Search Climate Insights Directory

The IAI Directorate has proposed a Strategic Plan for 2024-2030 organized around three themes: meeting the needs of Parties to address global environmental change, developing science for the sustainability of the Americas, and ensuring the sustainability of the IAI as an organization. Key initiatives include funding transdisciplinary research on the climate-environment-health nexus, biodiversity, and ocean-coast-island systems through the Belmont Forum, as well as expanding the STeP program and establishing a new office in Central America and the Caribbean by 2025.

The IAI Science Diplomacy Center (SDC) is a regional initiative designed to foster science-policy dialogue and collaboration in the Americas, particularly Latin America and the Caribbean. Between 2023 and April 2024, the SDC established three priority pillars: Capacity Building, a Knowledge Hub, and Emerging/Evolving/Innovation Issues. Key achievements include the launch of a Science Diplomacy Training Program for Policy Makers, the expansion of the Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) Fellowship program, and the development of a specialized science diplomacy curriculum with the University of Sao Paulo. The SDC is also building a Knowledge Hub to map experts, bibliography, and events, while engaging in strategic partnerships with organizations such as AAAS, UNESCO, and DiploCientifica to secure funding and expand regional training.

The proposal aims to address the lack of coordination between climate, biodiversity, and development strategies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It proposes a 24-month project to create a 30x30 investment strategy that integrates biodiversity conservation with climate mitigation and adaptation, specifically focusing on the rights and engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPs and LCs). Key activities include spatial modelling to identify priority conservation areas, policy alignment analysis, the development of a business plan for 30x30 implementation, and the submission of a technically sound GCF project concept note.

The document outlines a 24-month readiness and preparatory support programme for Iran, implemented by the FAO. It aims to address barriers to climate finance by establishing a National Climate Change Knowledge Hub, updating Technology Need Assessments, and supporting the accreditation of national Direct Access Entities. The project focuses on creating a bankable project pipeline, improving inter-agency coordination through the National Climate Change Working Group, and developing a National Climate Change Mitigation Plan, with a specific emphasis on the energy sector and gender-responsive climate action.

The proposal seeks EUR 742,209 over 18 months to address four primary barriers to climate action in Guatemala: lack of integrated governance, an unfinished GCF Country Programme, the absence of an integrated monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for adaptation and finance, and a lack of a common sustainable finance taxonomy. Implemented by GIZ and led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MARN), the project will establish a national coordination mechanism, train public and private stakeholders, finalize a project pipeline aligned with the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and develop a sustainable finance taxonomy to attract private investment.

The proposal identifies critical gaps in Côte d'Ivoire's climate governance, including a lack of inter-ministerial coordination, insufficient local-level planning, and limited private sector capacity to engage with the Green Climate Fund (GCF). To address these, the project proposes training for the National Designated Authority (NDA), establishing a multi-stakeholder coordination committee, updating the national Country Programme to align with GCF USP-2 requirements, and developing 'green city' strategies in the Gbêkê region and Bocanda. The initiative also includes rural awareness campaigns and the production of educational materials to promote climate adaptation best practices.

The document outlines a 24-month readiness program (April 2024 to March 2026) implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) for Ethiopia. It focuses on four main areas: building the capacity of the Ministry of Planning and Development (the new NDA) and the Ministry of Finance; supporting the pre-accreditation of the Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) to access the GCF Private Sector Facility; establishing essential coordination mechanisms including a No-Objection procedure and an operational manual; and developing a GCF Country Programming Document and two high-quality project concept notes based on pre-feasibility studies. The program also includes the creation of a knowledge management portal and international learning visits to countries such as Rwanda, South Africa, or Tanzania.

The IEJ Strategy 2023–2027 focuses on producing knowledge and shifting economic discourse to achieve systemic social and economic change. The plan identifies six programmatic projects targeting macroeconomic frameworks, feminist economics, and a just transition in energy and food systems. To support these goals, the IEJ is transitioning from siloed programme areas to a project-based organisational structure and implementing a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework. Financially, the organisation has seen significant growth, with budgeted expenditure rising from approximately R3.2 million in 2018/19 to R34.9 million in 2023, though it continues to seek more long-term core funding.

The report outlines a strategic collaboration between the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Guatemala's Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS) to integrate WASH services with integrated watershed management. It identifies critical gaps in service coverage—estimated at 89% for drinking water and 63% for sanitation—and proposes the adaptation of SEI tools (WASH-Flows, EWI, and WEAP) to enhance data collection, gender equity, and decision-making. The document aligns these efforts with the National Development Plan K’atun 2032 and recommends increased inter-institutional coordination, investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, and the adoption of a gender-sensitive approach to water governance.

The proposal outlines a 36-month project implemented by the FAO to address Venezuela's high vulnerability to climate change. It focuses on creating a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for agriculture, fisheries, and water resources by strengthening institutional coordination, producing a climate vulnerability evidence base, engaging the private sector, and establishing a long-term financing framework, including a dedicated National Adaptation Fund.

The proposal requests USD 613,699.15 over 18 months to address critical capacity gaps in Nigeria's National Designated Authority (NDA). Key objectives include establishing a coordination mechanism, developing a GCF country program, creating a monitoring and evaluation framework, and drafting two project concept notes for mitigation and adaptation. The project will be implemented by the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk-sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) in collaboration with the NCCC.

The Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) has developed a Further Improved Action Plan (FIAP1) for 2024-2027 to maintain its 'HR Excellence in Research' award. This plan follows a series of previous action plans (2015-2023) and is based on a 2023 internal GAP analysis. The FIAP1 focuses on four strategic objectives: ensuring a safe and vibrant workspace, developing a labour framework for excellence, improving internal structures for sustainability and fairness, and contributing to personal and professional development. Key initiatives include updating the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment (OTM-R) policy, developing a new Equality Action Plan for 2024-2027, and establishing a formal labour framework for rights and responsibilities.

The GCF Board's 37th meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, resulted in the approval of 15 funding proposals totaling USD 736.4 million and the adoption of the 2024 administrative budget of USD 112.4 million. Key strategic outcomes include the endorsement of the Readiness Strategy 2024–2027, which allocates USD 501.5 million to enhance country ownership and direct access, and the confirmation of USD 9.3 billion in pledges for the second formal replenishment (GCF-2). The Board also established an ad hoc Committee on Human Resources Matters to address systemic compensation and policy issues. Significant discussions occurred regarding the potential for a regional presence to reduce operational bottlenecks and the ongoing debate over the financing of results-based payments for REDD+, which was deferred to the next meeting.

The proposal identifies significant barriers preventing the Chadian private sector from contributing to climate action, including the NDA's poor understanding of private sector roles and a lack of national technical expertise in climate finance. To address these, the project proposes a series of capacity-building activities: training the NDA on GCF private sector facilities, establishing a private sector coordination mechanism, developing a roadmap for the accreditation of a private sector Direct Access Entity, and creating a knowledge management system. The project will be implemented by the Institut de la Francophonie pour le Développement Durable (IFDD) over 18 months, with a strong focus on gender mainstreaming, targeting at least 40% female participation in training and strategy development.

The IAI Strategic Plan 2024–2030 focuses on three strategic themes: meeting the needs of Parties to address global environmental change, developing science for the sustainability of the Americas, and ensuring the sustainability of the IAI. These themes are implemented through 10 strategic goals, including the promotion of transdisciplinary research on biodiversity, climate change adaptation, and water-food-energy nexuses, as well as strengthening science-policy interfaces and regional funding networks.

The project aims to protect the health of approximately 2.3 million people in Lao PDR by addressing the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on the health sector. It focuses on four key outcomes: strengthening climate-resilient governance and leadership, improving health information systems to include climate and weather data, enhancing health service delivery in rural provinces, and increasing community capacity to respond to early warnings. Key activities include upgrading the infrastructure and WASH services of 79 health facilities to be more resilient and energy-efficient, and providing financial support to 173 communities to implement health and climate resilience action plans. The project is designed as a two-phase approach, with Phase 1 serving as a model for potential nationwide scaling in Phase 2.

The proposal aims to address critical gaps in Benin's climate action, including the lack of a centralized climate information system and poor integration of national climate commitments into communal development plans. Key planned activities include the creation of a digital climate data repository, a baseline study on the integration of climate change into local planning, an evaluation of the 2016-2025 Low-Emission Climate-Resilient Development Strategy (LECRDS), and the development of a concept note for scaling up nature-based solutions. The project will be implemented by the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) over 24 months, targeting the National Designated Authority, sectoral ministries, and local communes.

The proposal seeks USD 2,726,404 over 36 months to overcome five primary barriers to climate change adaptation (CCA) in Georgia: limited national and regional coordination, insufficient mainstreaming of CCA in policies, low awareness among decision-makers, limited funding, and the lack of a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. The project, implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA), will establish thematic working groups, conduct climate risk assessments in four representative regions, develop six sectoral adaptation plans, and create a private sector engagement strategy. A central goal is the formulation and submission of a costed National Adaptation Plan to the UNFCCC, supported by a new M&E framework and a targeted adaptation finance action plan.

The report details two Steering Committee meetings held in Uruguay and the United States to define the vision, mission, and goals of the IAI Center for Science Diplomacy (SDC). Key recommendations include strengthening the science-policy interface in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on climate action priorities such as food security and ocean management, and developing a knowledge center for science diplomacy. The SDC aims to leverage the IAI's existing STeP fellowship program and collaborate with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for fundraising and capacity building.

The PIDACC-Zambezi programme seeks USD 100 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to complement a total budget of USD 312.3 million. It targets the Zambezi Watercourse, where climate change is causing increased drought, flooding, and reduced hydropower potential. The programme focuses on four components: building community resilience through infrastructure and agribusiness, strengthening integrated landscape management, enhancing adaptive and institutional capacity, and programme coordination. Key targets include benefiting 3.79 million direct beneficiaries, restoring 970,000 hectares of degraded land, and reducing emissions by 37.1 million tCO2eq. The initiative emphasizes the use of digital technologies, carbon farming via the Boomitra model, and the establishment of a Direct Credit Window to de-risk private sector investment in agribusiness.