The Adaptation Fund strengthened its pipeline of programs and capacity to reach more vulnerable countries at the 27th Adaptation Fund Board meeting with the approval of a new coastal adaptation project in Peru, endorsements of 10 other project concepts and pre-concepts across different countries and regions, and new accreditations of National Implementing Entities (NIEs) in the Dominican Republic and Indonesia.

The board meeting was held in Bonn, Germany on March 17 and 18.

The Board also elected a new Chair, Naresh Sharma of Nepal, who had represented Least Developed Countries as a Board member since 2015. Additionally, the Board approved a new gender policy and action plan to strengthen equal access among women and men to Fund programs and resources.

“We accomplished a lot and I was very pleased to see our pipeline of projects and concepts continue to grow, as we strive to help more developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change,” said Sharma. “The accreditation of two new implementing entities will also build the capacity of countries to develop projects directly while enhancing our ability to reach additional vulnerable communities with urgent adaptation needs. And our new gender action plan is another example of the Fund’s innovation in responding to the diverse needs of communities in timely and localized ways.”

The Board further decided to continue consultations on potential collaboration with the Green Climate Fund, initiate the second phase of an Independent Evaluation of the Adaptation Fund, enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the accreditation process, and set new fundraising targets of US$80 million a year over the next two years. Other decisions included maintaining a US$10 million spending cap per country for the time-being, and continuing the Fund’s US$30 million Pilot Program for Regional Projects.

The Board also discussed progress gained through the Fund’s inclusion in the language accompanying the COP21 Agreement and next steps in view of other key climate change conferences on the near horizon.

Adaptation Fund Board decisions related to NIEs and projects included:

Accrediting two NIEs: Partnership for Governance Reform (Kemitraan) of Indonesia; and the Dominican Institute of Integral Development of the Dominican Republic;

Approving the full project proposal: “Adapting to Impacts of Climate Change on Peru’s Coastal Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries” from the NIE, PROFONANPE, and funding for US$6.95 million;

Endorsing four project concepts: Panama (integrated water management from the NIE, Fundación Natura); Guinea-Bissau (climate-smart agriculture from the Regional Implementing Entity, West African Development Bank); Peru (adapting to preserve livestock and livelihoods in rural highland communities from the RIE, CAF); and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (enhancing climate and disaster resilience of vulnerable settlements from the Multilateral Implementing Entity, UN-Habitat); a US$30,000 project formulation grant was also approved for the Panama concept;

Endorsing five regional pilot program pre-concepts: Chile and Ecuador (reducing climate vulnerability, from CAF); Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam (managing groundwater resources from the MIE, UNESCO); Colombia and Ecuador (building adaptive capacity through food security and peace-building actions in vulnerable border communities from the MIE, WFP); Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda (agricultural climate resilience from the MIE, WMO); and Krgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (reducing vulnerabilities from glacier lake outburst floods from the MIE, UNESCO); a US$20,000 project formulation grant was also approved to develop the Colombia and Ecuador pre-concept.

Endorsing a regional pilot program project concept: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda (adapting to climate change in the Lake Victoria Basin, from the MIE, UNEP); a US$80,000 project formulation grant to develop the concept was also approved.

Source: https://www.adaptation-fund.org/27th-adaptation-fund-board-meeting-strengthens-project-pipeline-approves-gender-plan-and-elects-new-chairman/