24 June 2013
LDC Fund, Special Climate Change Fund Receive $198 Million in New Pledges
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Following the 44th Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council meeting, the 14th meeting of the Adaptation to Climate Change for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) convened and approved the Joint Work Program for the LDCF and SCCF comprising four project concepts and two programmatic approaches, and requested total resources of US$19.80 million for the SCCF and US$25.03 million for the LDCF.

20gef44 June 2013: The 14th meeting of the Adaptation to Climate Change for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) Council adopted decisions on, inter alia: the joint work program for the LDCF/SCCF; and the administrative budgets of the Funds. The Funds were bolstered by additional pledges, amounting to US$129 million for the LDCF and US$69.2 million for the SCCF.

The meeting took place on 20 June 2013, at the World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C., US, following the 44th Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council meeting. The Secretariat provided an overview of the achievements of the LDCF/SCCF, noting that the amount of pledges disbursed within the LDCF was US$605.13 million, with 70% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 30% in Asia Pacific, and 20% to least developed country (LDC) small island developing States (SIDS). Regarding SCCF, the Secretariat said that total cumulative pledges, as of 30 April 2013, were US$258.86 million, and noted the regional distribution of the LDCF, including 30% of projects in the Asia Pacific, 27% in Africa and 8% in SIDS.

The LDCF/SCCF Council approved the Joint Work Program for the LDCF and SCCF comprising four project concepts and two programmatic approaches, and requested total resources of US$19.80 million for the SCCF and US$25.03 million for the LDCF.

During the meeting, various donor countries pledged additional resources to the LDCF and the SCCF, including Switzerland, Germany, the US, Norway and Germany. Finland and Denmark also indicated their intention to contribute. In total, the additional pledges amounted to US$129 million for the LDCF, and US$69.2 million for the SCCF. Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, noted that the cumulative amount of the two funds had now reached US$1 billion.

These funds help the LDCs and regions to cope with the impacts associated with global warming, including water scarcity, rising sea levels, floods, and weather extremes. The GEF administers the LDCF and the SCCF. [GEF Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of the 14th Meeting of the LDCF and SCCF] [Meeting Website]

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