Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, announced new funds to help vulnerable countries to adapt to climate changes at the G7 Summit in Halifax this week, including $2 million for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network to support NAP processes in developing countries.
“Canada, along with its partners, understands that fighting climate change presents the economic opportunity of the century worth $26 trillion and 65 million jobs worldwide by 2030. Landing the rules for the Paris Agreement at the climate negotiations at COP24 is critical to unleashing this opportunity. G7 countries are committed to working together to taking climate action to take advantage of the opportunity and to ensure a more sustainable future for our kids and grandkids,” said McKenna.
Canada identified climate change action, oceans and clean energy among its priority themes for its G7 presidency in 2018 due to the increasing toll of climate change at home and around the world and the need for ambitious international action. G7 representatives agreed that the climate change is already imposing a high price on people and communities, mainly in vulnerable countries and populations, which requires further supporting, including through innovative financing.
“This renewed funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada is an important and welcome investment to help advance adaptation in developing countries,” said Anne Hammill, Director of the NAP Global Network Secretariat. “Vulnerable countries are building their resilience to climate change through NAP processes, and the support that bilateral development partners like the Government of Canada provide is essential for countries to adapt to climate change.”
Pleased to announce new funds for vulnerable countries at #G7Halifax. These funds will help developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. I also reiterated Canada’s commitment to supporting the expansion of climate risk insurance coverage in Caribbean countries. pic.twitter.com/aSA8rA5QpA
— Catherine McKenna ?? (@cathmckenna) September 19, 2018
In addition to the new $2 million funds for the NAP Global Network, McKenna reiterated Canada’s $100 million commitment to support expansion of climate risk insurance coverage in Caribbean countries. The Minister also committed $2 million to establish a new initiative to empower women entrepreneurs working on climate solutions in vulnerable small-island states.
The announcement was made during the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Working Together on Climate Change, Oceans, and Clean Energy, Catherine McKenna, hosted counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union along with representatives from Jamaica, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Norway, Seychelles and Vietnam to discuss accelerating global action to fight climate change and drive clean growth.
New funding builds on previous Canadian NAP support for vulnerable countries
In 2017-2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada provided funding to the NAP Global Network to deliver a range of NAP programming, including support for South-South peer learning and exchange, gender-responsive NAP processes, and in-country NAP support programs in Fiji, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands.
With Canadian support, the NAP Global Network convened more than 70 representatives from 21 countries gathered in Fiji in February 2018 for South-South peer learning and exchange on key topics in the NAP process.
Canadian support also contributed to work to enhance the gender-responsiveness of NAP processes, including the report, Strengthening Gender Considerations in Kiribati’s NAP Process, and the synthesis report, Towards Gender-Responsive NAP Processes: Progress and Recommendations for the Way Forward.