The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved a $31 million grant-based payment for a landmark climate project in Uganda, recognising the country’s measurable progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and curbing deforestation.
This marks the first results-based payment project endorsed by the GCF Board for Uganda, and indeed for Africa and any Least Developed Country (LDC) — a major milestone in the continent’s climate action efforts.
Acting on behalf of the Government of Uganda, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) presented the project titled “Uganda REDD+ Results-Based Payment for Emission Reductions (2016–2017)” at the 43rd GCF Board meeting held from 27 to 30 October in Songdo, Republic of Korea.
The payment recognises Uganda’s success in sustainable forest management, which reduced net emissions by the equivalent of more than 8 million tonnes of CO₂ between 2016 and 2017 — comparable to growing 133 million tree seedlings over a 10-year period.
“The GCF’s funding approval shows how results-based finance can reward effective climate action and deliver benefits for people and nature, and is a recognition of Uganda’s efforts and achievements,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “It also demonstrates how early investments in readiness and capacity building can yield transformative results for forests, food security, and communities, and is an important milestone for Africa.”
Preserving Forests for Food Security
Uganda’s forests, covering about 2.36 million hectares, provide essential ecosystem services, regulate the climate, and support millions of livelihoods. However, 90 percent of forest loss is driven by agricultural expansion for crops such as cassava and cattle grazing.
REDD+ — which stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks — is a voluntary mitigation framework under the UNFCCC. Deforestation and forest degradation currently contribute about 11 percent of global emissions.
“The revenue from the REDD+ Results is part of Uganda’s ambitious mobilisation of climate finance, and it clearly shows how patience in this strategic area pays off,” said Alfred Okot Okidi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water and Environment, welcoming the GCF’s decision.
Projects under the results-based payment scheme — such as the one jointly implemented by the Government of Uganda and FAO — have proven to be a cost-effective way to deliver measurable climate mitigation results. FAO has supported four other countries — Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Papua New Guinea — to access similar GCF funding worth a total of $237 million.
FAO and the Government of Uganda will channel the $31 million GCF disbursement into further efforts to ease pressure on ecosystems, enhance food security, and secure additional REDD+ benefits. The approach will also foster income opportunities, strengthen governance, improve land tenure, and support better rural livelihoods.
For instance, community-based pole and timber plantations will reduce the distance rural women travel to gather firewood. Collective forest management and land rights agreements will help reduce conflicts and build a sense of ownership, while a Benefit Sharing System will ensure equitable access to forest resources, particularly for Forest Dependent Indigenous Peoples and other vulnerable groups, including women.
Aligned Partnerships and Strategic Investment
FAO has supported Uganda’s REDD+ journey from the readiness phase, helping to build a socially and environmentally sound national framework, backed by concrete policies and actions that have led to tangible emission reductions.
The project aligns with Uganda’s National REDD+ Strategy and Action Plan, supports the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and reinforces efforts to build a coordinated, scalable model for climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development.
The FAO-GCF portfolio currently totals $1.8 billion, comprising 114 readiness grants — including 38 in Africa — and 29 investment projects globally, benefitting more than 60 million people.
Story credit: FAO
