Green Climate Fund and UNEP boost climate adaptation with USD 120 million for new projects in Ghana, the Maldives, and Mauritania

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved over USD 120 million in new funding to strengthen climate resilience in Ghana, the Maldives, and Mauritania.

The projects, developed by UN Environment Programme (UNEP) at the request of the three countries will help vulnerable communities anticipate and adapt to increasingly severe impacts of climate change through nature-based solutions, climate-resilient agriculture, early warning systems and improved water security.

According to Henry Gonzalez, Chief Investment Officer of the GCF, “The approval of these projects demonstrates how GCF is supporting country ownership of national climate action priorities in Ghana, Maldives, and Mauritania. These investments will positively impact key areas of climate resilience in all three countries.”

A press release issued by UNEP indicates that the "initiatives are a major step forward in deploying adaptation finance where it is most needed — particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Sahel region" and will benefit more than 3.5 million people.

The Director of UNEP’s Climate Change Division, Martin Krause said “These new projects reflect UNEP’s deep commitment to supporting countries on the frontlines of climate change.”

In Ghana the new USD 70 million project – including a USD 63 million GCF grant – aims to build the resilience of agroecosystems and rural livelihoods. The initiative will support 120 communities across eight districts in the North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions. Activities include improving access to climate data and early warnings, enabling dry season farming through water storage solutions, and restoring 28,000 hectares of degraded land to improve soil health, improve water retention and reduce flood risks.

Implemented by the Government of Ghana through the Environmental Protection Agency and Ghana Meteorological Agency, the project will benefit 619,000 people directly, while early warning alerts will reach up to 2.9 million people. Around 120,000 individuals will experience improved food security as a result of climate-resilient farming practices.

In the Maldives, the USD 25 million project – expected to benefit more than half a million people – will be implemented over five years under the lead of UNEP. It aligns with the goal of the Early Warnings for All initiative (EW4All) to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from hazardous climate events through early warning systems by 2027 and it will deliver on the Maldives’ roadmap to achieve the EW4All Initiative, developed by the Government of Maldives and international partners to guide the scaling up of early warning systems in the country.

With a USD 33 million investment — including a USD 30 million GCF grant — the new UNEP project in Mauritania will be led by Mauritania’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The project will directly benefit 85,000 people and improve resilience for 145,000 more. It will also protect 2,100 hectares of land and support the country’s contributions to the Great Green Wall — a multilateral African initiative to combat desertification and build climate resilience across the continent.

About the UN Environment Programme
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About the Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund – a critical element of the historic Paris Agreement - is the world’s largest climate fund, mandated to support developing countries raise and realize their Nationally Determined Contributions ambitions towards low-emissions, climate-resilient pathways.