Guinea-Bissau: Launch of RESIslands, a 30-Month Green Climate Fund Programme to Prepare Climate Investment Projects

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is financing the RESIslands initiative, launched on 6 October 2026 in Bissau by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). This 30-month programme targets nine member states of the African Island States Climate Commission (AISCC): Cabo Verde, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Tanzania (Zanzibar). In Bissau, technical consultations are being held on 7 and 8 October to refine national priorities. The Minister of Environment and Climate Action, Carlos Pinto Pereira, emphasized the need to accompany any equipment and technology transfer with training and sustainable community support. "Strengthening climate resilience in Guinea-Bissau is not just an environmental issue. It is a matter of development, security, the protection of livelihoods, and the future of communities," stated Kjartan Fjeldsted, programme manager at UNECA. Orlando Mendes, from the National Institute of Meteorology, presented data on rising temperatures and rainfall variability affecting agriculture and coastal areas. Three national technicians are undergoing online training on climate risk assessment. A preliminary inventory identified 17 existing initiatives and ten project ideas, covering early warning, coastal resilience, agriculture, water security, fisheries, urban resilience, and renewable energy. These ideas remain subject to national validation. For Bissau, this mechanism aims to transform climate priorities into projects...