On Tuesday 23, September 2014 - during the UN Climate Summit 2014, over 100 Heads of State, Government officials, and representatives of the private sector and civil society came together to discuss new ideas to address climate change. In his statement to the meeting Mr. Raphaël EDOU, Minister of the Environment in Benin, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Boni Yayi the President of Benin, called for the international community to use the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility as a “concrete example of an effective mechanism to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in the LDCs”. More specifically, the Minister spoke to the critical importance of establishing a reliable mechanism in the LDCs to bridge a funding gap in order to address climate change, while also developing their institutional and technical capacities to deal with these important issues. H.E. President Yayi encouraged all LDCs to further explore LoCAL.

Following this statement the Permanent Mission of the Representative of Benin to the United Nations and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) organized a high-level meeting to discuss the Local Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL): a project designed for Least Developed Counties’ (LDCs) adaptation to climate change through local level investments by local governments. Benin is chair of the LDCs group at the United Nations.

During the meeting, His Excellency, Mr. Raphaël EDOU, Minister of the Environment in Benin, accompanied by H.E. Mr. Jean-Francis Regis ZINSOU, Permanent Representative of Benin to the UN, opened the discussion with an overview of LoCAL and its imminent launch in Benin and its progress in 8 other countries. The LoCAL project board is composed of representatives of the LDCs that join the facility. Through efforts to increase financing for building local resilience to climate change in the LDCs, the programme contributes towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and sets the stage for the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mr. David Jackson, UNCDF’s Local Development Finance Practice Director, followed the introduction to LoCAL with a comprehensive presentation of the project concept, its objectives for the LDCs, as well as the roadmap for member countries to seek direct access to the Green Climate Fund. Mr. Jackson also spoke about the importance of building resilience to climate change through local investments and actions.

The meeting was attended by a number of ambassadors and ministers. Interventions were made by representatives from Niger, Solomon Islands, and Tchad. During the event, UNCDF welcomed Mr. Luc Gnacadja, Former Executive Secretary of UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as the representative of the LoCAL Board in negotiations on partnerships and funding for the facility.

For more information on LoCAL, please visit: www.uncdf.org/local