In Mozambique, the Performance based Climate Resilient Grant (PBCRG) System provides an opportunity for the provincial and district government authorities to demonstrate to centrally-based governance structures – Ministry of Land, Rural Development and Environment and the Ministry of Economy and Finances – the existing capacities at the local level to plan, budget and finance climate-resilient infrastructure.

In the mid-term implementation phase of the four years’ programmatic framework, which is financed by the Belgian Cooperation, the European Union (EU), the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and UNCDF resources, the PBCRG system has facilitated a dialogue platform among the multiple governance structures, having a say in promoting, financing and being accountable to climate-resilient local development.

In this context, and with the objective to monitor and further reinforce government-led climate development interventions finance within the The Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) framework in Gaza province, an EU HQ-based mission took place from May 16 to May 20, 2017 to evaluate the programmatic coherence and its associated efficiency and effectiveness in delivering climate-resilient development interventions. In this regard, special attention was addressed to ensure grounded local government ownership and accountability in planning, budgeting and financing climate-resilient infrastructure development.

The EU mission could financially track and monitor the capital resilient grants transferred to the national treasury and how these grants have trickled down throughout decentralized governances’ systems and processes. In this initial phase of the LoCAL programmatic framework, US$ 500,000 have been transferred throughout nationally-designed public financial management systems to support local government fiscal capacities to promote climate-resilient local development. Given the nature of the programme, the local government-led participatory approach to local development and its associated dialogue between district authorities and local communities was shared to the EU mission, which included the presentation of government-based improved tools and strategies to mainstream adaptation into local plans, budget and investment cycles.

Specifically, in the Massingir district in Gaza province, the first LoCAL capital grants to finance adaptation development infrastructure were initially piloted. Given the extreme and constantly changing climate conditions (i.e., droughts), water development infrastructure has been right on top of the local communities’ and government priorities in the planning exercise. For this, the district administration, in agreement with a local company, is in the process to finalize a $100,000 construction work which will provide water access to the communities’ district, benefitting a total number of 1,600 beneficiaries, out of which a total number of 802 women and 798 man. In addition, the water will be channeled to a local educational center where 124 students will have access to drinking water and, within the same infrastructure works, some of the water will be channeled to foster and secure local livelihoods by providing water access to livestock (approximately to 1,570 goats, sheep and swine), which shall contribute, in due course, to reinforced community-based income generating activities.

The ultimate objective of monitoring and evaluating the mid-term LoCAL programmatic implementation phase is addressed to identify potential programmatic bottlenecks and opportunities to further enhance local government systems and its associated decision-making processes to plan, budget and finance climate resilient development interventions.

​The Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) of the UN Capital Development Fund serves as a mechanism to integrate climate change adaption into local governments’ planning and budgeting systems, increase awareness of and response to climate change at the local level, and increase the amount of finance available to local governments for climate change adaption.