Belize launches Country Programme for engagement with the Green Climate Fund

Through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), the MEDP received a GCF Readiness grant approved in December 2016, designed to enhance the existing capacity within the NDA as well as develop a Country Programme for climate-related investments, thereby supporting appropriate oversight of the GCF activities at the country level.

Belize is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change and while the country has contributed less to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is expected to suffer from adverse impacts on its key socio-economic sectors including agriculture and water resources, coastal and marine resources, fisheries and aquaculture, forestry, biodiversity, tourism, human health, energy and transport infrastructure, as well as land use and human settlements.

The five-year Country Programme was developed with the support of Acclimatise, a specialist advisory and analytics company providing world-class expertise in climate change adaptation and risk management. Developed through a broad consultative process, the Country Programme includes a pipeline of 24 project proposals, 4 Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme requests and 1 Project Preparation Facility request, addressing key climate risks and capacity gaps in Belize, that will be submitted to the GCF for funding.

In addition, a Toolkit for the Green Climate Fund’s National Designated Authority in Belize has been launched by the Government with the assistance of Acclimatise.

It primarily aims at providing guidance to Belize’s NDA to perform its GCF-related roles and responsibilities. The NDA will be supported in performing these functions by the Belize National Climate Change Committee (BNCCC). Moreover, all prospective recipients of GCF funding must submit a concept note and/or a full funding proposal that complies with GCF requirements and are in line with Belize’s strategic climate and development objectives. Applications for funding must be submitted to the MEDP that, as Belize’s NDA, is responsible for overseeing the ‘no-objection procedure’ which is used to assess the quality of proposals, including with the expertise provided by the BNCCC and its sub-committees.

Two policy briefs and an infographic were also developed on the same themes for wider dissemination among Belize’s stakeholders.

Lastly, In February 2019, the NDA received additional Readiness support that seeks to address the remaining capacity and coordination issues for accessing international climate finance in the country, including provision of post-accreditation support to the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), Belize’s first national accredited entity as of October 2018. Additionally, this readiness support will see support for accreditation of additional national entities including the Belize Social Investment Fund and the Development Finance Corporation, which will open up new opportunities to access climate finance to respond to the climate-related challenged facing Belize as a SIDS.