19 April 2023, Juba – The Government of South Sudan has launched a major USD 9 million-initiative to help communities adapt to climate change by strengthening climate early warning systems and restoring the country’s precious ecosystems in 2 of the 10 states.
Experts claim the practice of ecosystem-based adaptation, which refers to the use biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall strategy to adapt to climate change, is spreading around the world. This project, funded by the Global Environment Facility, represents the largest ever ecosystem-based adaptation project in South Sudan.
The initiative will be executed the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The project was officially launched during a special event in Juba on the 19 April, attended by a whole array of senior government figures and UN agencies.
“The climate crisis is worsening in South Sudan,” said Honourable Josephine Napwon Cosmos, Minister of Environment and Forestry, at the launch event. “Over 2,000,000 people are internally displaced due to flooding and drought.”
South Sudan is among the five most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Since the mid-1970s, rainfall has decreased by 10-20%. This is particularly concerning considering that 86% of rural households in the country rely on rainfed agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihoods.
The initiative will be implemented in Kapoeta and Terekeka, respectively located in Eastern and Central Equatoria states.
The Honourable Josephine Napwon Cosmos emphasized that although “this project is only being implemented in these two areas… it will be scaled up and replicated in all the other states and the three administrative areas.”
Over the course of five years, the project will strengthen the country’s climate resilience through: 1) a multi-hazard early warning systems; 2) ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions, including the restoration of 16,000 hectares of land; and 3) setting up a Climate Change Centre at the University of Juba.
“The project aims to work with various partners such as ICPAC and Juba University throughout the project lifetime to harness innovative solutions that each partner brings,” said Essey Daniel, UNEP’s Task Manager for the project.
In total, it is expected that 75,000 people will benefit from the initiatives and 30,000 pastoralists will have better access to water for their livestock. In turn, this will reduce climate-related migration and conflict in the two regions. Furthermore, 13,000 women are also projected to benefit from ‘climate-smart’ agricultural practices introduced by the project.
Dr. Samuel Doe, the UNDP Resident Representative in South Sudan, explained: “The project will establish a multi-hazard early warning system equipped with five manual and three automatic synoptic stations; one national hydro-meteorological station providing weather and climate database across the country; as well as strengthening the governance through capacity building to sustain these facilities.”
During the launch, the project provided the Ministry of Environment and Forestry with three vehicles to begin carrying out the project activities.
The project aligns with the priority areas identified within South Sudan’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and its National Adaptation Plan (NAP), namely agriculture, disaster risk reduction, water resources, policy, and institutional frameworks. As such, it is expected to represent a significant milestone in achieving the government's adaptation goals.
Earlier in the month, UNEP published its Ecosystem-based Adaptation Stakeholder Dialogue Report, which examines the key barriers to ecosystem-based adaptation and how they can be overcome.
For more information about the project, officially titled Strengthening the Capacity of Government and Communities in South Sudan to Adapt to Climate Change, please contact UNEP’s Essey.Daniel@un.org and UNDP’s Kuach.pech@undp.org
