BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $139 million in financing for a regional project aimed at helping Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan strengthen their resilience to climate change.
According to the GCF, the project, titled "Climate-resilient Landscapes in Central Asia," will address the effects of rising temperatures, drought, water stress and land degradation.
The programme will combine national-level reforms with investments in local communities. It will improve climate and land information systems, integrate climate considerations into planning and strengthen the capacity of local financial institutions to finance climate-resilient investments.
In 180 municipalities, the project will support locally developed adaptation plans, forest and pasture restoration, and climate-resilient farming. These activities will be backed by training, advisory services and matching grants.
The regional component will facilitate knowledge-sharing, establish a climate investment platform and support adaptation plans for landscapes spanning national borders. The programme is expected to improve land management across approximately 939,000 hectares.
Grants will be directed to vulnerable small-scale farmers and forest and pasture users who lack access to commercial financing. Loans provided through local financial institutions will support businesses able to borrow for climate-resilient investments.
"This programme brings the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan together around shared climate risks that do not stop at national borders. It will support locally led planning in 180 municipalities and improve management across about 939,000 hectares. By combining grants, climate services and stronger local financial institutions with a lending programme, the project connects vulnerable communities with the finance needed to sustain change," Thomas Eriksson, GCF Regional Director for Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, said.
The Green Climate Fund is an international climate finance institution established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It supports developing countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change.
