The European Union’s Global Climate Change Alliance Flagship Initiative (GCCA+) together with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Rwandan Ministry of Environment, hosted the 2019 GCCA+ African Regional Conference in Kigali, Rwanda from 15 to18 October : “Climate Smart Africa: Harnessing Growth and Protecting the Gains”.

The conference brought together climate change project managers, policy experts and decision makers to consider how adaptation and ecosystem-based approaches, sustainable landscapes, and systemic approaches to NDCs and climate finance could help to unlock growth and long-term development for African countries.

The conference explored pressing issues that will impact the ability of African countries to achieve economic growth that is environmentally and socially inclusive and to showcase GCCA+ projects across the continent and in Rwanda, as well as promoting their learnings in a community of practice and informing ongoing strategic discussions around the delivery of EU funded climate assistance in Africa (and beyond).

“Climate change poses a threat to continued economic growth and to livelihoods of vulnerable populations in Africa. EU’s commitment to its long-standing partnership with Rwanda and the rest of Africa to achieve the Agenda 2030 is outstanding. In Rwanda for example, the GCCA+ initiative has supported a land titling system and so far, 11 million parcels of land have been registered. This is certainly strengthening climate smart investments by farmers across the country,” said Dr. Vincent Biruta, Rwanda’s Minister for Environment prior to the event.

During the Conference, the UN Capital Development Fund discussed and shared experiences and lessons learned in the implementation of the Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) Facility, having participated in the following panel discussions:

_ Session 2: How to apply integrated EbA with territorial authorities? Mainstreaming EbA in local development plans. The experience of LoCAL/UNCDF.

_ Session 5: Climate Finance – New approaches to mobilize climate finance for stronger local climate action. Example from the GCCA+: How LoCAL is mobilising climate finance for action at local level?

Presentation available at this link

LoCAL was designed in 2011 to promote climate change–resilient communities and local economies through the establishment of a standard, internationally recognized country-based mechanism that allows channelling climate finance, from different sources, to local government authorities in least developed countries (LDCs). LoCAL increases climate change awareness and capacities supports local governments in integrating climate change adaptation into their planning and budgeting systems, and introduce the performance-based climate resilience grants (PBCRGs) system – which ensures the quality of the local authorities’ governance and verifiable local adaptation-targeted investments.

Since its inception, LoCAL has benefited 107 local governments in 14 countries (Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Cambodia, The Gambia, Ghana, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Tanzania and Tuvalu), having mobilized and delivered approximately $60 million, mostly in grants and technical assistance, resulting in the implementation of 637 local adaptation investments.

GCCA+ is LoCAL’s largest Development Partner, having significantly contributed to its success as a key driver of climate action at subnational level in LDCs. GCCA+ has recently replenished the LoCAL Facility (EUR 7 million) for its second phase of global expansion (2019-2022). Building on the experiences and lessons learned of Phase 1, the replenishment will support increased efforts to leverage the adaptive capacity of local governments and their communities, the expansion of the LoCAL mechanism to additional local governments, mainly in LDCs, and the promotion of resilient communities and local economies, investing in climate action where it is most needed.

The GCCA+ is one of the most significant and reliable sources of climate finance and country-driven technical support for vulnerable and poor countries, especially in the African region. By December 2018, the GCCA+ had established 77 programmes world-wide benefiting 33 countries in the African Region. Of the €750 million that the GCCA+ will disburse from 2007- 2020, two- thirds will fund African projects making the GCCA+ one of the most significant funders of LDC and SIDS climate action.