On 3 June 2020, during the annual GWP Regional Days , the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) signed a USD 2,184,555 Grant for Readiness Support to the Zambia National Adaptation Plan (NAP) on Climate Resilience. The Grant was signed by Dr Monika Weber Fahr, GWPO Executive Secretary and CEO and Pa Ousman Jarju, Director for the GCF Division of Country Programming.
In his statement during the signing Pa Ousman Jarju commended the Government of Zambia for the initiative it is taking to tackle the impacts of Climate Change, citing that the current Zambia Adaptation Plan and Readiness Project is one of the many GCF programmes implemented in the country.
Pa Ousman Jarju, Director for the GCF Division of Country Programming
“This current GCF NAP Readiness is one of the many programmes implemented by the GCF in Zambia”, he said. “Other programmes include the assessment of Zambia’ s institutional capacity towards accreditation and another readiness project. The Zambian Government has also benefited from funds amounting to $84.5 million for two projects in renewable energy and climate-resilient agriculture”.
The current grant is going to be implemented in Zambia over 36 months at $2.2 million, under the coordination of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. Global Water Partnership (GWP), who has been appointed by GCF as a Delivery Partner of countries to access the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, will support the implementation of the project in Zambia through its regional water partnership, the GWP Southern Africa.
Honourable Jean Kapata, MP, Zambia’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, expressed gratitude to GCF for the grant and to GWP for the technical support in preparing the Readiness proposal. “The Government of Zambia would like to convey its gratitude to the GCF for coming to the country’s aid in addressing climate change and to GWP for being a reliable partner and diligent in the preparation of the proposal”, she said. “The support is timely as the Government is in the process of preparing a legal framework to effectively address climate change in the country as well as revising its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for submission under the Paris Agreement”.
Honourable Jean Kapata, MP, Zambia’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources
The GCF Grant for the Zambia NAP process will enable the Government of Zambia to formulate a medium and long-term climate adaptation plan, which is expected to strengthen systems for integrating climate change adaptation into planning and budget processes, and also to develop prioritized adaptation actions with financing strategies. It is part of the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme (the Readiness Programme), which supports country-driven initiatives to strengthen institutional capacities, governance mechanisms, and planning and programming frameworks towards a transformational long-term climate action agenda.
The Readiness Programme is key towards the support that the GCF is providing to countries and it is cemented by the government instruments to ensure that institutional capacity, governance mechanisms and planning programme frameworks are strengthened. As of March 2020, GCF had approved 376 readiness requests to the tune $ 245 million. 50 of the grants were dedicated to adaptation planning while the other 326 grants dedicated to other forms of readiness support.
GWP Chairman, Ambassador Howard Bamsey, congratulated the GCF, the Government of Zambia and all partners involved in the preparation of the proposal for this special endeavor.
GWPO Chairman, Ambassador Howard Bamsey
“I acknowledge how ambitious Zambia was in dealing with the debilitating impacts of climate change and that you want to emerge from this adaptation planning in the context of the COVID crisis with improved resilience”, he said.
The preparation of the Zambia Project Proposal required an effective collaboration between the Ministry of National Development Planning (the National Designated Authority for the GCF), the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (the Focal Point for Climate Change) and the GWP (the Delivery Partner).
GWP Southern Africa Executive Secretary and Global Head for Climate Resilience, Mr Alex Simalabwi, welcomed the GCF funding to Zambia.
“The funding is great news for the country. It comes at a time when the country is experiencing unpreceded climate risks with droughts having recently devastated parts of the country, while more recently, floods destroyed roads, bridges and other public infrastructure amid the unprecedented global COVID-19 crisis. The funding will assist Zambia to not only develop a national climate change adaptation plan but also develop a comprehensive resource mobilization strategy for implementing the country’s climate commitments”, said Mr Simalabwi.
GWPSA Executive Secretary and GWP Global Head for Climate Resilience, Mr Alex Simalabwi
The signing ceremony was witnessed by over 120 participants representing over 80 countries from 13 GWP regions around the world. It was held at the start of a knowledge exchange session conducted by GWP. The session explored regional and country experiences, challenges and country needs regarding GCF Readiness across the world.
Watch the signing ceremony on YouTube