Georgia Launches the Development of Its First National Adaptation Plan for Climate Change

Georgia has officially launched the development of its first National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to strengthen the country's resilience to climate change.

The initiative is being implemented under the project "Capacity Building for Supporting Georgia's National Adaptation Plan Process." During the inaugural meeting of the project's Steering Committee, participants presented the project's objectives and approved a six-month work plan for the initial phase of implementation.

According to Nino Tandilashvili, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and Chair of the Steering Committee, enhancing the country's capacity to adapt to climate change and establishing a long-term strategic vision across sectors is becoming increasingly important.

"Georgia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In recent years, the increasing frequency of natural hazards has had a significant impact on both the population and various sectors of the economy. That is why it is essential to develop a clear strategic vision and effective mechanisms that will help us adapt to the consequences of climate change," said Nino Tandilashvili.

The National Adaptation Plan will serve as Georgia's first comprehensive framework for the long-term planning, coordination, and integration of climate change adaptation measures into national and sectoral policies.

The process will result in the development of a 10-year national strategic vision for climate adaptation and a five-year National Adaptation Action Plan. In addition, the project will strengthen governance and institutional coordination, identify and assess key information needs, develop a climate adaptation financing strategy, and establish monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.

"Today's meeting marks an important milestone in the implementation of this project. We are confident that through close cooperation among partner institutions, we will successfully integrate climate change adaptation into national and sectoral planning, significantly strengthening Georgia's capacity to respond effectively to the impacts of climate change," said Essie Daniel, representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and the Environmental Information and Education Centre, with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

According to Tamta Devdariani, Head of the Environmental Information and Education Centre, the development of the National Adaptation Plan is a major step toward strengthening Georgia's resilience to climate change and establishing an effective national adaptation policy.

The project has a total budget of US$2.7 million and will be implemented over a 13-month period.