Bolivian Civil Society Unites Ahead of Elections: National Meeting on Climate Policy and the NDC Update

As Bolivia approaches a decisive electoral period and the global community advances toward COP30, the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSS), in collaboration with its national partner Plataforma Boliviana Frente al Cambio Climático (PBFCC), hosted the “Encuentro Nacional de la PBFCC para el Posicionamiento de la Sociedad Civil” on May 19–20, 2025, in Cochabamba. The event was part of the HSS-funded “Klima” project, which supports environmental and climate-focused civil society organizations across Bolivia.

The broader initiative aims to strengthen Bolivia’s national civil society climate network through strategic workshops, dialogues, and joint initiatives that empower local actors and enhance their presence in national and international climate processes. The Cochabamba meeting gathered over 50 representatives from civil society organizations across Bolivia’s nine departments to draft unified climate advocacy strategies for the 2025 elections and contribute to the country’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

The meeting featured analyses of Bolivia’s political, economic, and climate context. Experts highlighted institutional fragmentation, socio-political polarization, economic instability, and deepening extractivism. At the same time, they recognized the increasing organizational capacity of civil society and the growing demand among youth for bold climate action. Participants engaged in thematic group work to examine the root causes of the environmental crisis and collectively develop proposals for an inclusive and sustainable future. The key thematic areas included environmental and social impacts of extractivism; the need for a just and inclusive energy transition; the escalating climate crisis and extreme weather events; sustainable territorial and water governance; forest protection and biodiversity; and ecological waste management with an emphasis on environmental justice.

As an outcome of the meeting, the PBFCC adopted an official Agenda de Incidencia Política y Climática, a structured plan to bring these demands to public debate and institutional processes. The official proposals include:

• Promotion of a participatory, sustainable, and just post-extractivist transition focused on Indigenous rights, climate justice, and the defense of territories
• Strengthening of democratic pluralism and environmental governance and encouragement of transparent and participatory institutions that respect environmental rights and diverse identities
• Recognition of forests, water, and biodiversity as common goods; ensure their access, protection, and sustainable management led by local communities
• Development of inclusive environmental education policies by introducing environmental awareness and values into educational systems and public institutions
• Adoption of a plurinational and intercultural vision in state policy with acknowledgement of indigenous knowledge and governance as central to climate strategies
• Promotion of food sovereignty through agroecological policies by supporting sustainable agriculture and protect territories from urban and industrial encroachment
• Encouragement of a circular economy and community-based environmental management including the priorization of recycling, composting, and clean production to reduce ecological impact
• Advancement of environmental legislation and legal mechanisms by pushing for new laws and strengthen legal protection of nature and affected communities
• Rejection market-based approaches to nature
• Guarantee of civil society participation in political decision-making with special focus on marginalized groups such as youth, women and indigenous people

These proposals were compiled in a public political declaration launched during a press conference on the second day of the event. The declaration calls on political candidates and institutions to adopt civil society's demands and engage in meaningful dialogue and is now available online under the following link: https://cambioclimatico.org.bo/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Posicionamiento-de-la-PBFCC-ante-la-situacion-del-pais-y-las-elecciones-nacionales.pdf

In the final sessions, participants outlined a political advocacy roadmap for 2025, including proposals for meetings with political parties, regional debates, and territorial forums. A strong emphasis was placed on pushing for a participatory update of Bolivia’s NDC and continuing to raise the visibility of civil society voices in the lead-up to COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

The national meeting in Cochabamba was a milestone in reinforcing collective climate advocacy in Bolivia. By connecting actors, creating a space for joint action, and producing concrete policy proposals, the event helped place civil society at the heart of Bolivia’s democratic and environmental future.