By: Robert
Kwaku Annor
The Green Climate Fund (GCF)
and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are strengthening their
partnership to scale climate finance and translate investments into practical
solutions that improve the resilience of communities and ecosystems.
The renewed cooperation was
discussed during a meeting between GCF Executive Director Mafalda Duarte and
JICA President Akihiko Tanaka at JICA headquarters in Tokyo on August 28.
The two leaders exchanged
views on the importance of working with a broad range of stakeholders to
address climate change, amid the increasing frequency of climate-related
disasters globally.
Duarte said JICA has been
instrumental in helping convert climate finance into practical action on the
ground through its partnership with the GCF.
In Lao PDR, the JICA-GCF
partnership has helped keep nearly 47,000 hectares of forest standing and
restore more than 7,000 hectares of degraded land. The interventions have
contributed to protecting natural resources that rural communities depend on
for water, livelihoods and resilience.
The partnership is now
moving towards scaling such interventions in other countries. In the Maldives,
JICA is supporting a $66 million initiative aimed at strengthening the
resilience of island communities through coastal protection, ecosystem
conservation and improved early-warning systems.
In Viet Nam, a $72 million
REDD+ initiative is expected to link sustainable forest management, resilient
agriculture and community livelihoods across six provinces.
Duarte said the investments
demonstrate how climate finance can simultaneously protect ecosystems and
improve the resilience and economic opportunities of communities that depend on
them.
Tanaka said JICA and the GCF
had agreed to promote further cooperation, including the formulation of
projects to be financed through the Green Climate Fund.
The expanded partnership is
expected to strengthen the pipeline of climate projects and help move climate
finance from individual demonstrations towards larger-scale interventions
addressing climate vulnerability, ecosystem protection and community resilience.
