GNHC and UNDP sign GCF financed project ‘Supporting Climate Resilience and Transformational Changes in the Agriculture Sector in Bhutan’
12 January 2019, Bhutan: The Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) and UNDP signed a project for which USD 25.3 million was approved by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at its 23rd Board Meeting held in July last year. The signing took place on Friday, 10 January 2020 at the GNHC, Thimphu.
The ‘Supporting Climate Resilience and Transformational Changes in the Agriculture Sector in Bhutan’ project will help Bhutan prepare and adapt to climate change and ensure it is heading towards low carbon and climate resilient development.
The Chief of the Development Corporation Division of the GNHC, Wangchuk Namgay, said the project will help bridge the resource gap of the 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) and address climate change adaptation challenges facing the country, particularly in the agriculture sector, which is one of the priority sectors of the Royal Government of Bhutan.
The project will focus on enhancing climate resilience of the rural population by supporting climate-resilient irrigation, sustainable land management practices, stabilization of critical landslide prone areas and providing climate information to the farmers to help enable better planning of farming activities.
“With a long history of strong partnership with the GNHC, both at the policy and community levels, UNDP is pleased to support this project and concretely contribute to the Government’s top priority and Sustainable Development Goals,” UNDP Resident Representative Azusa Kubota said. “2020 is a defining year for climate action. With this project, there is a huge responsibility to shoulder in order to showcase Bhutan’s efforts in climate action and elevate the fruits of our efforts on a global level."
The GNHC and UNDP will provide strategic and oversight roles to the project while the local governments will implement the project with technical support from the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology, Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and Department of Roads of the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement.
View original on UNDP Bhutan.
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About UNDP
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.
About the Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund is a global fund created to support the efforts of developing countries to respond to the challenge of climate change. GCF helps developing countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. It seeks to promote a paradigm shift to low-emission and climate-resilient development, taking into account the needs of nations that are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts.