[{"bbox": [96, 153, 1136, 262], "category": "Text", "text": "poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 11 (resilience and sustainability) and SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions). It will also support the implementation of the Escazu' Agreement as well as ILO 169 Convention and UNDRIP on Free Prior and Informed Consent, in line with the 2017 EU Council Conclusions on Indigenous Peoples and related Joint Staff Working Document."}, {"bbox": [85, 302, 323, 334], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 367, 234, 394], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [96, 413, 1135, 812], "category": "Text", "text": "**General context:** The Plurinational State of Bolivia is a lower-middle-income country characterized by solid inclusive growth during the last 15 years. According to the World Bank, 25% of Bolivia's GDP comes from the export of good and services, of which natural gas represents the main one (68% of export value and 7% of GDP). For its high dependency on natural gas and minerals, the Bolivian economy is highly vulnerable to international price fluctuations. As such, it could benefit from the development of other economic sectors, including the forest one. The latter used to represent a significant 3% of national GDP in 2003, but lowered to 1,6% in 2018. The country experienced a major political, institutional, and social crisis following the failed 2019 elections. After a convulsed period, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) won in October 2020 national elections with an absolute majority. However, the country remains highly polarized, and the risks of conflict due to societal divides, political struggles, and unmet social demands are high. After a sharp GDP contraction in 2020, the economy recovered in 2021 thanks to high public investments, emphasizing the productive sector and imports substitution (main objectives of the Economic and Social Development Plan - PDES 2021-2025). However, it will be challenging for the government to maintain the current public spending levels to finance the mid-term development plan. In this context, international partnerships and development cooperation will be key to accompany and provide complementary funding."}, {"bbox": [96, 823, 1135, 1143], "category": "Text", "text": "**Environmental context:** Bolivia is among the world's most biodiverse countries, covering multiple ecological strata. Above 3000 meters are the Andean mountains and Altiplano, covering about 30 per cent of the country. The remaining part comprises the Lowlands and Yungas, including the Bolivian parts of the Amazon basin, Chiquitanía and Chaco, with extensive tropical forests (more than 50 million of hectares) and wetlands (14.8 million of hectares), both providing important environmental services and being home to biodiversity. However, in recent decades unsustainable development practices, coupled with climate change, have been eroding this important biodiversity capital, original ecosystems and forests. While Bolivia is the 10th most vulnerable country worldwide to climate change according to the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index (GermanWatch), national response capacities are limited². The environmental performance index places Bolivia at 88th out of 180 countries, well below the regional average in environmental health. Bolivia has ratified the Escazu' agreement, the first Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice on Environmental Issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, which has a legally binding character."}, {"bbox": [96, 1153, 1135, 1340], "category": "Text", "text": "The PDES 2021-2025 acknowledges increasing pressure on the environment, with deteriorating ecosystems, and the need for mitigating human activities that cause negative environmental impacts, with special attention to forest conservation and water resource management. The PDES also highlights the link between conservation interests and climate change, both for mitigation and adaptation. However, there is a considerable tension between the PDES' stipulations on the environment (e.g. \"sustainable and balanced environment in harmony with Mother Earth\") and the plan's promotion of an extractive-based economic development model (e.g. \"growth and development that is based on the use of natural resources for the benefit of Bolivian women and men\")."}, {"bbox": [96, 1351, 1135, 1433], "category": "Text", "text": "Hence addressing environmental concerns and fostering resilience in Bolivia implies tackling poverty, discrimination and inequality within the rural-urban, gender and ethnic gaps, promoting a more inclusive and sustainable development for present and future generations, and unleashing investment potential."}, {"bbox": [96, 1443, 1135, 1525], "category": "Text", "text": "**Human rights, governance and gender contexts:** Bolivia suffers from fragile institutionality (deficit and high turnover in human resources negatively affect the delivery of public services), and the subordination of different state bodies (including the judiciary) to the executive power, limiting the effective exercise of human rights,"}, {"bbox": [85, 1571, 1144, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "² Following the ND-Gain index on climate change adaptation, Bolivia rank as the 135th most vulnerable country, with agriculture and water as the most vulnerable sectors and social readiness (social inequality, access to innovation) as the areas where further support will increase resilience."}, {"bbox": [1038, 1655, 1144, 1680], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 35"}]