). “MACA is the result of a joint effort by ACTO member countries to create a regional financing instrument aligned with the Amazon’s priorities. Sharing experiences with initiatives such as CAR BluEFin allows us to learn about different models and strengthen this framework,” stated Edith Paredes. 

For Tanja Lieuw, manager of the Conservation Financing Program at the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), the Twinning Program represents a strategic opportunity for CAR BluEFin to understand how ACTO coordinates its regional agenda directly with Amazonian governments. According to her, this experience is especially relevant for the Caribbean project, which operates in a context more focused on non-governmental cooperation. “For us, understanding how ACTO builds this political and regional coordination is very valuable, because we recognize that a more direct connection with governments and with the ministries responsible for economic decisions is fundamental to expanding the impact of conservation financing actions,” she stated.

Financing Workshop with Water Authorities 

Following the meeting between the teams, representatives from CAR BluEFin participated on May 13 in the Regional Financing Workshop: Exchange of Experiences and Financing Strategies for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), organized by the Amazon Basin Project at ACTO headquarters in Brasília.

The workshop brought together representatives from ACTO Member Countries to discuss innovative financing mechanisms focused on water management in the Amazon. Discussions addressed opportunities for regional cooperation and strategies to enhance the financial sustainability of initiatives related to integrated water resources management.

During the meeting, the BluEFin CAR presented experiences on sustainable financing and marine conservation in the Caribbean, strengthening the exchange of knowledge and innovative financial solutions between the two regions.

Cooperation Initiated with RADA

The exchange between the two projects began in December 2024, during the Seminar on the Exchange of Cooperation Experiences for the Management of Transboundary Watersheds, organized by the Amazon Basin Project in collaboration with the Amazon Network of Water Authorities (RADA), at the headquarters of the National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA) in Brasília.

On that occasion, Tadzio Bervoets, Technical Officer of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, presented CAR BluEFin’s experiences focused on marine conservation and sustainable financing, sparking the interest of RADA members, particularly in topics related to water funds, innovative financing mechanisms, and strategies for mobilizing resources for conservation.

The twinning between the Amazon Basin Project and CAR BluEFin reinforces the role of international cooperation and the exchange of experiences between strategic regions for the development of innovative solutions focused on biodiversity conservation and sustainable water management.

For the Amazon Basin Project Coordinator, Maria Apostolova, the exchange with the CAR BluEFin Project represents an important opportunity to learn about and adapt innovative financing models that are already being implemented in the Caribbean. “The experiences presented by the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund demonstrate how innovative financial mechanisms can strengthen conservation and enhance socio-environmental resilience. Tools such as digital payment systems for conservation, blue carbon funds, credit cards designed to finance sustainable activities, and reef insurance show concrete ways to mobilize resources and respond more efficiently to the impacts of climate change,” she noted. According to her, these initiatives underscore the importance of developing regional sustainable financing strategies for integrated water resource management and ecosystem conservation in the Amazon.