Damascus, Syria, 24October 2021 – National and sub-national government institutions and communities in four municipalities in the Rural Damascus area will soon benefit from a capacity building project to address climate change impacts.
The “Increasing the Climate Change Resilience of Communities in Eastern Ghouta in Rural Damascus to Water Scarcity Challenges through Integrated Natural Resource Management and Immediate Adaptation Interventions” is sponsored by the Adaptation Fund and will be implemented by UN-HABITAT, UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in cooperation with the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment.
The workshop, organised through the Adaptation Fund project, will also include the participation of representatives of concerned ministries, municipalities, and Heads of UN Agencies.
The project will address climate change in the Syrian Arab Republic manifesting itself through various weather-related phenomena across different regions, particularly increasing temperatures and droughts in the short term and projected reduction of precipitation in the long term.
The Adaptation Fund project will enhance the adaptive capacities of the population in Syria to climate change. The 3.5-years project targets Eastern Ghouta as one of the most populated agricultural areas in Syria and vulnerable to climate change and water scarcity.
Targeting the municipalities of Al Mleiha, Zebdine, Deir El Assafir and Marj El sultan in Rural Damascus, the project aims to strengthen the capacities of national and sub-national government institutions and communities to assess, plan and manage climate change-induced and post-crises water and land challenges in an efficient, sustainable and climate resilient way.
A water supply system that is resilient to climate change will also be established with an improved wastewater treatment. Untreated wastewater is currently polluting water resources, irrigation channels, and soil. In addition, this system will use highly efficient irrigation technologies to benefit drought-tolerant crops and trees, and introduce climate smart agriculture practices and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The Adaptation Fund project will also foster an integrated natural resource management approach to present solutions for enhancing resilience to water scarcity (reduce water losses and contamination, improve water use efficiency meet the increased demand of water for irrigation, and protecting water and lands from pollution).
The Adaptation Fund was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are parties to the Kyoto Protocol and are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
The United Nations is calling on people everywhere to work together to solve climate challenges and realize the commitments of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
For more information, please contact
Tamara Tamzok, UN-HABITAT Syria, Adaptation Fund Project Manager +963 940 077 765 tamara.tamzok@un.org
Tayma Mourad, UN-HABITAT Syria, Communication Assistant +963 965 044 536 taimaa.mourad@un.org
Salma Hakki, FAO Syria, Communication Officer, +963 958-002-536 salma.hakki@fao.org
Giacomo Negrotto, UNDP Syria, Partnership Development Officer, +963 99 33 38 908 giacomo.negrotto@undp.org