19|04|2018

With the presence of President of the Republic, Juan Manuel Santos and the United States Ambassador to Colombia, Kevin Whitaker, Grupo Prodeco will sign the first agreement of direct purchase of carbon certificates that takes place in the country, between ethnic communities and a private company that has chosen to offset its carbon emissions. The act will be held on Saturday, April 21, in the municipality of Chimichagua, Cesar.

This agreement is achieved thanks to the participation of Grupo Prodeco and 20 ethno-territorial communities of the Pacific region of Colombia, represented by the NGO Fondo Acción, through the REDD+ Pacific project; which follows the REDD+ global initiative to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and was funded by the United States Agency for International Development -USAID and supported by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

The signatories of the agreement are Mark McManus, president of Grupo Prodeco, and José Luis Gómez, director of Fondo Acción; while Kevin Whitaker, ambassador of the United States, and Luis Gilberto Murillo, minister of Environment, will be the guarantors.

With the purchase of REDD+ Pacific certificates, Grupo Prodeco supports the conservation of 700,000 hectares of natural forests; thus ratifying its commitment to well-made mining.