The Covid-19 pandemic also demanded an adaptation in the way IDH teams in Brazil and Colombia (Latin America – Latam) interact with their partners and employees. Traditionally, quarterly face-to-face meetings were held every year to strengthen relations, provide update on the work developed and plan priority actions related to the PCI Institute, PCI Regional Compacts, co-funding projects with private initiative and support to the government of the State of Mato Grosso. This year, all this programming has been carried out online, over the last five months.
The first stage was the analysis of the primary impacts on the activities planned for the year, particularly those intended for the field, which were suspended due to the global pandemic. As a result of this process, an online seminar calendar was developed in order to sustain the connection and engagement of the partners involved in the initiatives. Between May and August, 24 online events were held or had the direct involvement of Latam and Global teams, in addressing several topics, both in national and international seminars.
Simultaneously, meetings were held with the partners in order to readjust the activity planning to an online format, and to identify models, tools and initiatives that could help in this process.
As the pandemic spanned over a longer period than initially anticipated, the virtual action format was consolidated. Under this scenario, IDH and its partners organized new discussion rounds, this time evaluating the impacts generated in the activities, submissions, and estimated budgets. This evaluation resulted in a monitoring tool that consolidated the effects of the pandemic on the activities and will support strategic decision-making for the operation in the coming months.
The partners’ commitment in this process of adaptation, maintenance of engagement and development of actions resulted in important achievements, even in a scenario that seemed adverse. During this time, we can highlight as an example the registration of new adhesions to the PCI Regional Compacts, the establishment of new partnerships with the private initiative in co-financing projects, the launch of a bold long-term plan for sustainable livestock farming in Brazil, and the establishment of a new frontier of operations in the state of Maranhão.
“From the very beginning, our effort has been focused on finding and offering solutions. We are dedicated to thinking and planning what could be done to improve our performance and that of our partners during these challenging times. We have learned a lot and we believe that there are still many opportunities. At the same time, we are proud and want to share all the results and achievements with our partners,” says Daniela Mariuzzo, director of IDH Brazil and the Sustainable Landscape Program in Latin America.