GCA Launches Project to Build Inclusive and Resilient Cities in the Central African Republic
B
angui, Central African Republic, 12 August 2024 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) announced today a partnership to provide the World Bank with technical assistance to support the Urban Resilience and Inclusive cities project in the Central African Republic (CAR). This collaborative technical assistance aims to strengthen the resilience of urban areas against flooding and erosion through the integration of nature-based solutions, complementing significant infrastructure investments from the World Bank.
The CAR is among the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries, experiencing recurrent flooding, droughts, and environmental degradation, which exacerbate its fragility. In recent years, severe flooding has displaced tens of thousands of residents and inflicted extensive economic damage.
GCA’s involvement will significantly enhance the effectiveness of the World Bank’s investment in flood and erosion risk reduction, neighborhood infrastructure, and basic services in key urban areas. The project will specifically focus on developing a Compendium of Nature-based Soil and Water Management Investments that contains pre-feasibility assessments of prioritized solutions to reduce flooding and erosion risks. This approach will not only address immediate climate threats but also lay the foundation for sustainable urban growth and stability.
GCA will provide targeted capacity-building programs to empower government officials and local communities, enabling them to integrate effective nature-based soil and water management practices into investments.
“Climate resilience and inclusive development go hand-in-hand,” said Professor Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. “By prioritizing nature-based solutions and capacity building, this initiative will strengthen urban resilience in CAR, setting a blueprint for sustainable urban growth across the Congo Basin region.”
This initiative is part of broader regional technical assistance collaboration with the World Bank, aimed at enhancing climate adaptation efforts in five Congo Basin countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Republic of Congo, Gabon, and the Central African Republic.
The technical assistance, scheduled to run from 2024 to 2026, will leverage GCA’s expertise to ensure the World Bank’s US$70 million investment is climate-resilient and delivers sustainable benefits to local communities.
Notes to Editors
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works to climate-proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent.
Founded in 2018, GCA embodies innovation in its approach to climate adaptation as well as in its physical presence. It operates from the largest floating office in the world, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. GCA has a worldwide network of regional offices in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Beijing, China. The Center will open a new office in Nairobi, Kenya in 2025.
