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Report to support transboundary basins in preparing bankable project proposals for climate change adaptation

Water, climate and finance know no borders. This brings both challenges and opportunities. The majority of freshwater worldwide flows in transboundary basins and most climate change impacts are felt through the water cycle. Transboundary cooperation in climate change adaptation is crucial for preventing mal-adaptation and for making adaptation in shared basins more effective. However, while there are some good practices available, many basins struggle in accessing funds for climate change adaptation from different sources.


River basin organizations have an important role to play in transboundary basins in this process. Understanding and managing the special risks and complexities of transboundary river basin projects are critical to preparing bankable project proposals that will attract public and private financing partners. The examples of the Niger basin and lake Victoria basin demonstrate that pooling projects, a rigorous scientific and planning process and early involvement of stakeholders and donors have enabled river basin organizations to raise significant funds for climate change adaptation in the basin. 


These are some of the messages of the report Financing climate change adaptation in transboundary basins: Preparing bankable projects. It was prepared by the World Bank in cooperation with UNECE (which provides the secretariat of the Water Convention), the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), the African Water Facility/ African Development Bank, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Inputs have also been provided by numerous other organizations such as the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, several river basin organizations and the Mexican Water Authority.


This report highlights the challenges and opportunities that countries face when seeking to access financial resources for climate adaptation in a transboundary river basin context. By outlining the basic characteristics and criteria for the preparation of bankable project proposals, the paper endeavours to serve as a guide for those interested in accessing grant and concessional financing for adaptation in transboundary river basins.


The publication is an outcome of the training on preparing bankable project proposals for financing climate change adaptation in transboundary basins organized by the same partners on 21-23 June 2017 in Dakar, Senegal. As a follow-up, similar trainings have been organized in basins such as the lake Chad and Drin basins and others will follow.


This week, major transboundary basins gather in Geneva to share their experiences in addressing water-related disasters and financing (14-15 February 2019), in the framework of the global network of basins working on climate change adaptation, coordinated by UNECE and INBO.


The report can be accessed at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/31224
For more information please visit: http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=50185
and
http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=45666#/

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