LAHORE – The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has announced USD 66 million in funding to support Pakistan’s efforts to reduce the twin climate impacts of flooding and drought.
The investment will improve the resilience of some of the country’s most vulnerable communities affected by the impacts of climate change, including catastrophic flooding.
The new 7-year project, ‘Recharge Pakistan: Building Pakistan’s Resilience to Climate Change through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Integrated Flood Risk Management’, is the largest investment at the national level to date in an ecosystem-based approach to flood and water resources management.
A collaboration between Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) under the Ministry of Water Resources, and WWF-Pakistan; the project will demonstrate the effectiveness of ecosystem-based adaptation and green infrastructure as an innovative addition to the nation’s traditional grey infrastructure solutions to flood and drought. This will be achieved through restoration and reforestation of forests and wetlands; rehabilitation of water flow paths and channels; development of recharge basins and retention areas; and strengthening the climate resilience of local businesses in the agriculture and forests sectors.
In addition to the GCF funding, the project is supported through a collective USD 12 million investments and technical support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Coca-Cola Foundation and WWF-Pakistan.
Collectively, the project’s interventions will directly benefit over 600,000 people and will indirectly benefit close to 7,000,000 people.
Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman shared the good news of approval of funding on her Twitter handle.
Good news for Pakistan! Our Recharge Pakistan project, which will be implemented over the next 7 years, has been approved today for funding of 77.8 M USD. These include GCF resources of 66 M USD and co-financing of around USD 11.8 M. This adaptation project aims to initiate… pic.twitter.com/MZAQ77EymO
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) July 11, 2023
Speaking about the announcement, President WWF International Dr Adil Najam stated “The floods of 2022 were yet another stark reminder of climate change’s impacts on Pakistan. Initiatives like Recharge Pakistan are the need of the hour to rehabilitate the Indus Basin, Pakistan’s lifeline. Through ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions, this collaboration will help restore the basin’s health, enhance resilience, and safeguard the most vulnerable communities. Today, we are one vital step closer to building climate resilience, protecting biodiversity, and securing a sustainable future for Pakistan.”
Director General WWF-Pakistan, Hammad Naqi Khan added, “A focus on green infrastructure and ecosystem-based adaptation is crucial, especially for a country like Pakistan, where the impacts of climate change are manifesting with increasing frequency and severity and deepening the economic crisis. On behalf of my team, I am thankful to the GCF for their trust and acknowledgment, and would like to thank Minister Sherry Rehman for her support in seeing this through. I am confident that in collaboration with our capable partners, we will deliver the impact expected from this critical and far-reaching undertaking.”
