The work carried out by CHCN is innovative because it has filled gaps which until now had not made it possible to build fundable projects that are coherent with the reality of the country. Using digital tools, but also understanding the processes of each territory, we have built training and support mechanisms for public officials in the different municipalities, which have allowed the development of more than 150 fundable projects in just a few months. Likewise, the project has been supported by multiple tools and formats to complement the work carried out and amplify its reach. Through digital platforms, the project has reached other territories of the country that were not contemplated, and has even reached conversations outside the national territory. Finally, the project as an intermediary has managed to build bridges between different areas of the public sector, academia, funders, and the private sector.

The decarbonisation visions for the 5 departments have been created, 115 municipalities were identified as priority, and 167 bankable climate action projects have been designed. Currently, Carbon Neutral Pathway is committed to continue working and monitoring the different initiatives selected and to continue strengthening the work with youth, women, indigenous people, Afro-Colombian communities, journalists, civil servants, civil society, entrepreneurs, among others, with the aim of building more equitable and resilient territories to the climate crisis.

The project is an initiative funded by UK Pact Colombia and is led by the organisations OpEPA and Climate Reality Project Latin America, in alliance with Colombia's Attorney General's Office (Procuraduría General de la Nación). It involves different sectors: public officials as the first beneficiaries of project support, academia as experts in the solutions, industry as co-financiers of the solutions, journalists as mobilisers.

We are working on an education process with civil society to create a common dialogue on the climate crisis and its mitigation. We are also working with civil servants and communities to ensure that their decarbonisation projects can be financed and implemented. Also, with media and journalists in the departments to strengthen a discourse of hope and that points towards paths of action, and finally, with industrial sectors to accelerate interest in supporting the initiatives.

• Construction of 5 decarbonisation visions for the departments with the highest GHG impact. 115 prioritised municipalities, divided into 5 departments in Colombia. 167 bankable climate action projects at national level, divided into; 42 projects in Atlántico, 52 projects in Antioquia, 15 projects in Valle del Cauca, 37 projects in Cundinamarca, and 21 projects in Boyacá.
• A first climate finance fair in the department of Antioquia, which was attended by 117 participants between funders and participants, and 233 meetings with a projected investment for the projects of the municipalities for an approximate value of 5,500 million Colombian pesos (COP).
• 222 participants attended the virtual course on decarbonisation for mayors in Colombia.
• 646 people participated in the virtual course on climate action for youth.
• We had 407 participants in the virtual course on inclusive climate action, 519 participants in the virtual course on inclusive climate action workshop for youth, women, Afro-descendant and indigenous communities.
• 30+ collaborations with national media.

The challenge is to transform the needs of the territories into ideas and then into projects, which is what funders are looking for to support initiatives. The centralised system imposes entry barriers, especially for categories 4, 5 and 6, to accessing resources through traditional vehicles. In addition to this, there is a low capacity in the municipalities to formulate projects, little knowledge of climate change issues and a lack of knowledge of technologies or solutions to the needs posed. Although the project has developed strategies to overcome these difficulties, there is still a gap between the territorial needs and the interests of climate action funders in the Global South. National initiatives such as the NDCs, E2050 or the Climate Action Act are good instruments that have little ownership at departmental and municipal levels.

There are different elements necessary to broaden this conversation and the work of the Carbon Neutral Pathway. Some of them are:

• Commitment from the different sectors of society that are involved.
• Leadership from the public sector to guide the necessary transition.
• Optimal security conditions for project members.
• Access to digital tools and information dissemination to make visible the work being done.
• Resources to expand the capacity of the project in the territories.
• Physical and digital training spaces for the different sectors of society involved.

Taking into account the work already carried out by the project, it is important to highlight that the model used and the tools built are replicable to other territories and sectors of the economy, either by Carbon Neutral Pathway or by other organisations or institutions that decide to implement it. At a time when facing the climate crisis is urgent, not only in Colombia, but worldwide, a model of capacity building and knowledge regarding the mitigation pathways of the crisis is replicable in any context, as long as the model is adapted to the needs and realities of each particular territory. To ensure the replicability of the process all the tools designed by the project are free, free and licensed under Creative Commons.

In the work carried out by Carbon Neutral Pathway, it has become evident that in Colombia there is political will, but some processes need to be strengthened. It has also become clear that it is important to carry out a process of accompaniment with the communities, so that they can lead and empower themselves in the transition processes in their territory. To this end, it will be necessary to continue working on strengthening the capacities of the different sectors of society that have been the focus of the project, with the aim of strengthening their knowledge, capacities for action, empowerment and leadership in mitigation initiatives from their own roles. It is important to recognise and strengthen new governance models that allow for the self-management of decarbonisation projects at the local level. To achieve the involvement and empowerment of normally marginalised communities (Afro, indigenous, women and youth) it is necessary to address entry barriers such as travel, access to electricity, internet and other services. Support from the leadership roles of public entities is a guarantee of success for the convening of events, workshops and exercises. Finally, having food and refreshments for participants is a great help.

This is a project funded by the UK Embassy in Colombia through its UKPact grant initially designed for 4 years 2021-2024. The extension is done on an annual basis between March and February. Although the focus to date has been on the energy and transport sectors, the networks built at departmental and municipal level can be useful to extend to other sectors such as Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and other Land Use (AFOLU) of great relevance for Colombia and the Americas, and the project can easily be expanded to other departments of the country where the methodology can be applied to strengthen the capacities of public sector officials and facilitate their connection with actors in the private sector, academia, and civil society.