The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Japan on May 29 2008 in New York announced a new $92 million initiative to help Africa adapt to global warming.

The new UNDP/Japan initiative, announced during the high-level Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), will start operations in August 2008. It will prepare governments to manage climate change risks at the national and local levels and review existing poverty reduction strategies based on the expected climate change impacts on social and economic development. Finally, the programme will help governments establish financing frameworks to meet the costs of climate change adaptation.

“As a result of climate change, many African countries will experience increased water scarcity and worsened health and food security,” Mr. Kjorven said, stressing that global warming threatens economic and social progress.

“Climate change projections show that Africa is likely to warm by 3-40C in this century,” further added Kjorven. “Such a change in the climate can offset a lot of what has been achieved in the fight against poverty. And unless we act now, climate change may threaten everything we will attempt to achieve in future.”

Of the $92 million, $11 million will be allocated to projects in collaboration with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) . Where possible, UNDP funds will be allocated in coordination with other sources of adaptation funds to encourage synergies and scaling of national activities in a coherent manner. Japan’s support for climate change adaptation in Africa is one element of its $ 10 billion, five-year “Cool Earth Partnership” support to developing countries.

UNDP and Japan have joined forces in the past on successful projects, in countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan and in the areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.