North Macedonia receives continued support for “greening”

The Green Climate Fund (GCF), the main global fund financing actions to fight climate change, approved its second project for North Macedonia under the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme to help the country become more prepared for the impacts of climate change. This is the continuation of a similar effort, completed in 2019. The project, which will run for an 18-month period, started today with a virtual workshop bringing together around 130 representatives of key government institutions, ministries, the private sector, civil society, academia, and development partners.

The aim is to support the the Cabinet of the Deputy President of the Government in charge of Economic Affairs, as national designated authority for the Fund, and other relevant actors in widening their knowledge and strengthening ownership for better access to GCF resources, as well as assisting in identifying further climate financing opportunities in the country’s nine priority sectors (energy, transport, agriculture, biodiversity, health, water resources, forestry, waste, and cultural heritage).

FAO will help the Government develop a Green Climate Fund country programme, addressing key climate change priorities in these sectors and scoping potential investments that could be translated into bankable projects for the Fund, coming from national institutions, municipalities, public and private companies, civil society organizations and other legal entities.

In her remarks, Ms Mila Carovska, Deputy President of the Government in charge of Economic Affairs stressed that “the main goal of these efforts is to create suitable, innovative solutions as response to the climate change, and to increase investments in tackling climate-related challenges. “With that”, she added “North Macedonia will significantly improve the quality of life of all its citizens, will evolve the competitiveness of the national economy, and will establish sustainable inclusive society for all generations, which is the ultimate goal of the Paris Agreement”.

“North Macedonia must fully utilize all opportunities for ensuring low-carbon and sustainable economic growth, and to protect and preserve its beautiful environment for current and future generations”, stated Ms Rossana Dudziak, UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia in her opening remarks. “That is why this instrument is of immense value for transformational change that we want to see and support” she emphasized. Mr Nabil Gangi, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, congratulated the Government on the progress achieved in 2019 and the recent approval of the second GCF readiness grant as a step forward to the strategic engagement with the Fund.

“As a GCF accredited entity with diverse knowledge and experience worldwide, FAO is pleased to continue supporting North Macedonia’s efforts in accessing the Fund’s resources to raise the ambition of all actors in the society on climate action through investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development,” Mr Gangi stated. With the help of this project, North Macedonia will finalise a system to track and monitor climate finance in the country provided by public, private, or international sources.

The system will inform the Government on possible co-financing opportunities for potential project proposals for the Green Climate Fund, and ultimately galvanizing North Macedonia’s efforts to realize its climate change goals. This readiness project will put particular emphasis on unlocking the potential of the private sector in climate change investments. FAO will work with the Government to map the private sector actors, including small-medium size enterprises, and help them fully tap into opportunities for transformative investments in resilient and low-carbon economic development that could also bring efficiency and profitability gains.

The launch was organized under FAO’s regional initiative on managing natural resources sustainably under changing climate, in coordination with the Cabinet of the Deputy President of the Government in charge of economic affairs for North Macedonia. LINKS Green Climate Fund North Macedonia sets the stage for country climate action North Macedonia and the Green Climate Fund webpage The first Green Climate Fund readiness project starts in Skopje.