Farmers from Montrose in Insiza District, Matabeleland South Province, have embarked on a beekeeping project aimed at manufacturing and processing various honey-based products for market. The initiative, which has 27 members, is set to enhance livelihoods and promote climate resilience in the community. Once full-scale honey production begins, they plan to process and diversify their products, tapping into the growing demand for natural honey-based goods.
The project falls under the Building Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Zimbabwe programme, supported by the Government with technical and management assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The programme aims to strengthen climate resilience in agricultural communities by equipping them with resources, training, and support to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved an unprecedented US$103.2 million in grant financing to scale up life-saving early warning systems in seven climate-vulnerable countries.
Led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the five-year project will bolster multi-hazard early warning systems in Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Chad, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, and Somalia, and directly benefit more than 78 million people.
With a total budget of $114.6 million, it will be implemented through the national governments of the seven countries with support from UNDP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and other relevant partner agencies.
The Green Climate Fund and UNDP-supported project Developing a National Adaptation Planning Process in Turkmenistan, in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, hosted a roundtable at the State Hydrometeorological Service.
In a global effort to allocate critical funds to tackle the root causes of the climate and nature crisis, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved US$204.3 million for UNDP’s support of 121 countries in project focused efforts, leveraging an additional US$1.9 billion in co-financing to safeguard people and the planet.
Together, these activities will jointly benefit more than 9.4 million people, including 4.8 million women. The funding aims to scale up efforts to drive a nature-positive and climate-resilient future, restoring thousands of hectares of land with a further three million hectares – roughly the size of Belgium – set to benefit through improved stewardship.
“Bhutan has experienced rapid urbanisation in recent decades, making climate resilience in our growing cities increasingly critical amid more frequent and severe climate events,” Secretary Karma Wangchuk of the MoIT said. “The ECRUL project is a significant step toward enhancing the resilience of urban landscapes, aligning with Bhutan’s NDC under the Paris Agreement and the National Adaptation Plan adopted last year.”
Over 25,000 Vietnamese residents in seven coastal localities are now safeguarded by storm-and flood-resistant homes thanks to a project improving the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change in Vietnam. The project, which ran from 2017 to 2024, also restored 4,028 ha of mangrove forests and installed early warning systems in 24 high-risk communes. A joint effort between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Vietnamese Government, it targeted Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Ca Mau, known for their high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
In the presence of the Minister of Gender Promotion, the Minister of the Environment, and UNDP’s Resident Representative, the community of Idjikoundzi, in Dimani launched the project "Strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems and intelligent value chains in the face of the climate". This project aims to increase the climate resilience of the main agricultural value chains through innovation, diversification and capacity building.
This project, financially supported by the Global Environment Facility (WEF) and implemented with the financial and technical support of the UNDP, represents an important step in the adaptation of the Comorian agricultural sector to climate challenges. With a budget of 10 million dollars, it will be deployed throughout the national territory, with particular attention to the Rural Centers for Economic Development (CRDE) of Sidjou, Cembenoi and Diboini (Ngazidja), Mimbani and Mledjele (Mwali), as well as Mramani, Bambao Mtsanga and Pomoni (Ndzouani).
UNDP’s Resident Representative stressed the urgency of such initiatives in the face of a global context of growing climate crises. He also highlighted the centrality of agriculture in the Comorian economy and the importance of supporting rural communities, particularly vulnerable, by introducing innovative and sustainable agricultural practices.
Empowering communities, fostering innovation and integrating socio-economic contexts into climate strategies are crucial for effective adaptation to climate change, says Srilata Kammila, Head of Climate Change Adaptation at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In an exclusive interview with Inter Press Service at COP29, Kammila shed light on the agency’s pioneering approaches to locally-led climate adaptation.
The Government of Comoros has made water access a top priority, as reflected in the country's Nationally Determined Contribution and Comoros' Emerging Plan (PCE 2030), with the bold ambition of providing 100 percent of the population with reliable, climate-resilient water supplies by 2030, with no one left behind. To make this happen, the government is mobilizing efforts from international partners, local government and communities alike.
In 2019, with the backing of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Comoros launched a US$60 million 8-year project to increase reliable and safe water supply and integrate climate risk reduction into water management. This is how it is progressing.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Green Climate Fund and the Government, has commissioned a fully equipped semen processing and cryopreservation center.
The center seeks to transform agricultural research and promote climate-smart agriculture by empowering smallholder livestock farmers to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change by having climate resilient herds that are also highly productive.
The Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project (CRIWMP) financed by the Green Climate Fund is a nature-based, home-grown approach to addressing climate risks in vulnerable communities like the Dry Zone. Implemented by the Government of Sri Lanka, with support from UNDP, it is reviving the old irrigation systems in three river basins of Mee Oya, Yan Oya and the Malwathu Oya. UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka, Azusa Kubota, explains why the project has been so successful and how the model offers more than just a plan for water and food security.
Talua Nivaga is determined to save his homeland.
As the co-founder of Tuvaluan youth climate group Fulifafou, he's watched the rising seas encroach and swallow parts of his island nation.
While many Tuvaluans are considering migrating to escape the worsening effects of climate change, Mr Nivaga has told the ABC he is resolute in staying and fighting for the future of Tuvalu.
"What is an absolute and certain need of the people is action — there's so much talk that has been done," he said.
Spanning a total area of 200,000 hectares, Việt Nam’s mangrove forests are believed to not only have socio-economic and biodiversity values, but also act as large carbon storage areas that help capture emissions.
Recognising the positive impacts of mangrove forests in the face of climate change, Việt Nam has been working to protect and revive these areas with the help of the international community, including through a project improving the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change related impacts.
The mangrove forests from the project are flourishing to become a ‘green barrier’ against strong waves while also protecting coastal dykes and improving local livelihoods and biodiversity. Data as of June this year shows that the emission reduction from the project’s mangrove forests reached over 1.1 million tonnes of CO2, exceeding the initial target of 565,000 tonnes.
UNDP recently hosted an exposure visit for journalists to highlight the significant achievements of the Green Climate Fund-financed "GLOF-II Project", a project which aims to enhance community resilience against glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) in northern Pakistan.
Journalists observed several key accomplishments, including the construction of 70 channels totaling 19,859 meters, which benefit 9,512 men and 9,262 women. Protection walls for 178 schemes assist 15,354 men and 14,955 women, while base platforms for 61 systems and slope stabilization schemes covering 280 hectares aid 4,957 men and 4,859 women. The project has also renovated five observatories and two conservation sites, established seven Community-Based Disaster Risk Management centers benefiting 5,650 men and 5,350 women, and created a safe haven in Kumrat for 900 men and 900 women. Additionally, the project improved access routes in Kandia and Reshun and set up green climate clubs in government schools.
Around 696,342 individuals across 24 valleys in 15 districts, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, have benefitted to date.
Funded by the Global Environment Facility, the project ‘Development of the First Biennial Transparency Report, the Second Biennial Transparency Report and the Fourth National Communication of Sri Lanka to UNFCCC’ will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment together with UNDP in Sri Lanka, and will support the Government to prepare the First & Second Biennial Transparency Reports and the Fourth National Communication.
To mark the launch of the project, the Project Document signing took place on August 5 with the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment and Resident Representative for UNDP in Sri Lanka. Mr.Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment said, “We recognize the importance of submitting the BTRs and national communications, not only as a demonstration of our commitment to achieving the targets under the Paris Agreement but also to showcase our progress and strengthen our efforts to combat climate change. It represents our dedication to enhanced transparency, accountability, reinforcing global cooperation to address this urgent challenge."
Ten new GCF-funded projects, including the UNDP-supported Coastal Resilience Project in Tonga, are on track for implementation, with two projects in Bhutan and Malawi setting record times for rapid delivery. Steps were accelerated by the Fund to get projects out-the-door as quickly as possible upon their approval by the GCF Board.
GCF signed Funded Activity Agreements (FAA) for 10 projects immediately after their approval at the 39th meeting of the GCF Board.
The FAA is an agreement that contains conditions to be fulfilled by the GCF Accredited Entity (AE) and must be negotiated and signed by GCF and the AE before the project can launch. As this can be a lengthy process, GCF has been making efforts to speed this step up. This is part of GCF’s efficiency agenda that aims to swiftly deliver projects in developing countries through reforming the Fund’s funding processes.
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation has highlighted the role of education in facing the challenges of climate crisis at a United Nations event. Held in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations, Generation Unlimited, Unicef, UNDP and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the event titled “Education to Combat the Climate Crisis” took place during the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF 2024) on Sustainable Development at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The discussion featured a panel of distinguished speakers, including Catalina Duarte Salcedo, education specialist with Unicef Colombia; Susana Puerto, head of the Youth Employment Accelerator at the ILO; Srilata Kammila, head of Climate Change Adaptation at the UNDP; Darren Karjama, Partnerships and Outreach Specialist at the Green Climate Fund; Maleiha Malik, executive director of PEIC (Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict) at EAA; Noura al-Kaabi, strategic partnerships researcher, Qatar Fund for Development, and Salwa al-Kuwari, a youth advocate from EAA, with George Tavola from EAA moderating the event.
What can we do to address the complex interconnected threats of climate change? Multilateral investments are crucial say Ami Bera and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
"In Tuvalu, we stood atop a sea wall partially funded by the U.N.’s Green Climate Fund and the U.N. Development Program (UNDP), the first large-scale coastal adaptation project of its kind in the region. Completed in 2023 using local labor, huge amounts of sand were sustainably dredged to create an embankment 2,500 feet long and 330 feet wide. This “reclaimed” land stands eight feet above the Highest Astronomical Tide, providing protection to 60 percent of the population for at least the next 80 years. Assuming there is sufficient funding for Phase 2, the entire population of Tuvalu’s capital — approximately 6,000 people — will be able to move to higher ground. Adding to the impact, the sea wall will be silted, allowing Tuvaluans to create community gardens, increasing their access to fresh produce and reducing their reliance on expensive food imports."
The time it takes to cross the Ayapel swamp, the largest swamp in the department of Córdoba, northern Colombia, is a good measurement of how much this landscape has changed in recent decades. The journey, which used to take several hours, can now be done in less than one. Gone are the streams that forced the boatmen to slow down and the large clumps of floating plants that made it difficult to move through the wetlands.
Before, it was full of mangroves, recalls Ana María Rivera. “Today, what do you see? Sky and water, because there’s no beautiful mangrove creek left,” says the young woman, who lives in the village of Perú, a rural area at the southern end of the swamp.
The problems plaguing the swamp are as complex as the landscape in which it is located. Ayapel and ten other municipalities in the departments of Sucre, Bolívar, Córdoba, and Antioquia make up La Mojana, where three of the country’s most important rivers converge: the San Jorge, the Cauca, and the Magdalena. The Magdalena reaches the region through the Loba branch, one of the two branches parting the river’s course as it passes through the El Banco municipality in the department of Magdalena.
In a suburban cream-brick church in Melbourne’s outer west, 5000 kilometres from a homeland facing extinction, the mellifluous voices of a congregation of Tuvaluans rise in song.
The service is mostly in Tuvaluan, a Polynesian language spoken by only 13,000 people worldwide.
This Sunday afternoon service at Melton Baptist Church is a thread that connects the Tuvaluan diaspora in Melbourne to their homeland, a tiny country in the South Pacific Ocean that many see as the canary in the climate change mine.
“Rising seas threaten to drown this island nation – a sign of what’s in store for us all,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted in 2019.
The existential threat to Tuvalu is profound.