Fostering Green Transition in Petén Over the past 30 years, Guatemala´s biggest department Petén lost 1.5 million hectares of primary forest coverage due to the excessive expansion of agriculture and livestock, a strong immigration from the neighbouring highlands and the mismanagement of its numerous national parks and protected areas. This dramatic ecological degradation is accelerating and causes further secondary damage to water resources, soil fertility and forest diversity. This is particularly worrying because the main forest mass of Central America and largest protected area in Guatemala, the Mayan Biosphere Reserve (RBM), with 2.1 million hectares of unique ecosystems and biodiversity, is in a fragile situation and threatened by irreversible damages. In addition, without an immediate and targeted intervention, Guatemala will not be able to fulfil its national determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce the greenhouse emissions as presented at the latest COP 2022 Conference.The traditionally weak public administration is not prepared and has no operational capacity to stem further overexploitation of the natural resources. The execution rate of the existing budget provisions is low at all levels of the State (governorate, state ministries and municipalities), causing deficient public investment in all sectors. Regional and local public entities do not sufficiently know the quite advanced green policy framework of Guatemala and do not present concrete projects to the respective national funds, which count with substantial resources.Moreover, the lack of planning and monitoring capacity, a deficient regulatory framework, the absence of incentives for climate friendly innovation and insufficient coordination between public entities, municipalities and private sector present other serious bottlenecks for transforming the current socio-economic behaviour into a territorial approach for development which is based on the protection, conservation and respectful use of natural resources.The intervention aims at the social and economic green transition of the Petén macro region of Guatemala and the generation of inclusive sustainable and green employment. This will be achieved by strengthening existing and developing new wood processing value chains based on sustainable forest management, support climate resilient agriculture and agro-forest systems and contrive a respectful tourism sector. Ensuring compliance of new EU rules for companies to respect human rights and environment (including deforestation-free production) in global value chains will guarantee, in the framework of EU Global Gateway and the EU-CA Association Agreement, access to EU markets of products already being exported to the EU. Improving solid waste management and water and sanitation systems throughout the department will provide green transition of basic services and improve social development. Simultaneously, the institutional capacities of all levels of public administration will be strengthened with regard to green and sustainability policies, instruments and services, including services regarding implementation and enforcement of land use and protected area boundaries.The complexity of the described situation requires a comprehensive multi-sector and multi-level intervention, under a solid institutional framework led by competent local authorities. Consequently, the proposed action will support simultaneously the solution of the main problems of five components: Component 1: Provide capacity development to local institutions. Component 2: Foster sustainable management of forest systems. Component 3: Assist climate resilient agriculture. Component 4: Encourage sustainable tourism. Component 5: Improve solid waste management and sewage systems.