Mozambique has been receiving financial support from its country-based development partners to support national development strategies, public policies, local plans and budgets to reduce poverty, promote socio-cultural, economic and district level climate-resilient development.

It is in this framework that on 17 October 2018 the upscaling phase of the Local Climate Adaptive Living programme (LoCAL) was launched by government representatives from the Ministry of Land, Rural Development and Environment (MITADER), the Ministry of Economy and Finances (MEF), representatives from the Swedish Embassy in the country, with the support of UNCDF.

This phase will provide support to eight districts in Gaza: Massingir, Guijá, Mabalane, Chicualacuala, Chigubo, Massangena, Chókwè and Chibuto, and five districts in Inhambane province: Jangamo, Panda, Funhalouro, Govuro and Mabote. The main criteria for the selection of the participating districts in the LoCAL initiative was to have an existing climate change Local Adaptation Plan.

The upscaling phase of LoCAL will have an approximate budget of US$ 15 million, out of which around $13 million will be provided by the Swedish Embassy in Mozambique, and the remaining $2 million will be provided by the Belgian Development Cooperation and UNCDF. The implementation timeframe will cover the 2018-2023 period.

Representatives from local government authorities, together with government officials from the Provincial Directorate of Land, Rural Development and Environment, Provincial Directorate of Economy and Finances, and the Provincial Directorate of Public Works from both provinces participated and contributed with the ongoing, locally-led experiences to support plans, budgets and investment cycles for climate-resilient development.

At the local-district level, it is important to stress that the LoCAL development objectives in Mozambique are contextualized to meet the specific adaptation challenges of improving food and nutritional security, promoting the sustainable management of natural resources and increasing the resilience of rural communities and their environment to the adverse effects of climate change.

Throughout the programmatic design of the LoCAL upscaling phase it has been confirmed that the districts suffering the most food insecurity are those affected by the severe and continuously changing climate conditions (i.e., floods, droughts and high temperatures). It is in this context that the LoCAL development initiative comes in to reinforce the Public Financial Management Strategy 2016-2019 in the country and the variables associated with decentralized governance structures and locally led and managed processes and systems, these include the planning, budgeting, procurement, and government-based accountability measures for localized resilient development.

The LoCAL development initiative will continue to support and be articulated with the existing Belgian Fund for Food Security development objectives in enhancing local communities’ food security by reinforcing local government fiscal capabilities to finance resilient infrastructure, socio-economic services and equipment for local development.

The launch was formally approved by Her Excellency Celmira da Silva, Vice-Minister of Land Environment and Rural Development, with the presence of the representatives from the Swedish Embassy, the representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Technical Secretariat in Food Security.