The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
Discover the passion, perseverance, and innovative thinking that fuels these businesses, as well as the challenges they've overcome along the way. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking inspiration or simply a curious listener interested in the stories behind your favorite local spots, The Alimond Show has something for everyone.
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The Alimond Show
Julio Guity-Guevara of SUDECC - From Afro-Indigenous Roots to Climate Change Pioneer: Empowering Vulnerable Communities, Championing Climate Finance, and Navigating Global Sustainable Development Initiatives
Join us as we uncover the remarkable journey of Julio Guity-Guevara, the inspiring founder of SUDECC, a consulting firm pioneering sustainable development and climate change initiatives. From his Afro-Indigenous roots in Honduras to his transformative work in the DMV area, Julio offers a compelling narrative on how SUDECC is empowering vulnerable communities, especially in the coastal regions of Latin America and the Caribbean. Through his insights, we learn about the vital role of climate finance, policy, and capacity building, while exploring the shared challenges and cultural ties among Afro-Indigenous communities across the Americas. Discover how diaspora communities play a crucial part in disaster recovery, and the significance of collaboration in the global fight against climate change.
In an intriguing conversation with a transactional attorney hailing from an Afro-Indigenous community, we explore the unique intersections of identity and advocacy. This episode sheds light on the aspirations and responsibilities that come with such a diverse background, particularly in sustainable development on a global scale. The discussion covers upcoming efforts, including innovative approaches to climate finance and participation in international conferences like COP16 in Colombia and COP29 in Brazil. With a focus on clean energy transitions and financial reform, we underscore the necessity of inclusivity and scalability in projects targeting underserved communities. A powerful mentor's quote inspires our guest's mission, reminding us all to recognize and harness our potential to effect meaningful change.
Okay, great.
Speaker 2:There we go. All right, julio, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. We really appreciate you being here.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Lillian. Thanks also to the entire Alimony podcast team for having me. It's a pleasure to be here?
Speaker 2:Oh, of course, Absolutely. We're going to start off with an introduction. If you could give me your full name, the name of your business and the type of services that you are providing for your clients.
Speaker 1:My name is Julio Cesar Guiti Guevara and the name of my business is SUDEC. Sudec stands for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Wow, for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, which is a consulting firm created to facilitate the implementation of projects in vulnerable communities and promote sustainable development.
Speaker 2:Wow. I want to know a background, because this is a very interesting niche that you're in, or an industry. How did you get into sustainability, and was this always what you wanted to do? Talk to me about your background and how you got to where you are today.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Well, I have to tell you that I self-identify as an environmentally conscious American who comes from an Afro-Indigenous community from Latin America, particularly Honduras, and I have been in the DMV area for almost 20 years a little bit more than 20 years, yeah and I came here through an international organization and since then, I started getting exposed to the world of the environment and climate change, along with things that have to do with working with local communities. Yes, and obviously climate change and the environment has a lot to do with that. So back in 2013, we saw a big opportunity to join the climate change movement by putting together an organization that essentially helped advance the agenda to essentially decarbonize the atmosphere, but, at the same time, an agenda that is a lot more than that. There is a significant component that has to do with climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation. In the area of adaptation. Here we are talking about building climate resilience at that community level.
Speaker 1:This type of activities have become even more important now. As you may be aware, we are still dealing with the recovery of Hurricane Elena and Milton, particularly in the South, but many Latin American countries also have been negatively impacted, and so SUDEC essentially does these things we promote sustainable development and facilitate the implementation of projects in vulnerable communities. A significant part of the segment of the population that we work with is located in coastal cities. We coordinate and collaborate significantly with local populations in Central America, south America and, obviously, the Caribbean. So through SUDEC we also have been connecting people. You know, as you may be fully aware, climate change doesn't have borders. No, it does not.
Speaker 1:You know. So that forces us to work together. As a member of a community called the Garifuna, we also feel that we have many things in common, particularly in Mexico. Oh, tell me, if you talk, if you see the population of Mexico located around Chiapas, you will also find many commonalities with those that live in Guatemala and the area of Copan in Honduras. Okay, you know, and if you go to the Atlantic coast of Honduras, you will see not only in Honduras, in Central America, you will also see the Garifuna community, which is in Belize, guatemala, nicaragua, honduras and obviously here in the United States.
Speaker 1:But these communities also have a lot in common with the Raizales, for instance, in San Andres, which is part of Colombia. What is Raizales, raizales? Raizales is one of these Creole Afro-Indigenous communities located particularly in Colombia, in the island, and they are considered a distinct segment of the population in Colombia, in the island, and they have a distinct. They are considered a distinct segment of the population in Colombia. They are also considered black, and then the same thing in Nicaragua, so particularly in what we call Darran, the Atlantic north coast of Nicaragua. And so, when it comes to adapting and mitigating climate change, putting these communities together and, at the same time, connect the diaspora of these communities in the US is key, since often the diaspora is the first line of response when it comes to recovery, reconstruction and rebuilding from natural disasters.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. These communities that have been impacted from natural disasters, how are you guys helping them implement, I guess, the green initiative? I'm curious about that. I want to learn more about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, our agenda has been driven by essentially three areas. One of them is access to climate finance, or climate finance, and then you have a significant segment of the world that has to do with policy climate policy and then another one which is extremely important for us is the one that is linked to capacity building Mm-hmm on the ground, particularly when it comes to local communities. If we talk about climate finance, for instance, reforms to the existing climate finance infrastructure has been at the top of the agenda of many of the governments and even representative of the philanthropic community, not only in the United States but in many parts of the world, and that is because there has been a need to provide greater access to finance, particularly to this local government. In the area of climate finance, we also have identified that a priority for many local communities has to do with climate change adaptation, meaning building climate resilience at the community level, particularly if you, if we go beyond the US and Mexico, in many of the cities like Veracruz, for instance, or if you go to Puerto Barrios in Guatemala, or if you continue going through La Ceiba or Puerto Cortez in Honduras, or the Garifuna communities, and the list goes on and on Limon in Costa Rica, darien, in Colón, in Panama you will see that a priority for these populations is climate change adaptation. However, if you come to the big cities let's say, ciudad de México in Mexico, or if you come to, let's say, nueva York or Los Angeles, in many of these areas, even though there is a portion of the work being done in the area of adaptation, most of the resources have been allocated for mitigation.
Speaker 1:When we talk about mitigation, we are talking about renewable energy, energy efficiency. In the area of renewable energy, you know how popular solar panels have become. Yes, they have become so popular. Energy light bulbs, the process of replacing energy light bulbs, and all these certification processes. In the transportation sector, right, you will come across a significant initiative to increase the infrastructure for electrical vehicles. You know charging stations, so many things now, yeah, this is the type of conversation that you will mostly find in big cities.
Speaker 1:However, in coastal populations, the sea level rise, combined with the frequency of natural disaster, is at the top, and that's why climate change adaptation is number one In the area of climate policy. In the US, we have an. The investment that we made in the energy sector will go or will be allocated to historically undercounted and underrepresented populations. So we would like to see most of these type of policies, not only at the federal level, but the state level and the city level, not only in the United States but throughout the entire region, to support those communities that have been disenfranchised but, at the same time, to level the playing field when it comes to allocating resources for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Speaker 1:In the area of climate policy, we also have been identifying that many of these communities have been advocating for more research tailored to the needs of the specific communities. Imagine, for many of these coastal communities, even though they embrace that transition to clean energy, it's not their top priority. Probably relocating a significant part of the population that is being negatively impacted by natural disaster or the sea level rise is a top priority, rather than the transition to clean energy. It has to do with their livelihood. So these are some of the things that we have been identifying in the area of climate change policy. In the area of capacity building, which I believe is probably the most important one, obviously communities on the ground want more trainings and research, but at the same time, they feel the need to reduce the structural and historical barriers that have prevented them from accessing resources. When you ask many of the communities that we represent about how they want to be trained, they identify this as a specific factor. And there are other areas that are equally important, like climate finance coordination and also the area of providing some type of technologies to that community to be able to monitor the allocation of resources where something has been delivered. All of these areas are important, so a significant part of the work that we do through SUDEC.
Speaker 1:When we talk about promoting sustainable development and facilitating the implementation of projects in vulnerable communities that's such a big word. Essentially, that's what we are talking about. We connect communities. We support this identification, design and implementation of climate change strategy Because, interestingly, most of that climate financing that is being allocated has some prerequisite in order for you to access them, and often it has to do with having plans in place, strategies and specific projects tailored by industry. I think that we are making progress, but we are falling behind. In what way? But we are falling behind in terms of catching up with number one reducing the greenhouse, accelerating the transition to clean energy, our carbon footprint, our carbon footprint. I think that a lot more can be done and there are always economic considerations right, it's not an easy task. Economic considerations right. It's not an easy task. It's a challenge for any country, state, city or leader, but we all have to work together. But I'm optimistic about our ability to adapt and make the transformational changes that are required?
Speaker 2:Good, I hope so. I feel comfort with you saying that. Who knows this stuff? So I'm glad you're optimistic about it and thank you for sharing such thorough information, because I really was like wait, what does he mean by that? And then you explained it and I was like, okay, this makes much more sense to me. I would like to ask you about what it was like working with the mayor of and how that came to be for you.
Speaker 1:No, thank you, that's a good question.
Speaker 1:Most of my work during my first 15 years here in the States was with international organizations and then I became a US citizen and I wanted to have a little bit more experience working with communities on the ground, be more experienced working with communities on the ground and the opportunity you know I was given, the opportunity to be part of the essential personnel of the mayor of Washington DC.
Speaker 1:Very nice, that's impressive. It is a big privilege to have been in that position, but at the same time it's a big challenge and responsibility, Because here we are talking about implementing the mayor's priorities on the communities the Asian and Pacific Islanders community, the returning citizens so the responsibility of the mayor is huge, has a lot to do with tailoring all the programs and projects and initiative to the needs and requests of each of these communities, and that's an interesting job, particularly in a city like Washington DC. You will always come across these jurisdictional issues too, Because remember that DC is essentially a federal city, which is the largest employer in the city, but we also have international organizations that play an important role, like the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank the Organization of American.
Speaker 1:All the embassies, most of them in Massachusetts Avenue and Connecticut, but at the same time, you also have a very vibrant local community that is essentially energized by the work that is done at the local level, at the municipal level, and in that regard, the DC Council and the mayor play an important role. Obviously, we cannot neglect the role and the contribution that all the universities, the approximately seven universities that we have in Washington DC I think that that helps significantly end up in a small private sector that is mostly represented in these consulting firms and, obviously, restaurants. Right, yeah, all that? Yeah, absolutely so. It was a great international world with the work at the local level. Coming from an Afro-Indigenous community in Honduras and member of the Latino community, which is almost 20% of the population in the US, I think that that enabled me to connect with different realities but, at the same time, make a meaningful contribution in the spaces where I am engaged.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I think you're doing a great job Like oh my gosh, like you have so much rich background, like the indigenous community that you're coming from, but then being from Honduras and then being in the US, like you offer so many different perspectives, and I think that is much needed in this world and in our country, so I think that's great. Keep on rocking in and representing everybody. I think that's amazing.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you, lillian. You also have been doing a wonderful job over here with your entire team. I think that you are raising the voice of people that otherwise wouldn't be heard. Raising the voice of people that otherwise wouldn't be heard, and that's also meaningful, particularly in this time of turbulence, everywhere people need to be heard, people need to be listened, and you are providing this space to do that and, at the same time, making a contribution to all the communities and the followers that are here, thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you for saying that. That was really nice.
Speaker 1:You're welcome.
Speaker 2:I would like to ask you where you see yourself in the next five years, with yourself and with your business.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I expect to continue working on a sustainable development issue. I also expect to continue developing my legal career. I'm a trained attorney, I'm a transactional attorney, and it's something that you master by working in Washington DC. Many of the activities if you want them to in which I am engaged, if you want them to have an impact, they have to be in a scale in which I am engaged. If you want them to have an impact, they have to be in a scale, and when it comes to scalability, the way you frame the transactions is key. So I see myself navigating these two environments but, at the same time, making a meaningful contribution to the communities that I come from. I think that, at the end of the day, we will have that civil responsibility to give back to the community, but, at the same time, that's what makes us feel better at the end of the day.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah, Making sure and knowing that we're contributing in a positive way helping other people. Yeah, Making sure and knowing that we're contributing in a positive way helping other people Exactly. Is there anything, maybe, that I have not asked you or touched on, that you would like to share about yourself or your business or the things that you're doing?
Speaker 1:Maybe anything coming up, working on developing a programmatic approach to facilitate greater access to local populations to climate finance. Internationally, over the next two weeks we're going to have COP16 in Colombia, which is the Conference of the Parties, which is a United Nations conference on biodiversity, world Conference on Biodiversity. Over the last three or four years, we have been supporting the agenda, the climate change agenda, by participating in these World Climate Change Conferences. We went to Glasgow in the UK, we were in Chairman Sheikh in UK, we were in Chairman Sheikh in Egypt, we were in Dubai. Now we are going to Cali, colombia, next year.
Speaker 1:Interestingly, there is COP29, the World Climate Change Conference, called COP29, which is going to take place in Brazil place in Brazil, and a significant part of the agenda of these COPs is being driven by essentially three things, four things that I already mentioned most of them. Number one is the transition to clean energy. Number two, the reform to the existing financial infrastructure for climate projects and programs. Number three, I think that there will be an increasing pressure to focus on people. And the last one, which is extremely important for those members of underserved, undercounted and underrepresented communities, has to do with inclusivity. So this is the agenda that we're going to continue working on and I'm very excited about it.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love that agenda.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm grateful that there's people out there in the world that are fighting for the underserved and underprivileged and trying to give voices, so I'm happy Thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Lillian.
Speaker 2:Of course. And then my final question is going to be do you have maybe a quote or a saying that has inspired you in your life, and maybe it was a lyric from a song that stood out in your mind? Would you mind sharing that? This says inspiration.
Speaker 1:Yes, I had a mentor who used to tell us often Julio, never underestimate your own capacity, julio, never underestimate your own capacity. We generally have what we need to take our personal or professional capacity to the next level, or even at the community level, and often we neglect that by going and looking somewhere else for alternatives that we have right in-house often. I think that that's one of the most inspirational things that have driven the work that I do or that we do at the organizational and community level.
Speaker 2:I love it. Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much for sharing. That was a pleasure to have you here and talk about all of this. I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 1:Thank you, lillian, and thank you to the entire team.