USAID launches Php750-m project to support climate resilience in the Philippines

The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), launched on October 28 a new project to build climate resilience in the Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

The five-year, Php750-million ($15 million) Climate Resilient Cities project will help cities in the Philippines adapt to, mitigate, and endure the impacts of climate change by increasing their access to climate financing and tools to build resilience.

Through this project, USAID will support local government units and other stakeholders to better understand, use, and disseminate climate information to local communities.  The project will also help cities and non-governmental organizations access climate financing to increase community resilience and contribute to communities’ economic and social development, as well as support natural climate solutions that increase cities’ resilience to climate change impacts.

“Over the past 60 years, we have been proud to partner with the Philippine government and local stakeholders to achieve shared development goals,” said USAID Philippines Acting Mission Director Sean Callahan.  “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.”

The Climate Resilient Cities project supports the Philippine government’s National Climate Change Action Plan, Nationally Determined Contributions, and National Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Roadmap, and advances the U.S. government’s goal of tackling the climate crisis around the world.  Climate Resilient Cities will also receive support from the government of the Republic of Korea, through the Korea International Cooperation Agency, as part of a joint partnership between the U.S. and Korean governments.

The United States government has been a key development champion in the Philippines for six decades, working with individuals, communities, and the government to improve lives.