Nation secures $30m UAE grant for forest conservation
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has signed a Letter of Intent with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government for the grant of $30 million to provide additional alternative livelihood support for forest fringe communities.
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The project, which will be implemented by the Forestry Commission, will be used as an incentive for the communities to engage in enhanced forest protection, forest restoration and reforestation.
It forms part of efforts by the government to achieve the biodiversity and climate objectives under the Resilient Ghana Package launched at COP28 in Dubai, last year.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, signed the letter on behalf of the government with the UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Dr Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, signing on behalf of her government.
The document was signed last Friday on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Week in New York.
The UAE Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28 and President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, witnessed the signing ceremony meant to implement the biodiversity and climate objectives of the Resilient Ghana Package and REDD+ Strategies.
Background
At the COP 27 in 2022 in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, launched the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) as a new political forum that brings together governments and partners to work together to implement solutions that reduce forest loss, increase restoration and support sustainable development.
Subsequently, at COP 28 in Dubai, Ghana launched her Resilient Ghana Package for nature, climate and people, under the FCLP.
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The package includes an integrated system-wide suite of interventions to help halt and reverse forest loss, while delivering sustainable development and promoting inclusive rural transformation.
It is underpinned by three key pillars, namely nature-based industrialisation and rural development, future-fit green jobs and livelihoods, and scaling climate ambition.
Several countries pledged their support to the Ghana Package. UAE, the COP28 Presidency, as part of its commitment to contribute funds to target deforestation and biodiversity loss, committed to invest $30 million to enhance Ghana’s efforts towards halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.
Since then, several engagements have taken place between the two countries to unlock the necessary funding to support the package.
The funds would be used to support programmes ranging from targeted interventions within specific geographic landscapes in Ghana to wider ambitions for national level efforts.
Commitment
Speaking after the signing ceremony, Mr Jinapor reiterated the government’s commitment to developing strategies to restore habitats, protect endangered species and promote resilient ecosystems.
He added that though the challenges were daunting, through collaboration and a shared vision, Ghana could work towards sustainable solutions that benefited not only the country, but the entire global community.
He expressed deep appreciation to the government of the UAE and all those who had been involved in the negotiations and discussions that led to the signing of the agreement, adding that Ghana would develop the necessary strategies to achieve the objectives of the Resilient Ghana Package.
For her part, Dr Al Dahak lauded Ghana for her leadership on forest and nature-based solutions to climate change.
“Our partnership with Ghana is a testament to the UAE’s focus on global biodiversity, climate and development goals”. “It underscores our commitment to the UAE
Consensus which calls for the ending and reversal of deforestation by 2030, and highlights the importance of protection and preservation of biodiversity,” she added.
She expressed the belief that the investment in Ghana would not only bolster the country's afforestation efforts but would also create a broader positive impact on local communities.
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