The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Sweden signed a USD 3.6 million agreement today aimed at protecting people and communities from floods and other natural disasters caused by climate change.

The new programme extends the reach of a USD 70 million national effort funded by the Green Climate Fund and the Governments of Georgia and Switzerland that was launched earlier in 2019. It is carried out by UNDP in cooperation with the Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. This seven-year programme aims to reduce flood risk in all 11 of Georgia’s major river basins, through a combination of measures including satellite-based hazard and risk mapping; upgrading of the national hydrometeorological service; creation of a nationwide early-warning system; and targeted infrastructure investments in particularly high-risk areas.

The new Swedish funding focuses on building community resilience to climate change and expands the number of high-risk locations covered by the UNDP-led programme from 60 to 90.

“People in vulnerable communities suffer most from the adverse effects of climate change,” said Swedish Ambassador to Georgia Ulrik Tideström. “Swedish assistance will improve safety and security for 30 communities in the highest-risk regions. With UNDP we will establish early warning systems, raise awareness of the climate threats and inform people on how to respond to the climate-driven disasters.”  

“Even if we can’t control the weather, there is nothing inevitable about natural disasters,” said UNDP Head Louisa Vinton. “Investing in prevention, as we are doing, can protect people and their property, even in the face of the extreme weather events that come with climate change. Our Swedish partners are enabling us target many of the most vulnerable communities, so that we can jointly fulfil the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals, ‘to leave no one behind.’”

The set of measures to be undertaken by the new component of the UNDP programme includes improvement of hydro-meteorological monitoring, reinforcement of river banks through agro-forestry and protective infrastructure, and establishment of community-based early warning systems. The Swedish-funded component of the programme will be implemented over four years.

Media contact

• Sophie Tchitchinadze, UNDP, +995 599 196907, sophie.tchitchinadze@undp.org
• Ira Sulava, UNDP, +995 599 579105, irine.sulava@undp.org