5 July 2021, Juba — New interventions intended to strengthen the capacity of South Sudan’s government and people to adapt to climate change were launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Sudan on Thursday 15th July.
The occasion marked the official launch of two projects and the inauguration of a dedicated Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system located within the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. One of the projects, titled Strengthening the Capacity of Government and Communities in South Sudan to Adapt to Climate Change, is being funded by the Global Environment Facility's (GEF) Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) at an initial U$9 million.
“We face a real uphill task on climate adaptation and protecting the biodiversity of our environment. Our partnership with the international community must be stepped up. With the global population expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, and South Sudan’s population expected to reach 20 million, there is a need to protect our environment now. Through the UNEP-GEF partnership we are committed to providing continued support to build our capacity to achieve our goals in climate change adaptation and mitigation,” said Vice President for the Economic Cluster H.E. Prof. James Wani Igga, emphasizing the link between taking environmental action to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In addition to the Vice President, who presided over the event hosted at the Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs, cabinet ministers in attendance included the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs Hon. Angelina Teny; Minister of Petroleum Hon. Puot Kang Chol; Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Hon. Onyoti Adigo Nyikuac; Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Kuol Athian Mawien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Hon. Lily Albino Akol, as well as the Ambassador of France to South Sudan H.E. Marc Trouyet, and UNDP Resident Representative Samuel G. Doe. The event was attended virtually by a delegation from UNEP.
Read more here (original article)
For further information, please contact: Kymberly Bays, Head of Communications, kymberly.bays@undp.org, or UNEP Communications: Marcus Nield, UNEP Climate Change Adaption Unit, marcus.nield@un.org.
