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Welcome to the GCCA

Climate change does not respect country boundaries. It affects virtually every corner of the globe regardless of a country’s greenhouse gas emissions, or its capacity to deal with the effects of climate change. The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) was launched in 2007 by the European Commission to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on climate change between the European Union (EU) and developing countries most vulnerable to climate change, in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are hardest hit by the adverse effects of climate change even though they have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions.

The GCCA acts as a platform for dialogue and exchange of experience between the EU and developing countries on climate policy and on practical approaches to integrate climate change into development policies and budgets. It also provides technical and financial support to partner countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and budgets, and to implement projects that address climate change on the ground, promoting climate-resilient, low-emission development.  

Stories from the field

Mozambique: Building capacities, adapting farming and livelihood systems in vulnerable areas

In Mozambique, a study on the impacts of climate change has been completed. This is part of ongoing efforts to build government capacity to tackle the adverse effects of climate change and integrate climate-related considerations in its poverty alleviation and development strategies. Field operations are also in preparation to identify and test appropriate strategies to adapt the traditional farming and livelihood systems to changing climatic conditions, with a focus on particularly vulnerable areas; crop and variety diversification, agroforestry and the development of complementary non-farming activities are among the actions considered.
Rwanda: Providing land users with incentives to invest in land resource protection and adaptation

In Rwanda, the GCCA has contributed to the implementation of an ambitious national land registration programme. This programme supports the establishment of a land tenure system that guarantees tenure security for all Rwandans, gives guidance on land management and provides incentives for the rational use of land resources (including environmental protection aspects). It is expected to reduce vulnerability by protecting the resource base, and by encouraging farmers to undertake the necessary investments to combat land degradation, a phenomenon exacerbated by climate change.
Lower Mekong Basin: Addressing ecosystem challenges through support for a basin-wide adaptation initiative

Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, the four countries of the Lower Mekong Basin, are vulnerable to climate change because of the heavy reliance of their economies on natural resources. The GCCA supports the implementation of the Mekong River Commission’s Climate Change and Adaptation Initiative. Programme activities notably include the implementation of local adaptation projects, the development of tools for adaptation planning and implementation, and the preparation of a regional basin-specific integrated climate and hydrological analysis system that builds on existing and ongoing work on climate and crop modelling.
Samoa: Rehabilitating primary drainage infrastructure to mitigate flooding

Approximately 70% of Samoa’s population and infrastructure are located in low-lying coastal areas, which are increasingly affected by floods. With GCCA support, climate change adaptation has been integrated into the Water for Life sector plan 2012-16, and work is under way to mitigate the impact of flooding in central Apia through the rehabilitation of priority drainage infrastructure and the introduction of an effective maintenance programme. Four key watersheds which drain into the greater Apia urban area now have comprehensive management plans, and disaster preparedness and response have been improved.
Jamaica: Rehabilitating watersheds, restoring and protecting coastal ecosystems

In Jamaica, local forest management committees are being established or strengthened in selected water management units, and reforestation of denuded hillsides in selected watersheds is progressing steadily. This will help reduce flood risks in downstream areas, while the development of sustainable livelihoods (e.g. based on agroforestry) in reforested areas can help enhance the resilience of local populations to climate-related risks. In coastal areas, mangrove restoration in marine protected areas has commenced in Portland Cottage. This is the first step in a more comprehensive programme of restoration of coastal protection structures.
Mauritius: Encouraging consistency between economic reform and sustainable development

In Mauritius, the GCCA budget support intervention (now completed) has focused on addressing the negative impacts of development on the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector. A climate change division has been set up at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.  A new energy efficiency bill has been adopted, and an Energy Efficiency Management Office created. In the context of the preparation of a policy and guidelines on sustainable building, national targets have also been proposed for green buildings, and a green building rating system has been developed.
Pacific small island states: Preparing climate change profiles, planning for pilot adaptation projects

With GCCA support to the SPC and SPREP, new climate change profiles have been prepared for the project’s nine target countries. They provide country-specific background information on development strategies, the economy and financial management, describe the current and future expected climate and the response to climate change (including governance arrangements), assess ongoing climate change activities, and identify national priorities as well as gaps and constraints. National consultations have also taken place, and work is under way to define the scope and prepare the implementation of pilot adaptation projects.
Tanzania: Testing innovative, integrated practices for more sustainable use of natural resources

In Tanzania, three ‘eco-villages’ are being supported where innovative adaptation measures are tested in various fields including agriculture, rangeland and forest management, water resource management, sanitation and biomass energy. Innovative and integrated practices are being developed and shared in three different types of ecosystems to encourage sustainable use of natural resources. In Chololo, Dodoma district, for instance, the village community is supported to develop land use plans, identifying areas suitable for crop and livestock production, settlements, conservation, beekeeping, and industry in accordance with land policy and land laws.
Bangladesh: Protecting the lives and livelihoods of climate-vulnerable people, promoting low-carbon development

In Bangladesh, the GCCA contributes (alongside other donors) to the implementation of the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. The plan is being implemented in six programme areas: food security, social protection and health; comprehensive disaster management; building resilient infrastructure; increasing the knowledge base; mitigation and low-carbon development; and capacity building and institutional strengthening. This action plan is expected to contribute to the protection and improvement of the lives of 10 million climate-vulnerable people in coastal areas and in arid and semi-arid regions.
Guyana: Supporting the National Mangrove Management Action Plan

In Guyana, with GCCA support, mangrove fields are being rehabilitated, and a mangrove ranger unit has been created to monitor and protect mangrove areas. These activities contribute to carbon sequestration through reforestation, while supporting adaptation to climate change through the strengthening of natural sea defences and support for coastal zone biodiversity. Local people contribute by growing mangrove seedlings for the project, and a mangrove reserve women’s producers group has been established to promote alternative livelihoods, based on the sale of non-timber forest products, honey and other products sustainably extracted from the mangrove.
Cambodia: Strengthening national capacities to tackle climate change, laying the foundations for a national climate financing framework

In Cambodia, the GCCA supports capacity building for the National Climate Change Committee. Simultaneously, the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance is laying the foundations for a nationally owned financing framework. A second Call for Proposals, launched in 2012, attracted increasing interest from both Government institutions and NGOs, resulting in the submission of 90 concept notes. Eleven projects (7 Government-led and 4 NGO-led) have been selected and started implementation in January 2013.
Solomon Islands: Mainstreaming climate change and disaster risk reduction in national development and sector strategies

In Solomon Islands, GCCA budget support contributes to the effective mainstreaming of climate change and disaster risk reduction priorities in national development policies and key sector strategies such as the national transport plan. It also contributes to the allocation of budget resources to key institutions carrying out climate change and disaster risk reduction activities, the strengthening of capacities to tackle climate change within the Ministry of Environment and National Disaster Management Office, and the preparation of a national climate change strategy.
Ethiopia: Contributing to a "climate-resilient green economy"

In Ethiopia, GCCA support helps build capacities and promote sustainable land management to contribute to the achievement of a ‘climate-resilient green economy’. The Environmental Protection Agency is being strengthened to coordinate the response to climate change and make climate change policy an integral part of development initiatives, with a focus on renewable energy investment and access to climate finance. In the field, the programme supports the testing of watershed rehabilitation and other measures that support climate change adaptation and mitigation while providing benefits in terms of food security and income.

News and events

1st Guyana Mangrove Forum Georgetown (Guyana), “Restoring and Managing Mangrove Ecosystems in a Changing World”

11 April 2013 to 14 April 2013

The objective of the Guyana Mangrove Forum was to build local and regional capacity in mangrove restoration and management, continue to raise the public profile of the value of mangroves in Guyana and to bring together national, regional and international researchers to share experience and knowledge of the sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems.

Publications

Paving the way for climate compatible development: Experiences from the Global Climate Change Alliance

Using innovative and effective approaches to deliver climate change support to developing countries

Interventions across the world

The GCCA finances both national programmes and regional programmes. Find out about them using the map below.

The Intra-ACP Programme

The GCCA Intra-ACP Programme, funded under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) financial framework, supports the 79 member countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States in their adaptation and mitigation responses. The programme comprises five geographical components, including a pan-African component to support the ClimDev Africa programme, and four regional components concerning, respectively, Eastern and Southern Africa, Western Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The support component ensures overall programme coordination, assists the ACP Secretariat in issues related to climate change and provides technical assistance to ACP member states.