The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced multiple initiatives to combat the climate crisis at COP26. At the World Leaders’ Summit, President Biden announced three key initiatives which USAID will play a significant role in implementing. While at COP26, Administrator Samantha Power announced a suite of additional USAID initiatives, targets, and partnerships to support these Presidential initiatives and other Agency climate priorities.
Presidential Announcements and Initiatives:
President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE). On November 1, President Biden launched the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE)—a whole-of-government initiative to support developing countries and communities in vulnerable situations around the world, in their efforts to adapt to, and manage the impacts of climate change. USAID will play a central role in implementing the initiative and the Agency announced an ambitious set of targets to advance PREPARE, including programs to support half a billion people to adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change through locally-led development by 2030. Link to press release
Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate). On November 2, President Biden launched AIM for Climate at COP26—an initiative led by the United States and the United Arab Emirates to increase investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems. USAID is playing a leading role in AIM for Climate along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. USAID’s commitments to climate-smart agriculture include at least $215 million over five years to support the critical work of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, to help 200 million people raise agricultural productivity in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa by 25 percent by 2030. Link to press release
Plan to Conserve Global Forests: Critical Carbon Sinks. On November 2, President Biden announced the Plan to Conserve Global Forests: Critical Carbon Sinks. This plan—the first of its kind for the U.S. government—outlines how the U.S. will help protect the Amazon rainforest and other critical ecosystems worldwide that sequester large quantities of greenhouse gases. USAID will play a core role in the plan as a global leader in translating climate change mitigation and conservation ambition into impact. Link to press release
USAID Announcements and Initiatives:
Preventing Six Billion Tons of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
On November 3, Administrator Power announced USAID’s ambitious target to support partner countries to prevent six billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 2030. This cumulative amount is roughly equal to total U.S. domestic emissions for one year, or the equivalent of removing more than one billion gasoline powered cars from the road for one year. This goal will be achieved through a series of new and forthcoming programs which support partner countries to reduce and sequester emissions by transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and conserving, protecting, and better managing tropical forests, mangroves, and other important ecosystems that sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide among other measures to mitigate climate change. Link to press release
Conserving 100 Million Hectares of Critical Landscapes
On November 3, Administrator Power announced USAID’s target to support the protection, restoration, or management of 100 million hectares of critical landscapes—an area more than twice the size of California—by 2030, in support of the President’s Plan to Conserve Global Forests: Critical Carbon Sinks. This target will be achieved through a series of new and forthcoming programs in critical geographies including the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. Link to press release
Global Action for Climate Equity
On November 6, Administrator Power announced a suite of programs and targets to advance Global Action for Climate Equity. This includes a specific goal to support structural changes that improve participation and leadership for Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, and youth in all their diversity in climate action in at least 40 partner countries by 2030. USAID’s ongoing and forthcoming equity and climate justice initiatives will advance the vision and goals of the Agency’s forthcoming 2022-2030 Climate Strategy. Link to press release
Global Climate Ambition Initiative
On November 8, USAID announced ambitious new targets to support implementation of the Global Climate Ambition Initiative, which the White House launched at the Leaders’s Summit on Climate in April. The Global Climate Ambition Initiative seeks to coordinate U.S. government support to partner countries to strengthen and implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) under the Paris Agreement, and advance towards net-zero and newer enhanced commitments. USAID’s new Agency-wide climate strategy aims to align development and humanitarian assistance programs with NDCs, NAPs, and partner country climate policy priorities in at least 80 countries by 2030. In addition, USAID plans to support at least 40 partner countries in demonstrating significant and sustained progress towards achieving ambitious country commitments in that time. Link to press release
Mobilizing $150 Billion in Climate Finance
On November 8, USAID announced an ambitious target to mobilize $150 billion in public and private climate finance by 2030. USAID will catalyze the majority of this funding from private sector investments—as well as from public sector investments from partner country governments—through targeted programs and partnerships. USAID aims to catalyze ten dollars of private sector financing for every one dollar of USAID public funding invested. The U.S. government public funds that USAID invests in these programs and partnerships to catalyze outside investments will be drawn from and aligned with the anticipated $11.4 billion in annual public climate financing announced by President Biden at the UN General Assembly. Link to press release
Draft Climate Strategy for Public Comment
On November 3, USAID released a draft of its forthcoming 2022-2030 Climate Strategy for public comment. The draft will be available for voluntary public feedback from November 3-24, 2021. USAID welcomes feedback from any individual or group.
New Partnerships
Comprehensive Africa Climate Change Initiative
On November 8, Administrator Power and African Union Commissioner, Josefa Sacko launched the Comprehensive Africa Climate Change Initiative (CACCI)—a new partnership between USAID and the African Union Commission to support African countries implement their Nationally Determined Contributions. Link to press release; video
Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
On November 6, Administrator Samantha Power signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rockefeller Foundation forming the basis of a strategic partnership between USAID, Power Africa, and the newly launched Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). The partnerships will support universal, clean energy generation and access for Sub-Saharan Africa by accelerating new distributed renewable energy and grid-based solutions. Link to press release; video
MOU Renewal with Government of Norway
On November 6, Administrator Power joined Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Kristiansen Tvinnereim along with Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aslak Brun and Power Africa Coordinator Mark Carrato, to sign a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing the two partners to continuing support for improving energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa.
WATCH: Administrator Power’s Events at COP26
November 6, 2021:
- Saving Nature to Save Ourselves
- MOU Renewal Signing with Norwegian Minister for Int. Dev., Anne Beathe Kristiansen Tvinnereim
- Investing in Our Future: Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate
- Global Energy Alliance for People & Planet (GEAPP) / USAID | Power Africa MOU Signing Ceremony
- Our Climate Future is Female: Women and Girls Leading Climate Action
November 7, 2021:
November 8, 2021:
- Power-up: Factoring Resilience into Transitioning Energy Infrastructure
- Implementing the Paris Agreement in Africa: African Union Commission (AUC) and USAID Partnering for Climate Action
- Adapting to Thrive: U.S. Action on Global Climate Adaptation
- High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance 'Improving the Scale and Effectiveness of Adaptation Finance
For more information, please see this fact sheet.
