15 December 2011: At its 16th meeting, the Adaptation Fund Board accredited three new implementing entities and approved the second project with direct access through a National Implementing Entity (NIE).

The meeting took place in Durban, South Africa, from 12-14 December 2011. The project in Uruguay, “Building Resilience to Climate Change and Variability in Vulnerable Smallholders,” to be implemented by the Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación, was one of six projects to be approved by the Adaptation Fund Board. Three other projects, approved in Georgia, Samoa and the Cook Islands, will be implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The other two approved projects, in Tanzania and Madagascar, will be implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Over past year, the Adaptation Fund Board has approved 17 projects for funding totaling over $108 million.

The Board also approved two NIE, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC) of Jordan and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA) of Rwanda, representing the first time the Board has accredited government ministries as NIEs. The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was also accredited as a Multilateral Implementing Entity (MIE).

In order to further facilitate direct access to its funds, the Board emphasized regional accreditation workshops held in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in Africa, which aimed to share the process for accreditation and lessons learned. Two more workshops are expected for the first half of 2012 for Asia and the Pacific region. [Adaptation Fund Board Press Release]