By Kei Emmanuel Duku
A team from Green Climate Fund (GCF) is in the country to assess the country’s escalating climate challenges as South Sudan prepares to benefit from the fund.
The assessment comes as South Sudan experiences one of its most severe heatwaves. It will inform how GCF funding can best support South Sudan in building resilience against climate change impacts, including drought, flooding, and extreme heat.
Stephanie Speck, Head of Special Initiatives, emphasized the fund’s unique model of directly channeling resources to target beneficiaries.
According to Stephanie, the GCF is a fulfilment of the “Paris Agreement” pledge made at COP16, where developed nations committed to assisting least developed countries in mitigating climate change impacts.
During COP16, developed countries pledged $100 billion annually for climate action in developing nations.
To date, over $17 billion has been committed, making the GCF one of the largest multilateral climate funds, specifically aimed at supporting vulnerable communities and underserved countries.
The GCF is accessible to countries facing fragility, conflict, and climate crises. Given South Sudan’s recent history of droughts, heatwaves, and insecurity, it is poised to benefit.
However, funding requires applications from private, local, and UN agencies operating in South Sudan. Additionally, $7 million will be allocated to the government for capacity-building.
“At this stage, we are not financing any single-county project in South Sudan yet. The GCF operates through implementing partners or accredited entities, many of which are large UN organizations. We are also the only fund that can directly finance the private sector and governments,” Stephanie said.
The GCF Head of Special Initiatives is in Juba for a five-day visit, meeting with government ministers, civil society organizations, and communities affected by climate shocks like flooding.
The visit aims to understand the government’s priorities and share findings with ministries and development partners.
Stephanie highlighted the GCF’s independent integrity unit and redress mechanism, ensuring transparency and addressing mismanagement. “The climate crisis is so huge that no dollar can go to waste.”
To achieve its objectives, the GCF requires South Sudan to build capacity, demonstrate transparency, and implement ethical programming.
Governments can partner with UN agencies or local organizations to reduce corruption.
Joseph Africano Bartel, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, noted South Sudan’s recent floods and heatwaves, necessitating $639 million for climate-smart projects.
“South Sudan requires up to six hundred and thirty-nine million dollars to invest in climate-smart projects such as energy generation and adaptation programs such as smart agriculture, and capacity building to recover from the shocks of climate disasters,” Bartel stated.
While the GCF offers an opportunity, the government seeks alternative funding from the private sector.
Bartel assured the GCF delegation that the government would ensure funds reach intended beneficiaries.
“The government is now developing a private finance management system, and we have to know how we are going actually to make sure the money comes and goes directly to the impacted communities, building their resilience so that they can restart their livelihoods, but also we are trying to find which partner do we trust as government,” Bartel said.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a United Nations-backed financial mechanism that helps developing countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.