Pastoralists bring their herds of livestock to water at Lake Hawassa in Shelfo Village, Ethiopia. (Photo by FAO/IFAD/WFP/Petterik Wiggers )

Adaptation Fund Board Accredits United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as Fund’s 51^st Implementing Entity

FAO First Entity to Be Accredited Through Fund’s ‘Fast Track’ Process

Washington, D.C. (July 1, 2020) — The Adaptation Fund expanded its potential reach to identify and develop further tangible adaptation projects in vulnerable countries with the Board’s approval of a new implementing partner in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in late June through a remote intersessional decision.

FAO becomes the Fund’s 13^th multilateral implementing entity and 51^st overall implementing entity to be accredited to develop and implement adaptation projects.

It also marked the first time the Fund has applied its ‘Fast Track Accreditation’ process for the accreditation of a new implementing entity. This process enables potential national, regional or multilateral implementing entities already accredited by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to more quickly and efficiently become accredited to the Adaptation Fund. There is further a reciprocal process in place for the GCF.

The GCF accredited FAO as an international implementing entity in 2016. The Adaptation Fund had previously used the fast track process for the reaccreditation of certain implementing entities, but this is its first application of the policy to a new accreditation.

FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations focused on hunger eradication, poverty elimination, and sustainable management of natural resources. It includes 194 member states.

It has a long history of engaging on climate change issues, and since 2018 has had projects financed or co-financed by GCF in Paraguay, El Salvador, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Chile and Cuba. It was also accredited previously as an executing agency by the Global Environment Facility in 2002.

FAO additionally has prior experience working with the Adaptation Fund, including as an executing entity on its regional project implemented by the World Meteorological Organization to enhance resilience of small farmers in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

“FAO’s official accreditation to the Adaption Fund is a significant step forward in our work to promote food security and nutrition in countries particularly affected by climate change,” said Ms. Maria Helena Semedo, FAO’s Deputy Director General. “It will help boost the efforts of the Organization to enhance the resilience of rural communities to build back better in times of changing environmental conditions, degrading ecosystems, and increasing water scarcity.”

In becoming accredited, FAO showed it is in strong compliance with the Fund’s fiduciary, legal and ethical standards, as well as policies that foster environmental, social and gender principles, and has solid capacity to identify and develop effective adaptation projects.

“We are very pleased to have the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization join the Adaptation Fund’s growing comunity of implementing entities, which now numbers more than 50,” said Mr. Ibila Djibril, Adaptation Fund Board Chair. “We look forward to FAO developing new adaptation projects that will serve the most vulnerable countries to climate change.”

“This is further an excellent example of the Adaptation Fund enhancing synergies and complementarity with the Green Climate Fund, as FAO marks the first implementing entity to be accredited with the Fund through the Fast Track Accreditation process,” said Mr. Mikko Ollikainen. “It showed it is in strong compliance with the Fund’s stringent accreditation standards, and we look forward to working with FAO to continue to grow our portfolio of adaptation projects on the ground.”

Upon attaining accreditation, FAO took an additional step to establish a dedicated unit within its Land and Water Division to provide immediate assistance for the development and implementation of climate change adaptation projects in countries that might otherwise not have access to these climate-financing mechanisms.

“FAO is committed to support countries to unlock their growth potential and promote climate change adaptation for rural development and environment sustainability,” said Mr. Eduardo Mansur, Director of FAO’s Land and Water Division, adding that the new accreditation to the Fund is a highly significant step ahead in its work to promote food security in countries particularly affected by climate change. “It well aligns with the efforts of the Organization to enhance the resilience of rural communities in times of changing environmental conditions, degrading ecosystems, and increasing water scarcity.”

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