USAID launches P750-M climate resilience project in PHL
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Thursday launched a project to promote climate resilience in the Philippines by increasing the country’s access to climate financing and tools with P750 million in funding.
In a news release posted on the US Embassy in the Philippines’ website on Friday, the American agency said it will help local government units and other stakeholders “better understand, use, and disseminate climate information to local communities” through the Climate Resilient Cities project.
It added that the new project will give local cities and non-governmental organizations access to climate financing which can be used to develop communities economically and socially, and to support natural climate solutions which will help cities be more resilient against the impacts of climate change.
“Addressing the climate crisis, and particularly the vulnerability of cities, is crucial to helping build a more prosperous, resilient Philippines for current and future generations,” USAID Philippines Acting Mission Director Sean E. Callahan said in the news release.
The new project is in line with the Philippines’ plans to fight climate change and mitigate its effects, and also contributes to the US government’s goal to track the extent of the climate change crisis worldwide.
Cities that will be part of the project will also receive support from the Republic of Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency as the part of the partnership between the US and Korean governments.
The new project is a worldwide effort of the USAID to help the most natural disaster-prone countries.
The Philippines ranked 9th in the 2020 World Risk Report out of 181 countries worldwide.
The top five most disaster-prone countries according to the report are Vanuatu, Tonga, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and Solomon Islands in that order.
On the other hand, Qatar, Malta, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Saudi Arabia are the least disaster-prone countries in the world in that order. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago
