A grant of 25 million dollars to support the climate change resistance project in Sudan
The Green Climate Fund approved a grant of $ 25.6 million in additional funding to support a climate resilience project in Sudan, designed to promote agriculture, health, water and food security.
The project, which was approved Friday, will benefit approximately 1.2 million people from subsistence farming communities and nomadic herders directly across nine states, in addition to 2.5 people who indirectly benefit from it.
A United Nations Development Program statement quoted Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok as saying, “Addressing the impact of climate change is a collective responsibility … we, as a government, are aware of this global responsibility and are committed to protecting the people of Sudan from the dangers we currently face.
“If climate change is left unchecked, it will hinder our nation’s efforts to end poverty and conflict across the country,” he added.
Hamdok continues by saying, “With funding from the Green Climate Fund, and with the support of the United Nations Development Program, the Sudanese government is working to build resilient economies and livelihoods. This will help us reduce the impact of COVID-19 and put our people and planet first.”
Increasing changes in climate are leading to variations in precipitation and temperatures across all of Sudan’s dry and semi-arid lands, which endanger people’s lives and push livelihoods to the brink of collapse.
According to the statement, crop failure, livestock deaths, drought and other climate-related impacts deepen poverty and reduce the ability of people, communities and authorities to deal with other risks, such as COVID-19 and conflict.
By working at the national and local levels, the new project will help Sudan meet the challenges.
The five-year project will also help provide training and equipment, rehabilitate land for sustainable use, introduce new practices to resist climate change, and establish infrastructure such as wells, dams and water storage.
“The project will improve the health and water and food security of more than 3.7 million people in Sudan by protecting them from the exacerbating and life-threatening impacts of climate change, while building resilience and infrastructure for the vital agriculture sector,” said Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program, Salva Ramachandran.
“At the same time, we will work together to ensure the improvement of institutional and societal capacities, that vulnerable groups such as women and youth receive targeted support, and the protection of natural resources in Sudan,” he added.
For his part, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Resources, Rashid Hassan, expressed his pride in launching the project to support sustainable development goals and Sudan’s nationally determined contribution to the Paris Agreement.
About 211,000 families benefit from improved food production. Under the project, this will include the introduction of climate-resistant seeds, training in the use and management of water resources, and the introduction of women’s farms and home gardens.
