In May 2020, the National Assembly of Costa Rica approved a first policy-based loan for $150 million from AFD to support the implementation of the National Decarbonisation Plan. Expertise France has been requested to provide technical assistance to support the ministries responsible for the implementation of the loan in sectors such as sustainable construction, waste management, and the just transition, while mainstreaming a gender perspective.
The technical cooperation activities are financed by AFD and are under the contracting authority of the Decarbonisation Department of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) of Costa Rica and nine entities benefiting from the technical cooperation activities.
Developing sustainable construction and eco-neighbourhoods: a priority path for Costa Rica
The Government of Costa Rica is developing public policies for “the promotion of sustainable housing and construction in line with decarbonisation, in particular the use of low-carbon and biosourced materials, with a gender perspective.” To support this approach, Expertise France has signed an agreement with CEREMA, a public institution specialised in this sector, and has called on support from the French Ministry of Ecological Transition.
This partnership has led to the organisation of more than 35 specific activities, the provision and adaptation of 7 methodological tools, and an improvement to two regulatory frameworks. It has also enabled the joint construction of reference frameworks that will serve to develop sustainable construction in Costa Rica, and also to launch eco-neighbourhood projects based on the French approach.
Following this assistance to more than 50 representatives from the target public institutions, an eco-neighbourhood guide was produced and shared with the partners.
Improving integrated waste management with approaches responsive to gender and the circular economy
Expertise France has assisted the Government of Costa Rica with the issue of integrated waste management. This has included:
• The launch and implementation of a programme to strengthen waste management at community level. This has resulted in the production of a gender-responsive guide with support from the Central American Association for the Economy, Health and the Environment (ACEPESA)
• The strengthening of governance, public policies and incentive instruments to support the issue of waste and the circular economy, including a gender-based approach, led with GRET
• The development of four technical studies and training on the technical and legal aspects based on the potential for biogas recovery. One of the objectives is to use organic waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
All these activities have focused on involving women in the decision-making processes, the public policies, and the technical solutions for the circular economy sector.
Just transition: a first step towards understanding the need for more coherent multi-sectoral policies
In response to a request for support on waste and the just transition, Expertise France called on the International Labour Organization (ILO) to organise a specialised course and open up a dialogue on the future National Strategy for a Just Transition in Costa Rica.
All the participants (15 people from public institutions, 11 from the private sector and 3 from civil society) talked about and improved their knowledge about the concept of just transition with a gender perspective in the context of a participatory process.
A high-level governance mechanism has also been established gathering five ministers from the environmental and social sectors. This first step is encouraging for this completely new concept in Costa Rica.
