Format
The COP31 side event will take place in-person at the UNDP Pavilion, in the Blue Zone. The event will be in English with a duration of 90 minutes.
Background
Southern Africa is experiencing severe climate change impacts, with water scarcity and land degradation having profound implications for food security and resilient, sustainable development. Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable, facing increasing exposure to droughts, floods and erratic rainfall that threaten their livelihoods.
The US$30M programme Financing Locally Led Adaptation and Nature-based Solutions for Catchment Resilience (2027-2032), funded by the Adaptation Fund (AF) and implemented by UNDP in partnership with three country governments and local organizations, addresses these challenges in Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The project will finance the design and implementation of Catchment Investment Programmes – initiatives that are planned, developed, implemented and coordinated by local communities to enhance ecosystem services and safeguard agricultural livelihoods. A critical element is the establishment of sustained financing through mechanisms such as payment for ecosystem services and partnerships with national banks to advance access to finance for investments in climate resilient agricultural practices integrated within sustainable landscape and watershed management.
The event
This COP31 side event will officially launch the project and serve as a space to highlight the pathways of financing local action for adaptation and the opportunities for impact at scale that such a regional programme can deliver to achieve long-term sustainability. The event will include a discussion on how locally led adaptation (LLA) efforts are strengthened through the AF's dedicated windows of climate finance for LLA, how UNDP and partners involved in this program are supporting stronger sub-national frameworks and institutions, and how entities provided blended finance opportunities to scale grant-based finance.
Discussions will focus on:
The focus will be in scaling financing in locally led adaptation and nature-based solutions, showcasing the importance of local leadership and capacity building at sub-national governance levels. The high-level opening and launch of the programme will share a vision and expectation of the programme's impact on the ground and opportunities to scale, while the panel discussion will delve deeper on the questions of strong locally led adaptation, climate finance and blended finance complementarities to scale nature-based solutions and locally led adaptation initiatives.
Agenda
Moderator: Radhika Dave, Principal Technical Advisor, Head a.i., Climate Adaptation & Resilient Societies, Planet Hub, UNDP
AGENDA TBC SOON