Japan vows $23.6-m climate change fund

NEW YORK―Japan and UNDP have joined forces for another set of funding to support climate action, drive green transformation and ensure climateresilient sustainable development.

The second phase of the Japan Supplementary Budget funds seeks to respond to the growing demand of developing countries supported by UNDP to take climate action and deliver on national climate pledges (also known as NDC), while also addressing complex current crises that pose a critical threat to global human security.

Priorities of the new support package include increasing resilience and adapting to climate impacts on food security, reducing risk from climateinduced events such as floods and mudslides, and driving innovation to urgently advance renewable energy, sustainable transportation, energy efficiency and energy access for the most vulnerable communities.

“The 1.5°C limit of the global temperature rise as set by the Paris Agreement is still within reach. But as the UN Secretary-General said, it will take a quantum leap in climate action. UNDP’s renewed partnership with Japan will serve to make this urgent action possible and tackle multi-faceted crises in many countries,” said Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Program Support.

Japan’s $23.6-million contribution will assist 16 countries across AsiaPacific, Europe and Central Asia, Africa, and Arab State regions through UNDP’s Climate Promise initiative. The countries included in the new phase of support are Armenia, Bhutan, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Namibia, Nepal, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.

The first round of funding from Japan enabled countries to advance new clean technologies and practices across different sectors such as in Egypt, Maldives and Bosnia and Herzegovina, develop policies that set ambitious climate action on the ground such as in Indonesia.

In Kenya and Georgia, the initiative improved forest management to increase reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Tajikistan was able to install early-warning systems that strengthen resilience of the local communities.