Government wants to host Latin America climate summit next month

Argentina plans to host a summit as soon as September to bring together leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean, in an effort to build a united regional strategy to fight climate change at global talks in November.

President Alberto Fernández’s government wants to bring US climate envoy John Kerry to Buenos Aires for the event, according to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg. Invitations are being sent to presidents, although the conversation is more likely to take place at the ministerial level and may wind up being virtual.

Plans for the summit are still being finalised and remain subject to pandemic travel restrictions and health needs, the people said.

Chile, Costa Rica and Colombia have signed on as co-organisers of the climate event, according to a Biden administration official, who also asked not to be named. Barbados and the Dominican Republic are additional co-organisers, while Mexico plans to participate, two other people said.

The summit is intended to give the region a forum to agree on a coordinated climate agenda to bring to the table for the Un-backed COP26 climate talks scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, at the start of November, according to the US official. Argentina in recent months presented the Latin America conclave idea to Kerry, who was receptive, according to a person familiar with the plans.

For Fernández and his government, staking a claim to climate leadership also serves another purpose, aligning the Peronist leader with US President Joe Biden on a key priority. That’s important because the South American nation needs the Biden administration’s support as it prepares to reschedule payments on a record US$45 billion owed to the International Monetary Fund.

The United States will be key to gaining approval for a new IMF programme, because it’s the fund’s largest shareholder. Thus, Fernández is seeking to bolster the bilateral relationship with the Biden administration, according to two of the people.

The Frente de Todos leader also wants to travel to Washington to meet with Biden in person this year, although that plan is still at a preliminary stage.