Guatemalan Stakeholders Gather to Set Priorities for the Clean Cooking Sector
Over 100 Guatemalan clean cookstove and fuel stakeholders came together for the first time to identify shared priorities for the growth of the national clean cooking sector. The Alliance held a Guatemala Country Action Planning workshop over the course of two days during the first week of March in partnership with the World Bank, the Guatemalan Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the Cluster of Improved Cookstoves and Clean Fuels of Guatemala.
Local participants discussed specific activities needed to overcome barriers to clean cooking in Guatemala and identified key organizations, timelines, and geographies. Attendees participated in a number of working groups on topics critical to the development of the Guatemalan cookstoves market, including consumer and supplier finance, research on impacts and benefits, and coordination of international initiatives.
The result of this input will be the Guatemala Country Action Plan (CAP), an action-oriented strategy and implementation document to serve as a resource for the entire sector. The CAP is currently in progress and will be circulated to local stakeholders for review in the coming months.
With the role of women in the clean cooking sector a key topic of discussion throughout the two days, the Alliance also commemorated International Women’s Day in Guatemala with the Latin American release of the resource guide Scaling Adoption of Clean Cooking Solutions through Women’s Empowerment. Marta Rivera of Fundación Solar and the Cluster of Improved Cookstoves and Clean Fuels addressed an enthusiastic Guatemalan audience noting that despite the 5,000 annual deaths from household air pollution in the country, “we have a great opportunity and women are our crucial partners in the adoption and use of clean cookstoves.”
Growing momentum in the Guatemalan clean cooking sector over the past year saw the Alliance’s release of a country market assessment, the Guatemalan government’s launch of the strategic plan for the sustainable use of wood, and the formation of a Cluster of cookstoves and fuel manufacturers, implementers, NGOs, and research institutions. The Guatemala Country Action Plan is an important step in translating this growing momentum into action.
Presentations from the workshop can be accessed at: https://unfoundation.app.box.com/s/y81mbs7i61yrfksn4iw9
If you are involved in the clean cooking sector in Guatemala but were unable to participate in the workshop and would like to stay informed of the Country Action Planning process, please contact Chloe Shields at cshields@cleancookstoves.org