BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Green Climate
Fund (GCF) has approved $139 million in financing for a regional
project aimed at helping Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
strengthen their resilience to climate change.


According to the GCF, the project, titled "Climate-resilient
Landscapes in Central Asia," will address the effects of rising
temperatures, drought, water stress and land degradation.


The programme will combine national-level reforms with
investments in local communities. It will improve climate and land
information systems, integrate climate considerations into planning
and strengthen the capacity of local financial institutions to
finance climate-resilient investments.


In 180 municipalities, the project will support locally
developed adaptation plans, forest and pasture restoration, and
climate-resilient farming. These activities will be backed by
training, advisory services and matching grants.


The regional component will facilitate knowledge-sharing,
establish a climate investment platform and support adaptation
plans for landscapes spanning national borders. The programme is
expected to improve land management across approximately 939,000
hectares.







Grants will be directed to vulnerable small-scale farmers and
forest and pasture users who lack access to commercial financing.
Loans provided through local financial institutions will support
businesses able to borrow for climate-resilient investments.


"This programme brings the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan together around shared climate risks that do not stop at
national borders. It will support locally led planning in 180
municipalities and improve management across about 939,000
hectares. By combining grants, climate services and stronger local
financial institutions with a lending programme, the project
connects vulnerable communities with the finance needed to sustain
change," Thomas Eriksson, GCF Regional Director for Eastern Europe,
Central Asia and the Middle East, said.


The Green Climate Fund is an international climate finance
institution established under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. It supports developing countries in
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of
climate change.