WASHINGTON, June 12, 2020 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved $54.5 million from the International Development Association (IDA)* and the Global Environment Facility (GEF)** to improve natural resource management and the livelihoods of the populations in climate-vulnerable areas in the Ouadi Rime and Ouadi Achim (OROA) Reserve in the central-north region of the Chadian Sahelo-Saharan zone.
ALBIÄ–which means “environment” in local Arabic–is a project that aims to improve the livelihoods of the communities while conserving biodiversity and mitigating the impact of climate change. This project will also address the following constraints and issues: the lack of good practices on the sustainable use of natural resources, limited livelihood options for the most vulnerable communities, the vulnerability of communities to climate shocks, inadequate management of protected areas, and poor quality access to water and sanitation.
“This project focuses on remote rural areas with high poverty rates and heightened vulnerability to climate change,” says Soukeyna Kane, World Bank Country Director for Chad. “It is therefore contributing directly to the World Bank’s objectives of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity in a sustainable manner.”
The project will also improve natural resource management in climate-vulnerable areas in and around the OROA reserve, which is home to key species such as the Dama, Oryx, and Addax gazelles, and striped hyenas. It will support improved management of the OROA reserve as well as national efforts to combat poaching and promote biodiversity conservation, in accordance with the commitment undertaken by Chad during the seventh replenishment of the Global Environment Facility.
Francois Nankobogo, World Bank Country Manager for Chad, noted that “climate change resilience and adaptation are key development issues in Chad. Strengthening the resilience of local communities by making them responsible for selecting and managing development activities that will have an impact on their quality of life is one way to effectively address these issues.”
Almost 70,000 men, women, and nomadic farmers living in the five hotspots around the reserve will benefit from the project.
*The International Development Association (IDA) is the World Bank’s fund for the poorest. Established in 1960, it provides grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. IDA resources help effect positive change in the lives of the 1.6 billion people living in the countries that are eligible for its assistance. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged $21 billion over the past three years, with about 61% going to Africa.
**The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is an international financial mechanism with 176 member countries that addresses global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. The GEF’s grants support projects in developing countries related to biodiversity, climate change, international water, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants. The GEF has been a driving force since its inception in 1991 to improve the lives of millions of people while creating the conditions for sustainable development. Its project portfolio is diverse, and, as with any investment portfolio, provides returns that vary over several time horizons. The GEF is a social entrepreneur, providing, for example, more than 10,000 small grants directly to community groups and other civil society organizations in 120 countries.
