Multi-donor trust fund awards US$2 million for climate change projects

Phnom Penh - A multi-donor trust fund on Tuesday awarded US$2 million to eight projects designed to help mitigate the threats of climate change to development and rural livelihoods in Cambodia.

The winning projects have been awarded to 6 government agencies and 2 civil society organizations who will implement climate change adaptation interventions in the area of forestry, fisheries, improvement of climate-resilient techniques in farming as well as urban planning and local development covering 10 provinces. 

The winners were selected from 60 project proposals that were submitted to the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA), a multi-donor trust fund set up with the Ministry of Environment by the European Union, UNDP, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and Danish International Development Agency (Danida) . 

Dr. Tin Ponlok, head of the CCCA Trust Fund, announced the winners at the Second National Forum on Climate Change on Tuesday. 

“We have received very interesting proposals with well thought-out plans and great potentials and we are looking forward to seeing them being implemented,” said Dr. Tin Ponlok, who is also Deputy Director-General of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection at the Ministry of Environment.

The first call for grants marked a significant step in the implementation of the CCCA Trust Fund.  The fund aims to support capacity development and institutional strengthening to address climate change, ensure climate change integration into policy, strategy, plans and programmes, and promote climate change knowledge and awareness in Cambodia. 

The grants to the eight projects are part of a first round of financing and a second call for project proposals is expected to begin before the end of this year.

Ms. Kristina Kuhnel, head of development cooperation section at the Swedish embassy in Cambodia, said that ‘’this initiative is able to demonstrate concrete action…that will place the government of Cambodia in the driving seat in the national response to climate change”.

Speaking on behalf of the EU Delegation and Danida in Cambodia, she also noted that competing interests and the effects of the global economic crisis pose a challenge to progress in international commitments to fight and limit the effects of climate change.

“Nevertheless, the situation in Cambodia and in other developing countries demands that we take action now, in spite of uncertainties at the global level,” she said.

“We look forward to following closely the implementation of the projects and experiencing results on the ground that will improve the lives and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable women, men and children in Cambodia,” she said.

Ms. Sophie Baranes, Deputy Country Director of UNDP, concluded that the CCCA grants represent an innovative financing solution to make climate change funding accessible to ministries, local government and civil society organizations in a transparent and competitive manner.