On a global scale, the GEF’s climate change focal area addresses both mitigation and adaptation, serving as a key financial mechanism for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement. The GEF supports developing countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable transport, while also building resilience to climate impacts through adaptation initiatives.

Under the Paris Agreement, the GEF also helps countries meet their transparency obligations by strengthening institutional capacity for monitoring, reporting, and verification of climate data.

In Zimbabwe, climate change poses a direct and escalating threat to food security, water resources, and urban infrastructure. A prominent recent investment is the Sustainable Cities Integrated Project (U-RISE) , which secured over US$3.5 million under GEF-8 to pilot greener, smarter cities in Harare and Bulawayo. This project rolls out nature-based solutions including urban farming, tree planting, and land rehabilitation across multiple sites, strengthening urban planning and ecosystem management to enhance resilience in Zimbabwe’s two largest cities.

On the mitigation front, the GEF is supporting Zimbabwe’s transition to a low-carbon future through a US$2 million medium-size project to accelerate electric mobility, which focuses on reducing urban emissions and managing battery waste. Adaptation efforts are equally robust: a US$983,000 project on “Coping with Drought and Climate Change” has helped farming communities in southern Zimbabwe adopt climate-smart agricultural practices, modern irrigation, and guaranteed market linkages. The GEF also strengthens Zimbabwe’s institutional capacity to meet its transparency obligations under the Paris Agreement through a US$1.21 million enabling activity. Collectively, these initiatives are rewriting the story of survival in Zimbabwe’s rural south while positioning its cities on a greener, more resilient development path.