Climate Action Network Latin America

Climate Action Network Latin America, commonly abbreviated CAN-LA or CANLA, is a regional climate-justice network founded in 2009 and based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It operates as the Latin American and Caribbean regional node of Climate Action Network International, a broader coalition of nongovernmental organizations working on climate change, climate policy, environmental protection, and social justice. Rather than selling products or operating as a conventional company, CAN-LA provides a platform through which member organizations coordinate advocacy, exchange information, develop common positions, and represent regional perspectives in international climate-policy discussions. The network brings together organizations from a broad group of Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The reference material describes the network as linking more than 30 organizations in one account and more than 70 organizations in another, reflecting either different counting dates or differences in how participating and member organizations were counted. Its members work on climate justice and related issues, including the unequal social consequences of climate change and the need to place vulnerable communities at the center of climate policy. A central part of CAN-LA's role is regional coordination. The network seeks to strengthen connections among organizations working in Central and Latin America so that civil-society groups can pursue climate-justice objectives more effectively through cooperation. It also functions as a channel for Latin American representation within the UN climate process. Delegates associated with the network attend conferences of the parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as intersessional meetings in Bonn. Through these forums, CAN-LA members communicate regional priorities, assess negotiation outcomes, and participate in advocacy directed at governments and international institutions. Since the twentieth Conference of the Parties in 2014, CAN-LA has organized press conferences during climate conferences to communicate its assessments to the public. It has also arranged side events that allow the network and its partners to establish their own discussion agendas and invite speakers. In addition, the network disseminates reports, analyses, public comments, and explanatory materials. Its communications have included contributions to the Chilean publication El Dínamo and educational programming such as the webinar held before COP23, which presented a Latin American and Caribbean perspective on the upcoming negotiations. The network has also used collective statements to connect climate diplomacy with wider political and social conditions. Following COP25, it published a regional assessment of the negotiations and their outcome, criticizing the relocation of the conference from Chile to Spain as a lost opportunity for Latin American participation and regional cohesion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CAN-LA joined a common declaration responding to the postponement of COP26. The declaration linked the public-health emergency with a broader ecological crisis and emphasized that the most vulnerable communities were bearing the greatest combined risks. CAN-LA's public identity is therefore based on coalition-building, climate advocacy, regional representation, and climate-justice communication rather than on commercial offerings. Its work is conducted through member organizations, international climate negotiations, public events, media engagement, reports, webinars, and collective statements. The available reference material identifies a regional officer within Climate Action Network International, with Karla Maass holding that role as of April 25, 2020. No reliable current leadership roster, independent website, financial information, or legal corporate ownership structure is established in the supplied sources.

Climate Action Network Latin America was established in 2009 as the Latin American and Caribbean regional network of Climate Action Network International. Its creation provided climate-focused nongovernmental organizations in the region with a mechanism for coordination and collective representation. The network's work is grounded in climate justice: it treats climate change not only as an environmental or scientific problem, but also as an issue involving inequality, political responsibility, community rights, and the uneven distribution of climate-related harms. Based in Buenos Aires, CAN-LA connects organizations located across Latin America and the Caribbean. The available description identifies participating organizations in Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It describes the network as comprising more than 30 organizations in one passage and more than 70 in another. Because the sources do not explain the difference, the figures should be read as historical descriptions rather than as a definitive current membership count. The network's principal institutional function is to support coordination between organizations working in Central and Latin America. Collaboration enables members to share information, develop common advocacy positions, and bring regional concerns into international debates. Within Climate Action Network International, the Latin American network is supported through a regional officer. Karla Maass was identified as holding that position as of April 25, 2020; the supplied material does not establish whether she continued in the role afterward. International climate diplomacy has been a major focus since the network's early years. CAN-LA delegates attend meetings held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including the annual Conferences of the Parties and intersessional meetings in Bonn. The network uses these settings to communicate civil-society perspectives from the region and to monitor negotiations affecting developing countries and vulnerable populations. Since COP20 in 2014, it has held press conferences during the climate conferences, giving the network a recurring public communications role. CAN-LA also organizes side events during COPs. These events enable it to select topics, invite panelists, and create a setting for discussions that may not receive equivalent attention in formal negotiations. Its communications work extends beyond conference venues and includes reports, analyses, public comments, and media contributions. The network's activities have included publishing or contributing material to El Dínamo in Chile and hosting a webinar before COP23 titled "Camino a la COP23: Una visión desde América Latina y el Caribe." The network's later activity illustrates its emphasis on regional voice and climate justice. After COP25 in 2019, it produced a reflection on the negotiations and their results. It viewed the move of the conference from Chile to Spain as a lost opportunity for Latin American representation, because the relocation made participation more difficult for some regional representatives and weakened prospects for greater regional cohesion. In 2020, CAN-LA responded to the postponement of COP26 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through a joint declaration. That declaration framed the pandemic and climate disruption as connected crises and stressed that vulnerable communities were most exposed to their combined consequences. CAN-LA is best understood as a coalition and advocacy network rather than a conventional brand with consumer products. Its outputs are collective positions, policy communications, events, negotiation participation, and coordination services for member organizations. The available sources do not provide a current leadership list, financial data, a confirmed independent website, or a corporate ownership structure. Its continuing status is treated as active because it is described as a functioning regional node in the most recent supplied reference, although a current operational review would be appropriate.

• 2020

  Statement on the COP26 postponement

  [1]Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org

  CAN-LA joined a declaration linking the COVID-19 crisis to the wider ecological crisis and emphasizing impacts on vulnerable communities.

• 2019

  Post-COP25 regional assessment

  [1]Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org

  The network reflected on the COP25 negotiations and criticized the relocation of the conference from Chile to Spain as a missed regional opportunity.

• 2017

  Pre-COP23 regional webinar

  [1]Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org

  CAN-LA organized a webinar presenting a Latin American and Caribbean perspective ahead of COP23.

• 2014

  Press-conference activity begins at COP20

  [1]Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org

  From COP20 onward, the network began holding press conferences at climate conferences to communicate its positions and interpretations of the negotiations.

• 2009

  Regional network founded

  [1]Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Climate Action Network Latin America was founded in Buenos Aires as the Latin American and Caribbean regional network of Climate Action Network International.

A regional civil-society coalition positioned around climate justice, Latin American and Caribbean representation, and coordinated advocacy in international climate negotiations.

• Climate-policy advocacy

  UNFCCC and COP representation

  CAN-LA coordinates and supports regional civil-society participation in United Nations climate negotiations, including Conferences of the Parties and intersessional meetings in Bonn. This work gives member organizations a shared platform for communicating Latin American and Caribbean priorities, assessing draft outcomes, and advocating for climate-justice concerns in international policy discussions.

• Research and communications

  Reports, analyses, and public comments

  The network publishes or contributes to public-facing material about climate negotiations and climate justice. These outputs include reports, analytical commentary, and reactions to conference outcomes. They are intended to inform the public and strengthen the visibility of regional civil-society positions in debates about climate policy.

• Events and advocacy · 2014

  COP press conferences and side events

  Since COP20 in 2014, CAN-LA has used press conferences and conference side events to communicate its views, convene speakers, and develop discussions outside the formal negotiation agenda. These events are part of the network's strategy for public engagement and coalition-building during major climate-policy meetings.

• 2017Camino a la COP23: Una visión desde América Latina y el Caribe

  Latin America · Caribbean

  A webinar organized before COP23 to explain the forthcoming negotiations from a Latin American and Caribbean perspective and to support regional coordination.

  Outcome. The event provided a public forum for regional analysis before the conference; the available source does not report measurable campaign results.

  Source

• 2020

  Joint response to the COP26 postponementStrategy

  Background

  The COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of COP26 and created a public-health crisis alongside continuing climate and ecological risks.

  Action taken

  CAN-LA joined a common declaration connecting the health emergency with the broader ecological crisis and calling attention to vulnerable communities.

  Aftermath

  The declaration framed pandemic recovery and climate action as connected issues; no further outcome is documented in the supplied source.

  Source

• 2019

  Criticism of the relocation of COP25Strategy

  Background

  COP25 was moved from Chile to Spain, changing the conference's accessibility and regional significance for Latin American civil-society participants.

  Action taken

  In its post-COP25 assessment, CAN-LA characterized the relocation as a missed opportunity for Latin American participation and stronger regional cohesion.

  Aftermath

  The position reinforced the network's emphasis on regional representation and the importance of hosting global climate negotiations in locations accessible to affected regions.

  Source

• 2020

  CAN-LA responds to the postponement of COP26[1]Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Regulation

  The network joined a common declaration after COP26 was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement connected the health emergency with the wider ecological crisis and highlighted the disproportionate effects on vulnerable communities.

• 2019

  CAN-LA assesses the COP25 negotiations[1]Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After COP25, the network issued an assessment of the negotiations and their outcome. It regarded the transfer of the conference from Chile to Spain as a missed opportunity for Latin American participation and stronger regional cohesion.

• 2017

  CAN-LA organizes regional webinar ahead of COP23[1]Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  Before COP23, the network organized the webinar "Camino a la COP23: Una visión desde América Latina y el Caribe" to present a Latin American and Caribbean perspective on the upcoming climate negotiations.

1. 1Climate Action Network Latin Americaen.wikipedia.org