Rome – The Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed the renewal of its accreditation by the Inexperienced Local weather Fund (GCF), a choice introduced this Wednesday in the course of the thirty seventh assembly of the GCF Board. The reaccreditation reaffirms FAO’s unwavering dedication to advancing local weather motion by way of agrifood system transformations and supporting international locations in addressing the challenges posed by local weather change.
FAO’s preliminary accreditation by the GCF Board, efficient in October 2018, marked the start of a extremely profitable partnership, which has since performed an important function in supporting entry to local weather finance for growing international locations. Through the years, this partnership has grown considerably, with $1.2 billion {dollars} now invested in local weather initiatives.
“We’re delighted with the Board’s resolution to substantiate FAO’s reaccreditation with the Inexperienced Local weather Fund. With this affirmation, we are able to step up our efforts in supporting international locations to ship local weather options and actions that remodel agrifood programs for a extra sustainable and meals safe future for all,” stated FAO’s Deputy Director-Common, Maria Helena Semedo.
The GCF Accreditation is a proper recognition course of that enables entities to entry and handle monetary sources from the GCF for climate-related initiatives and actions of nations. Accredited Entities play a pivotal function in facilitating the Fund’s mission to help growing international locations of their efforts to fight local weather change and its hostile results.
A fruitful partnership
The FAO-GCF partnership is devoted to accelerating international locations’ entry to local weather finance for adaptation and mitigation motion.
The Inexperienced Local weather Fund is a monetary mechanism inside the United Nations Framework Conference on Local weather Change (UNFCCC), and as a specialised company of the United Nations, FAO’s mandate entails serving to international locations make their agrifood programs extra environment friendly, sustainable, and resilient to local weather change.
The varied and big selection of initiatives in FAO’s GCF portfolio enhance livelihoods and meals safety with climate-resilient crops, agroforestry, sustainable fisheries, and higher land and water administration. Additionally they deal with biodiversity loss, land degradation and deforestation. The initiatives goal to make sure a greater life and a greater atmosphere, particularly for small-scale producers, ladies, youth and Indigenous Peoples.
FAO works carefully with private and non-private sector companions to extend investments in initiatives that scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions and construct resilience with regionally led adaptation actions.
Through the years, the Group has made substantial strides in guaranteeing the expansion of its GCF portfolio and stays dedicated to accelerating entry to finance for the transformation of agrifood programs.
The portfolio now boasts a formidable array of initiatives, together with 20 transformative initiatives, 83 readiness initiatives, and eight collaborative initiatives the place FAO companions with different GCF-Accredited Entities to implement venture actions. This growth has made a big influence on local weather resilience and mitigation efforts in member international locations.
Serving to probably the most susceptible
A good portion of the portfolio is devoted to initiatives in African international locations, Least Developed International locations (LDCs), and Small Island Growing States (SIDS), the place probably the most susceptible communities are disproportionately affected by local weather change.
In Africa, initiatives valued at over $128 million in GCF grants and co-financing are centered on enhancing the resilience of rural communities and defending livelihoods within the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors.
Within the Gambia, for instance, FAO leads the implementation of a pioneering fisheries-focused venture which incorporates ladies as equal beneficiaries in efforts to revive degraded mangrove areas in key fisheries hotspots. The venture is ready to assist 400,000 individuals and restore over 2000 hectares of degraded mangrove areas and significant fisheries hotspots and shield livelihoods in these coastal communities.
In the meantime, a 3rd of the initiatives in FAO’s $58.2 million readiness portfolio instantly help Least Developed International locations. A few of these initiatives – in Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal – have laid the groundwork for the event of a multi-country venture (at the moment being reviewed by GCF) centered on scaling-up resilience in Africa’s Nice Inexperienced Wall.
In Nepal, Indigenous Peoples communities are actively concerned in an FAO-led GCF venture centered on restoring ecosystems within the Churia area – an space vital for meals and water safety due to the key river programs that run by way of the hills and right down to the closely populated Terai plains.
Concurrently, FAO additionally leads twelve readiness initiatives in Small Island Growing States, together with three initiatives – in Belize, Grenada and Saint Lucia – designed to strengthen Nationwide Adaptation Plans.
The venture in Belize, as an illustration, has helped the nation develop a sturdy Nationwide Adaptation Plan to make its coastal zones and fisheries sector extra resilient to local weather change.
In its dedication to fostering nation possession, FAO actively promotes partnerships with GCF Direct Entry Entities, such because the Central American Financial institution for Financial Integration (CABEI) and the Nationwide Fund for Surroundings and Local weather (FNEC).
