GEF approves Special Climate Change Fund for LDCs

10-13 June 2019. Washington, DC, US. The 56th meeting of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Council, approved a US$865.9 million work program, the biggest in its history.

An additional US$101.57 million was approved for funding under work programs for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF).

The projects will include efforts to bring about a transformational shift in agriculture and land use systems, help fishing people, improve the management of soils, and tackle illegal world wildlife trade.

• Six projects are from Africa.
• The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) was established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to assist LDCs to carry out the preparation and implementation of national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs). It is operated by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
• This meeting adopted a joint LDCF/SCCF work program comprising 12 projects, with resources amounting to USD 103.41 million for the LDCF and SCCF, including project grants and Agency fees. 
• The Work Program (June 2019, 27 pages)  is part of a fundamental contribution of the GEF to help countries implement the Paris Agreement and to fulfil its role as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

LDCF PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS / Africa (see page 14 - 17)

• Angola: The World Bank MTF child project, Strengthening Climate Resilience and Biodiversity Management in Angola’s Conservation Areas, which is part of the Global Wildlife Program, will improve the management of targeted Transfrontier Conservation Areas and strengthen the resilience of local communities and ecosystems to climate change.
• Ethiopia: The UNDP project in Ethiopia, Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Communities by Upscaling Best practices and Adopting an Integrated Approach in Ethiopia, aims to promote the design and implementation of adaptation interventions to address the climate vulnerabilities of local communities at scale across Ethiopia. 
• The Gambia: The AfDB project, Improving Water Availability in The Gambia’s Rural and Peri-Urban Communities for Domestic and Agricultural Use, will build resilience to climate change and variability by enhancing water supply for domestic and agricultural use, and ultimately improving livelihoods in rural and peri-urban areas. 
• Togo: The FAO project, Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change of Coastal Communities in Togo, will strengthen the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems in the Maritime region of Togo to the impacts of climate change. 
• Uganda: The AfDB Uganda project, Strengthening the Adaptive Capacity and Resilience of Communities in Uganda's Watersheds, aims to strengthen resilience of 436,000 vulnerable people to the impacts of climate change through adaptation technology transfer.
• Zambia: The FAO project, Climate Change Adaptation in Forest and Agricultural Mosaic Landscapes, will increase the resilience of productive landscapes and rural communities in Zambia through innovations and technology transfer for climate change adaptation.

Video coverage

Ibrahim Thiaw (UNCCD) interviewed during the 56th GEF Council