The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) announced Wednesday, the success of a US$45.2 million application to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to support the Water Sector Resilience Nexus for Sustainability Project for Barbados (WSRN SBarbados).
The GCF approval was announced on February 27 at the 19th Meeting of the Green Climate Fund now underway in Songdo, South Korea. The funding consists of US$27.6 million in grants and US$17.6 million counterpart funding. WSRN S-Barbados aims to build climate resilience in the island’s water sector and has been fully endorsed by the BWA Board and the Government of Barbados.
The project is the result of the collaborative efforts of the BWA and the CCCCC, an accredited regional institution, and was presented to the GCF Board this week. At the final defense of the proposal were the Centre’s Executive Director Dr. Kenrick Leslie; Project Development Specialist, Dr. Donneil Cain; the BWA’s General Manager Keithroy Halliday and Project Management Officer Dr. Elon Cadogan.
The project will help the BWA to improve the Barbados water sector’s resilience to storm events; introduce adaptation and mitigation initiatives through a revolving fund; improve resilience to climate change and disruptions in water supply; as well as build capacity and increase public-private-partnerships and innovation for climate resilience in the sector.
The project is also expected to increase adaptation and mitigation actions in households and communities; improve the availability of potable water, increase food security by improving access to water; reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving adaptation and mitigation of climate actions by mobilising localised funds; and increasing the awareness for the effects of climate variability affecting Barbadians and the wider Caribbean.
WSRN S-Barbados is particularly important for the island’s water sector to build resilience to climate change and extreme weather events and paves the way a similar solution in the country’s wastewater systems.
The GCF is a global fund created to support the efforts of developing countries to respond to the challenges of climate change through a network of National Designated Authorities (NDAs) and Accredited Entities (AEs).
The WSRN S-Barbados brings to two the number of successful projects the Centre has submitted to the GCF. On January 23, 2018, the GCF approved the Centre’s application for a development grant for the Arundo donax Renewable Energy Project in Belize. As an accredited entity, the CCCCC is available to assist departments and agencies in the region to access GCF funding for climate adaptation and mitigation projects of up to US$50 Million.
