Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities

Project overview

Implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India with support UNDP, the 6-year project ‘Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities’ (2019-2024) will enhance the climate resilience of the most vulnerable populations, particularly women, in the coastal areas of India. The project will shift the paradigm towards a new approach integrating ecosystem-centred and community-based approaches to adaptation into coastal management and planning by the public sector, the private sector and civil society.
 
The project will invest in ecological infrastructure to buffer against climate-induced hazards, especially storm surges, supporting climate-resilient coastal livelihoods, and enhancing climate-risk informed cross-sectoral planning and governance of the coastal zone. 
 
The project will contribute towards the achievement of climate priorities outlined in India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008), the State Action Plans, as well as commitments outlined in India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (2015). 
 

Project Location

*The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations or UNDP concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Expected outcomes

Output 1: Enhanced resilience of coastal and marine ecosystems and their services 
Activity 1.1: Conducting vulnerability assessment of the coast to inform planning of ecosystem- and community-based adaptation interventions
Activity 1.2: Community-based conservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems for increasing ecosystem resilience
 
Output 2: Climate-adaptive livelihoods for enhanced resilience of vulnerable coastal communities 
Activity 2.1: Building climate resilient livelihoods and enterprises through value chains and strengthened access to markets
Activity 2.2: Improving capacities of local communities on ecosystem-based adaptation and climate-resilient livelihoods
 
Output 3: Strengthened coastal and marine governance and institutional framework
Activity 3.1: Network of institutions for enhanced climate resilience and integrated planning and governance in all coastal states
Activity 3.2: Integrating ecosystem-centric approaches to climate change adaptation into public and private sector policies, plans and budgets, and scaling up finance for EbA
Activity 3.3: Knowledge management for coastal resilience

Project Details

Levels of Intervention

Community

Source of Funds

Green Climate Fund

Key Implementers

Country office
Local governments
National governments
Non-Governmental organizations
Private sector partners
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Funding Amounts

US$43.42 million via Green Climate Fund
US$86.85 million via the Government of India

Project Partners

Green Climate Fund

Project Dates

2019 to 2024

Introduction

Implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India with support UNDP, the 6-year project ‘Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities’ (2019-2024) will enhance the climate resilience of the most vulnerable populations, particularly women, in the coastal areas of India. The project will shift the paradigm towards a new approach integrating ecosystem-centred and community-based approaches to adaptation into coastal management and planning by the public sector, the private sector and civil society.
 
The project will invest in ecological infrastructure to buffer against climate-induced hazards, especially storm surges, supporting climate-resilient coastal livelihoods, and enhancing climate-risk informed cross-sectoral planning and governance of the coastal zone. 
 
The project will contribute towards the achievement of climate priorities outlined in India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008), the State Action Plans, as well as commitments outlined in India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (2015). 
 

Project details

Apr 2017
GCF FP Submission (first)
Oct 2018
Approved by GCF Board
Nov 2019
Project Launch

This large-scale project will advance climate change adaptation across India’s coastal zone, with a focus on building the resilience of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha, whose coastal populations are particularly vulnerable to extreme events and slow onset climate impacts. 

Historically, the focus in India, as in most countries, has been on engineering-based solutions to climate challenges, such as building concrete structures to directly increase protection from waves and flooding. However, ecosystem-based solutions are increasingly being recognized worldwide  as cost-effective approaches with additional co-benefits for enhancing climate-adaptive livelihoods.

Signature programmes: 
Livelihoods
Coastal Adaptation
Thematic areas: 
Rural Development
Natural Resource Management
Coastal Zone Development
Climate-related hazards addressed: 
Extreme Weather Events
Level of intervention: 
Community
Key collaborators: 
Country office
Local governments
National governments
Non-Governmental organizations
Private sector partners
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Primary beneficiaries: 
1,744,970 direct beneficiaries (50% women) 10 million indirect beneficiaries
Implementing agencies and partnering organizations: 
Green Climate Fund
Project status: 
Source of Funds Approval/Endorsement
Location: 
Rural
Funding source: 
Green Climate Fund
Financing amount: 
US$43.42 million via Green Climate Fund
Co-financing total: 
US$86.85 million via the Government of India

Key results and outputs

Output 1: Enhanced resilience of coastal and marine ecosystems and their services 
Activity 1.1: Conducting vulnerability assessment of the coast to inform planning of ecosystem- and community-based adaptation interventions
Activity 1.2: Community-based conservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems for increasing ecosystem resilience
 
Output 2: Climate-adaptive livelihoods for enhanced resilience of vulnerable coastal communities 
Activity 2.1: Building climate resilient livelihoods and enterprises through value chains and strengthened access to markets
Activity 2.2: Improving capacities of local communities on ecosystem-based adaptation and climate-resilient livelihoods
 
Output 3: Strengthened coastal and marine governance and institutional framework
Activity 3.1: Network of institutions for enhanced climate resilience and integrated planning and governance in all coastal states
Activity 3.2: Integrating ecosystem-centric approaches to climate change adaptation into public and private sector policies, plans and budgets, and scaling up finance for EbA
Activity 3.3: Knowledge management for coastal resilience
 

Reports and publications

Reports and Publications by country teams

Multimedia

UNDP India Youth Climate Champion Prajakta Koli visits project sites in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra

For more information on the Green Climate Fund-funded project 'Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities', click here. 

Restoring mangroves in Maharashtra, India

Mangroves protect coasts from natural disasters, prevent soil erosion and help fight climate change. Rich in biodiversity, they also support community livelihoods.
 
Funded by the Green Climate Fund and implemented with the support of UNDP, the project 'Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities' is working with vulnerable populations, particularly women, in the coastal areas of India. 
 

Restoring mangroves and supporting coastal communities in Odisha, India #ForPeopleForPlanet

India's mangroves provide livelihoods to communities and protect them from natural disasters like storms and cyclones. But they face threats from climate change, pollution & unsustainable development. 
 
With funding from the Green Climate Fund and technical support from UNDP, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is working to protect these ecosystems.
 
Enhancing climate resilience of India’s coastal communities with support from the Green Climate Fund

Monitoring and evaluation

Project-level monitoring and evaluation for this project will be undertaken in compliance with the UNDP POPP and the UNDP Evaluation Policy. Primary responsibility for day-to-day project monitoring and implementation rests with the National Project Coordinator and the State Project Managers.
 
A project implementation report (PIR) will be prepared for each year of project implementation. Semi-annual reporting will be undertaken in accordance with UNDP guidelines for quarterly reports that are produced by the National Project Coordinator.
 
An independent mid-term review (MTR) process will be undertaken and the findings and responses outlined in the management response will be incorporated as recommendations for enhanced implementation during the final half of the project’s duration. The terms of reference, the review process and the final MTR report will follow the standard templates and guidance available on the UNDP Evaluation Resource Centre.
 
An independent terminal evaluation (TE) will take place no later than three months prior to operational closure of the project. The terms of reference, the review process and the final TE report will follow the standard templates and guidance available on the UNDP Evaluation Resource Centre.
 
The MTR and TE will be carried out by an independent evaluator. The evaluation report prepared by the independent evaluator is then quality assessed and rated by the UNDP Independent Evaluation Office.
 
For detailed information on arrangements for Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation, refer to section H2 of the Project Funding Proposal (pp 104-106).
 
*The UNDP Country Office will retain all M&E records for this project for up to six years after project financial closure.*
 

Contacts

UNDP
Srilata Kammila
Regional Technical Advisor
srilata.kammila@undp.org