Adaptation Fund Workshop in Ethiopia Aimed at Increasing Climate Finance Access for Least Developed Countries

Washington, D.C. (May 30, 2017) — As part of ongoing outreach activities through its Readiness Programme aimed at increasing access to climate finance for vulnerable countries, the Adaptation Fund convenes more than 35 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at a Climate Finance Readiness Workshop for LDCs in Ethiopia this week.

The workshop is being held May 30 – June 1 in Addis Ababa and is co-hosted with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MOFEC), the Adaptation Fund’s accredited National Implementing Entity (NIE) for Ethiopia. Speakers from LDCs will share country experiences in accessing adaptation finance and achieving adaptation goals outlined in National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions, while Fund staff provide guidance on direct access to adaptation finance, and best practices for NIEs on the Fund’s accreditation and project development processes. The Fund will also offer countries individualized climate finance clinics.

Dominated by agricultural and livestock sectors composed largely of small-scale subsistence farmers who practice traditional farming methods, Ethiopia, which is also an LDC, is especially vulnerable to climate change, rainfall variability, major droughts, floods and land degradation that put the population at risk to food and water shortages.  The workshop is particularly timely in that the Adaptation Fund Board approved a new US $9.9 million project in March that will be implemented by MOFEC to increase Ethiopia’s capacity to manage droughts through improved adaptation planning, sustainable land management, climate smart agriculture and enhanced access to potable water and small-scale irrigation.

Furthermore, of the Adaptation Fund’s 25 NIEs around the globe, 40% are in LDCs and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Of its US$ 418 million committed to 67 countries to date, the Fund is supporting 26 LDCs and 15 SIDS.

“We are pleased to co-host this important workshop with our Ethiopian partners,” said Adaptation Fund Board Chair Michael Kracht. “It provides an excellent platform for many LDCs to exchange successes and lessons learned on achieving accreditation and developing effective adaptation projects, with the end goals of strengthening country knowledge and capacity to empower the development of more adaptation actions in countries that need it the most.”

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