2019-02-19
As Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated in his speech at the presentation of the Climate Change Adaptation Program, given Georgia's exceptional geographic location and diverse climatic conditions, it behooves the country to exercise extra caution in relation to climate change and its accompanying threats.
As the Head of Government emphasized, Georgia is taking steps to include climate-related risks and measures for protection from them in development planning and implementation.
"It is very important in this context that today we are launching a project financed by the Green Climate Fund and the Government of Switzerland. The project is designed to expand the country's early warning system to enable us to deal better with climate change-related natural disaster threats. Climate change is increasingly penetrating our everyday lives and disrupts our usual pace. Accordingly, policy for tackling climate change must meet these challenges," Mamuka Bakhtadze stated.
According to the Prime Minister, in light of the fact that the enhancement of the monitoring network seeking to mitigate climate change-related natural disaster risks, along with creating greater opportunities for creating relevant models and introducing the national system of early warning, make up one of the priority directions in the Government's program, the project is a significant step toward this goal.
"By implementing this large-scale program, Georgia will be able to analyze climate-related data and forecast natural disasters. The implementation of the Climate Change Adaptation Program will minimize the inevitability of natural disasters, and infrastructure will be put in place to enable us to avert natural disasters and to protect thousands of people in high-risk zones, such as mountainous areas and densely populated cities, also to reduce economic damage. In addition, we believe that this program seeking to mitigate the impact of climate change will directly contribute to reaching Georgia's national sustainable development goals," Mamuka Bakhtadze emphasized.
Through the efforts of the Government of Georgia, the Head of Government pointed out, the Paris Agreement came into force in 2017, in doing which Georgia joined global efforts seeking to fight climate change.
"We have assumed this responsibility, and the Government is working actively to fulfil the obligations under the Paris Agreement. I am convinced that, through cooperation with international partners, we will succeed in assisting our population and in mitigating damage caused by climate change-related natural disasters," Mamuka Bakhtadze underlined.
According to the Prime Minister, dealing with climate change is a complex issue, and international support and sharing best practices is of utmost importance to the country.
"Sustainable Development Goals make up the only global agenda for 2030 that requires equal participation from every country, and no one can be left behind. I reiterate that Georgia is committed to making its contribution to achieving SGDs at national, regional, and international levels alike. This is why we must start taking relevant steps now, so that we may create a sustainable and predictable future for future generations," Mamuka Bakhtadze said.
The Government of Georgia launches the implementation of the Climate Change Adaptation Program. The program, with its 70 million GEL budget, seeks to protect Georgia's population from climate change-related natural disasters. The program is jointly financed by the Green Climate Fund (27 million USD grant), the Government of Georgia (38 million USD contribution), and the Government of Switzerland (5 million USD grant). In implementing the program, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture will enjoy close cooperation with other government institutions and assistance from UNDP.
Prime Minister's Press Office