Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD

Recently Independent Evaluation Unit, Green Climate Fund published the Health and Wellbeing, Food, and Water Security (HWFW) Result Area which reflects a profound truth embedded in climate action: Health, food, and water security are essential components of human survival and foundational pillars of any equitable, resilient, and thriving society. Climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities, disrupts livelihoods, and undermines fundamental human rights to health, nutrition, and access to safe water. Without targeted action on these fronts, sustainable development will remain a distant dream.

The Paris Agreement and the #SDGs enshrine the global commitment to tackle climate change while ensuring human dignity. The HWFW Result Area operates at the nexus of these priorities, addressing the immediate impacts of climate change to enable systemic, paradigm-shifting change across sectors.

The GCF’s investments in climate-smart agriculture, access to potable water, and disaster resilience have saved lives and sustained livelihoods in vulnerable regions, such as by introducing drought-resistant crops and building resilient water infrastructure, water conservation and early warning systems. Yet, as the evaluation report reveals, we are faced with both progress and essential challenges that demand urgent, collective action.

Enhanced and diversified climate financing is critical for driving transformative change in food, water, and health systems in vulnerable communities. With nearly USD 7 billion already committed to HWFW-tagged programs and significant co-financing leveraged as catalytic investments, it’s clear that innovative financing models—through equity investments, de-risking approaches, and blended finance—can unlock much-needed resources to reach the target for USD 1.15 trillion per year.

Building donor confidence and strengthening future programming calls for collective action. Governments and global stakeholders must prioritize integrated approaches that link health, food, and water systems while adopting rigorous tracking indicators to drive accountability. Embracing co-benefits such as gender inclusion and social impact, and ensuring sustained, predictable donor funding are not just strategic imperatives—they are moral responsibilities. Let’s unite to build resilient, climate-smart systems that safeguard lives and livelihoods around the world.

Full report is here https://lnkd.in/gDvp_ajG

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