Casablanca, Morocco (May 4, 2016) – The Adaptation Fund is engaging the nearly 30-country area of Francophone Africa directly in its first Climate Finance Readiness Workshop for the region in Casablanca, Morocco May 3-5.

The Fund hopes the event draws many prospective National Implementing Entities (NIEs) from the region, as well as currently accredited NIEs to share guides, best practices and lessons learned with the accreditation and project development processes within the Fund’s pioneering Direct Access modality – which allows developing countries to access climate finance, strengthen local adaptation capacity and build on national expertise directly through NIEs that gain accreditation through the Fund.

“We have wanted to carry out a readiness event for the Francophonie region for some time, so we’re very grateful to have this fantastic opportunity to engage with you and share tips, successes and country experiences with the accreditation and project design processes,” said Adaptation Fund Manager Marcia Levaggi, in French during a taped video address to open the workshop on May 3. “We hope you will be encouraged to seek accreditation with the Fund and make use of Direct Access, so that we can increase the number of urgently needed climate change adaptation projects in Francophone Africa and help build the region’s resilience to drought and extreme weather events together.”

The workshop is co-sponsored by the Institute de la Francophonie pour le Developpement Durable (IFDD) and the Project Centre de Competences Changement Climatique (4C) Maroc, with the Fund’s NIE for Morocco, the Agency for Agricultural Development (ADA) also instrumental in organizing the event.

At least 13 countries in the region are represented at the workshop, according to Fund staff on the ground.

The workshop is further timely as the Adaptation Fund’s US$9.97 million project in the vulnerable Oasis zone of southern Morocco – an area that is home to more than 1.7 million people but has been degraded by repeated droughts, unsustainable use of resources, seasonal migrations and extreme weather – is already producing results.

“We hope the project will improve the adaptive capacities of the population in the water sector, diversify incomes, improve living conditions and ecosystem resilience, as well as stakeholder awareness,” Levaggi added. “It also has a special focus on youth and women, which is often pivotal in climate adaptation projects and is aligned with our new Gender Policy and Action Plan to strengthen equal access to programs among women and men.”

The Adaptation Fund has been conducting regional climate readiness workshops in countries for the last couple of years with the aim of increasing the number of NIEs and the Fund’s ability to reach more vulnerable communities with adaptation needs around the world. Currently the Fund has 23 NIEs, and 18 approved NIE projects in 13 countries expected to benefit more than 510,000 people. The Fund also funds 34 other projects through 12 multilateral implementing entities and 6 regional implementing entities.

The Fund will have a second workshop in Casablanca September 6-8 focused on the Middle East and North Africa region, and hopes the two Morocco events provide momentum for raising the continued importance of concrete, localized adaptation projects heading to COP22 in Marrakech November 7-18. The Adaptation Fund was included in the accompanying language of the Paris Agreement at COP21, which established a roadmap that allows the Fund to serve the agreement – subject to a process that has already started and will be continued at COP22.

The Fund also has regional readiness workshops planned in Tegucigalpa, Honduras June 7-9 andMadhya Pradesh, India Aug. 23-25, as well as a global seminar planned in Washington, DC July 13-15.

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