Yesterday evening at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider announced that the German government would make 60 million euros available for the international Adaptation Fund. The Fund supports the implementation of practical and innovative adaptation measures in communities around the world that are especially hard hit by climate change. Germany is the largest donor to this key multilateral financing instrument for climate adaptation measures, and has supported the Adaptation Fund since its inception.
Environment Minister Carsten Schneider remarked: "Adaptation to climate change is rightly a key focus of COP30. Societies that are not able to adapt to the new climatic conditions face the threat of hunger and poverty. People are forced to leave their homes. Many countries depend on international cooperation to adapt successfully. Germany has been a reliable partner in this area for many years. I hope that our contribution will build trust further and lend momentum to the search for joint solutions in Belém."
The international Adaptation Fund implements a range of innovative approaches in the areas of finance, procedures and administration. This relates not only to financing adaptation measures but also the Fund’s own governance structure. For example, the Adaptation Fund is jointly administered by developing and industrialised countries. It was the first multilateral fund to give accredited project executing agencies in partner countries direct access to funding.
Here are a few specific examples of how and where the Adaptation Fund provides support:
- In Bhutan, the fund has helped communities that once struggled with severe water shortages to rehabilitate springs and build climate-resilient water supply systems. This initiative provides clean water, revitalizes farmland, and empowers local women and farmers.
- In Peru, a project financed by the fund is helping women take on a central role in adapting to climate change. They are taking on new responsibilities in their communities and contributing valuable local knowledge to climate change adaptation strategies.
- In Vanuatu, a project financed by the fund is helping to restore ecosystems, build disaster preparedness infrastructure, and improve food security.
Over the past 18 years, the Adaptation Fund has supported around 200 adaptation projects in 108 countries with funds totalling 1.4 billion US dollars. This has benefited over 50 million people in the most vulnerable communities around the world. In all, the Adaptation Fund has received two billion US dollars in contributions. Since the Fund was established in 2007, Germany has been cumulatively the largest donor, with a total contribution of 610 million euros.
In 2024, Germany's climate adaptation finance from the federal budget totalled 2.84 billion euros. The Adaptation Fund is one of many instruments the German government uses to support adaptation measures in developing countries. The contributions to the Adaptation Fund are part of the German government's pledge to make a fair contribution to the global climate adaptation agenda.