In the media

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has handed over US$82 000 worth of goats, agricultural and laboratory equipment to Esigodini Agricultural College to enhance the institution’s programmes.

Esigodini Agricultural College is one of the five platforms driving Zimbabwe’s innovation in agriculture.

The college received 54 Kalahari and Matabele goats and an assortment of agricultural equipment including heating ovens, a lab size grinding mill, an automated fat extractor, microscopes, fume cupboards, a automated kjeldahl unit and several laboratory consumables.

“UNDP has the largest climate portfolio in the UN system, supporting climate action in nearly 150 developing countries,” Cassie Flynn, Global Director of Climate Change at UNDP, explained.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) today unveiled the next stage of the Climate Promise – an initiative to support developing countries on their climate action.

Climate Promise 2025 - introduced by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner at an event at UN Headquarters in New York City - marks the beginning of renewed efforts on climate action across the UN System ahead of 2025, a critical year as countries enter into a new 5-year cycle of commitments to limit global warming.

UNDP’s Climate Promise 2025 builds on the organization’s continuing support for more than 125 developing countries to align the next generation of their national climate pledges – known as ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ or ‘NDCs’ – to the goals set forth under the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and increase resilience to climate impacts.

THE sun beats down mercilessly on Mwenezi District, Masvingo Province. Once a canvas of green maize stalks, the land is now a cracked and thirsty expanse.

Mr Africa Siziba, a 45-year-old farmer from Jawanda Village under Chief Mawarire in Ward 4 of Mwenezi East, stands with a heavy heart, watching his crops wilt under the relentless glare.

The wind whispers not of rain, but carries a scorching dryness that steals the life from the withering plants. The harsh reality of climate change is etched upon this landscape. It’s devastating effects on livelihoods, health, water and food security are no longer distant threats — they are a brutal present. Mwenezi, like other districts in Masvingo Province, lies in natural regions four and five, making it particularly vulnerable. The last two decades have seen some of the harshest consequences of climate change here, with El Nino’s impact on crop yields this year being a stark example.

The Climate Promise 2025 aims to accelerate efforts from local to international levels to take more ambitious steps to ensure the global temperature does not heat up beyond the 1.5° limit, a goal set with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the initiative, driven by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), recognises an important truth in the climate battle: “it is not all doom and gloom”.

“Many countries have the will to take more ambitious steps on climate action, but the world needs to mobilise to ensure there is a way,” he said at the Below 1.5 by 2025: The Plan launch event.

Hosted by actor Ato Essandoh, the event featured conversations and pledges for action interspersed with videos aired from around the world, echoing a chorus of calls for world leaders to join and keep the promise.

The Majhi community in Nepal has been significantly impacted by climate change with adverse effects on their traditional livelihoods, which heavily relies on natural resources, such as fishing in rivers. Their unique knowledge on climate change is often overlooked instead of being acknowledged and leveraged to enhance their resilience and ensure sustainable liveliho.ods

The incessant rain, along with prolonged dry periods and drought, has made it difficult for the community to sustain their livelihoods for example, lack of irrigation has affected agricultural practices. Though there have been improvements in water supply, challenges still persist. And the Majhi community is shifting from on-farm to off-farm activities such as brewing of alcohol or undertaking manual labor for income.

New York, 23 April 2024 – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) today unveiled the next stage of the Climate Promise – an initiative to support developing countries on their climate action.

Climate Promise 2025 - introduced by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner at an event at UN Headquarters in New York City - marks the beginning of renewed efforts on climate action across the UN System ahead of 2025, a critical year as countries enter into a new 5-year cycle of commitments to limit global warming.

Sergazina provided invaluable insights into the implications of these forecasts and emphasized the critical need for both adaptation and mitigation efforts.

By Dr Farhina Ahmed is secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Stefan Liller is the UNDP resident representative in Bangladesh.

As Bangladesh proudly hosts the ninth global National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Expo this week, the world turns its gaze to a nation that not only faces formidable climate challenges but is also leading by example in climate adaptation.

The NAP Expo, an initiative under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), serves as a vital platform for sharing knowledge and forging partnerships in our collective journey towards environmental resilience.

Haiti, a Caribbean nation endowed with natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, finds itself grappling with a myriad of challenges, from environmental degradation to political instability. UNDP is taking innovative steps to help the country address these in an integrated way.

The intervention in the Trois-Rivieres Watershed is part of a broader effort to support the Haitian Government and people address climate security challenges. UNDP helped to support Haiti’s first ever assessment of climate security challenges and participates in a recently established Climate Security Group. The project embodies the main aspects that this Group agrees are needed to address compound environmental and conflict risks: establishing a common understanding among stakeholders on what the linkages are; ensuring synergy and complementarity of actions; adapting mechanisms to better finance peacebuilding and climate change actions; technical capacity-building and making the most of technologies and research structures. Above all the project suggests pragmatic ways to close the funding gap and try and ensure that communities living in areas affected by both insecurity and climate change are empowered to adapt to multi-dimensional risks. This is climate security in practice.

Felizita Da Conceciao Mendoza, 23-year-old, is an engineering student learning in a programme “Safeguarding Rural Communities and their Physical Assets from Climate-induced Disasters in Timor-Leste” supported by the government of Timor-Leste and UNDP Green Climate Fund (GCF) project. Felizita is one of five women in 27 engineering students in the GCF training programme. “I am working as a technical supervisor in the Ministry of Public in Aileu Municipality. My educational background is civil engineering, which motivated me to participate in this training programme” said Felizita. 

A five-day workshop focusing on Community Conservation Areas (CCA) has been held in Vanuatu to chart a path forward regarding implementation of the Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Zones of Vanuatu – Phase II project (V-CAP II).

The project is supported by the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Programme and the Government of Vanuatu, with implementation being carried out by the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the Department of Environment Protection and Conservation, and the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department.

V-CAP II aims to improve the resilience of vulnerable areas and communities in Vanuatu to the impacts of climate change through the conservation of biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and the implementation of integrated approaches in order to sustain livelihoods, food production. These efforts will ensure biodiversity conservation and reduce land degradation by building on the lessons learned from the first phase project. The project, which runs through May 2028, is being implemented in all six provinces of Vanuatu: Torba, Sanma, Malampa, Penama, Shefa, and Tafea

SWAT: Glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) have wreaked havoc on people’s lives and livelihoods in the picturesque valleys of Utror, Gabral, and Mankiyal in northern Pakistan.

The residents told Dawn that the catastrophic events triggered by the accelerated melting of glaciers due to climate change had uprooted entire villages, leaving locals displaced and fearing for their future.

A recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) highlights the alarming surge in Glof occurrences in Pakistan, with 83 such events recorded in 2023 alone.

In a significant step towards strengthening their resilience to climate change, Ethiopia, Tanzania and the Solomon Islands have collectively secured more than US$27 million from the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) for developing comprehensive early warning systems. The investment from the United Nations multi-partner trust fund will go towards addressing critical gaps in their weather observation systems and enhance their capacities to predict and respond to climate-related hazards.

Climate information and early warning systems are key to safeguarding lives, livelihoods and a country’s development, particularly in the face of more frequent, intense and unpredictable extreme weather events.

Represenative from the different sector have participated in this siginificant meeting held recenlty. Twelve new  municipalities are going to implement the project in the near future as well so that the effect of climate change can be mitigated.

It is to be noted that the project “Reduction of the Risk of Climate Change Disasters in Georgia” will be implemented in additional and existing municipalities of country. The project is already underway in the Gori, Lagodekhi, Signaghi, Telavi, Akhmeta, Samtredia, Abasha, Senaki, Khobi, Kobuleti, Ozurgeti, Lanchkhuti, Chokhatauri.

The Republic of Moldova will strengthen its resilience to the intensifying climate-related extreme weather events, such as floods and flash floods, that cause loss of life and property damage. The Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation, provides a total of about €4 million to build the national hydro-meteorological monitoring and early warning systems and to apply an integrated water resources management approach to five key watersheds. The funds are offered through UNDP, via "Hydro-infrastructure rehabilitation to mitigate vulnerability to climate-driven extreme events in the Republic of Moldova" project, which will be implemented until the end of 2027. 

According to the 2024 Regional Human Development Report published by UNDP, Asia-Pacific is most dynamic and the fastest growing regions. It has gained 19 percentage points in the Human Development Index (HDI) and Cambodia has been on the forefront in significantly reducing multidimensional poverty. This growth, however, comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities, especially in the face of the climate crisis—a crisis that threatens to unravel decades of developmental gains. Progress has not been distributed equally. We are facing an uncertain future, therefore Cambodia has to focus on reducing inequality, vulnerability and human insecurity. One of the paths highlighted by the report is to accelerate climate change adaptation and diversifying the local economy.  This is especially important as Cambodia ranks amongst the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Based on modelling conducted in 2019 by UNDP, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of Environment, it was estimated that climate change is likely to reduce absolute GDP by 2.5 percent by 2030 and by almost 10 percent by 2050. A World Bank report published in 2023 reached similar findings. Therefore, we need to commit to sustainable development, powered by the innovations of Cambodian start-ups and the support of the global investment community.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will be visiting Bangladesh in her capacity as a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from March 18 to 21.

It was the first official mission since her appointment as a UNDP goodwill ambassador in October, the UN agency said.

"The crown princess's visit is a unique opportunity to raise awareness of Bangladesh’s development journey and strengthen partnerships towards a resilient and inclusive future," said Ulrika Modéer, UN assistant secretary-general and director of external relations and advocacy at UNDP, who will accompany the crown princess during the visit.

In the majestic landscapes of Northern Pakistan, a silent catastrophe is unfolding. Rising temperatures have taken a toll on the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayan glaciers, causing them to melt at an alarming rate. As a result, glacial lakes have emerged, shimmering like jewels amidst the rugged terrain. These glacial lakes pose a significant risk of flooding events, capable of unleashing devastation upon the land and its people. Over seven million people live in the shadow of an impending disaster.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, the Government of Pakistan, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), is implementing a comprehensive project to mitigate the risks posed by these glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), helping communities preserve indigenous practices such as glacier grafting, avalanche harvesting, and ice stupas for water conservation in the valleys of the north. The goal is twofold: to safeguard local communities and provide early warnings of potentially catastrophic flood events.

A $1.12 million water tank project funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will provide a safe and climate resilient water supply for schools in Tonga. At the signing of the agreement on 20 March, the Acting CEO for Finance, Ms. Pisila ‘Otunuku, said that the project will ensure the sustainable management of water that is safe, clean, and accessible, especially for children and vulnerable people.

In a world where environmental degradation poses a grave threat to our existence, the urgency for ecosystem restoration has never been more apparent. 

In Uganda, the 7th Uganda Water and Environment Week (UWEWK) held from 18 - 22 March 2024, under the theme "Rethinking collective action and innovative solutions to water, environment, and climate change crisis," served as a poignant platform to reflect on the journey of Nyamuhizi Wetland restoration.

Nyamuhizi Wetland, located in Mitooma district, Uganda, stands as an example of the global challenges. Once a flourishing ecosystem, Nyamuhizi endured significant degradation, echoing the plight of many wetlands around the world. However, amidst this despair, there exists a beacon of hope. Through collaborative efforts spearheaded by the government of Uganda and UNDP, supported by funding from the Green Climate Fund, alongside active engagement from local communities, Nyamuhizi is undergoing a remarkable resurgence.