Project Overview
| Funder | The Government of Flanders |
| Project Duration | 2020 – 2024 |
| Project Value | €2.6 million |
| Status | Project Closed |
| Qualified audits obtained annually | |
| End of project | Satisfactory rating obtained: Project achieved most its end-of-project targets, with only minor shortcomings. |
The “Unlocking Climate Finance for Climate Change Adaptation” project, funded by the Government of Flanders, was a transformative initiative aimed at enhancing South Africa’s capacity to access and utilize climate finance for climate change adaptation. Implemented by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). The project focuses on building institutional capacity, developing young professionals, and fostering partnerships to secure global climate finance for gender-sensitive climate change adaptation responses.
Through this project, the Government of Flanders (GoF) played a pivotal role by providing essential catalytic and transformative funding to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). This funding was instrumental in enabling SANBI to engage in various activities aimed at accessing internal climate financing through the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Adaptation Fund (AF).
SANBI has championed the cause of direct access to climate finance. Lessons from the four years of implementing this project resoundingly affirm the need for direct access at every level, processes and for all participants. This project provided much-needed capacity for young professionals, government institutions, civil society organisations, and academic institutions involved in the project development pipeline for the GCF and AF.
The “Unlocking Climate Finance for Climate Change Adaptation” project addressed a critical gap that most funders are hesitant to fill – providing core funding for the initial stages of project development. Such funding is vital as it empowers institutions and countries to bolster their internal capacities and readiness. This, in turn, ensures they can meet the stringent requirements set by international funding bodies and access the funding directly, rather than through an international intermediary.
General Objective: Implement climate change adaptation responses to support the just transition to a low-carbon economy and climate-resilient society in South Africa.
Specific Objective: Enable South Africa to access funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to support national climate change adaptation priorities, build and strengthen associated institutional capacities.
Key Result Areas
1. Direct Access Objective: Submit funding proposals to the GCF through an increasingly capacitated direct access entity, following multi-stakeholder engagement processes.
Key Achievements:
- Eight projects in the pipeline, with a combined value of approximately US$170 million.
- In July 2025, the first GCF project valued at US$40.1 million was approved. Click here for more information
2. Climate Science Objective: Inform SANBI’s GCF programme of work with climate science through a coordinated climate change research network.
Key Achievements:
- Developed a National Research Strategy for Ecosystem-based Adaptation and collaboration agreements with leading academic institutions.
- Climate science factsheets developed for district municipalities that will inform future project development and activities.
3. Capacity and Civil Society Objective: Strengthen capacity, awareness, knowledge, and advocacy for climate change among young professionals, targeted provinces, and civil society.
Key Achievements:
- Placement of 47 young professionals in internships that built their capacity, provided workplace experience and readiness.
- More than 900 community organisation members with increased awareness about climate change adaptation, include 64% women.
4. Gender Mainstreaming Objective: Integrate gender considerations into all SANBI GCF proposal development, climate change adaptation research, and capacity-building processes.
Key Achievements:
- Development of gender-focused research paper and factsheet.
- A number of events co-hosted in support of the Climate Change Adaptation and Gender Community of Practice.
- Mainstreaming gender into project development processes, including undertaking gender assessments and developing action plans.
Overview of the Unlocking Climate Finance for Climate Change Adaptation project in numbers
The story of the project through the logical framework Groen Sebenza Climate Change Interns booklet
Contact Information
For more information about the Unlocking Climate Finance for Climate Change Adaptation project, please contact:
- Email: climatefunds@sanbi.org.za
Twitter: @sanbi_za