JUBA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan said Wednesday that it has secured a total of 52.5 million U.S. dollars in climate funding to boost resilience in flood-prone areas.
Minister of Environment and Forestry Mabior Garang Mabior said the money includes 50 million dollars from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and an additional 2.5 million dollars in co-financing from other partners.
"The project places special emphasis on displaced and host communities, ensuring inclusive adaptation solutions that leave no one behind," Garang told journalists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The initiative, which starts in early 2026, will focus on Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap states by integrating water management, sustainable agriculture, and disaster risk management, with a special focus on displaced and host communities
Garang said the project, which will be jointly implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the World Food Program, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will enhance climate resilience by integrating interventions in water management, agriculture, sustainable livelihoods, disaster risk management, and climate information services.
He said the project is South Sudan's first single-country GCF investment, capping a decade of partnership since joining the Paris Agreement, with an initial 300,000-dollar grant in 2018 laying the groundwork.
Adham Effendi, WFP's deputy country director for operations and programs in South Sudan, said the project is a demonstration of the government's effective advocacy in attracting international climate investments.
He noted that the initiative will directly benefit over half a million vulnerable people and indirectly impact more than one million residents over five years.
Mesfin Degefu, UNHCR deputy country representative in South Sudan, said that the project will enhance the resilience of about 25,000 displaced and host community members through flood risk management, climate-smart agriculture, resilient infrastructure, and institutional capacity building.
He said initiative includes the installation of early warning systems, construction of 500 semi-permanent climate-resilient shelters, rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities, support for solar-powered irrigation, and the planting of 100,000 fruit and medicinal trees.
Over the past decade, South Sudan has faced worsening climate challenges, including recurrent floods and droughts that have displaced hundreds of thousands and disrupted agriculture. Erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and damaged water and infrastructure have increased food insecurity and health risks. ■