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The Green Climate Fund (GCF) launched a new project “Supporting Forest Sector in Georgia – ECO.Georgia”
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Economy of Georgia, the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) signed an agreement on “Implementation of the Technical Cooperation Projects”; the respective agreement was signed between Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili and Minister of Sustainable Development and Economy of Georgia, Ms Natia Turnava, Head of the GIZ’s Caucasus Office, Mr Karl Testensen, as well as the Lutz Jarchinsky, head of the ECO.Georgia project.
“We launched a project, which will accumulate a 47 million Euro of total grant assistance from the Green Climate Fund, German and Swiss Governments. The project will provide assistance for shaping a wise management framework of forests, as well as formation of climate-effective and climate-smart technologies, which will improve forest management. The project will make a profound impact on improving life of local dwellers, as well as foster forest and forest resources control, apart from conservation of biodiversity. The project will facilitate new forest code and enforcement of new approaches” – Minister Davitashvili stated.
As an attempt for implementing the project, the GCF advisory board issued a 33 million Euros of grant assistance in the year of 2020, which had been approved. The project will be implemented during the period of 2021 – 2027, for seven years and co-funding has been issues by the German Federal Government (100, 000, 000 million Euros) and the Government of the Swiss Confederation (4 090 000 million Euros).
“Georgia has launched implementation of crucial reforms, which are related to effective usage of forests and cultivation of energy-effective technologies; therefore, it is of utmost importance that Georgia enjoys support and guardianship from international organizations, which as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), as well as the Swiss and German governments. Such assistance is vital for raising energy-effectiveness, as well as fostering ecotourism” – Minister Turnava stated.
The project will foster restoration of forest, decreasing loss of forests, as well as sustainable management and conservation of the latter; the efforts will foster oxygen at forests, as well as development of energy-effective and alternative fuel markets. The project will improve wellbeing of local dwellers and increasing role of local self-governments into sustainable forest management, raising awareness, improving vocational skills and deploying the corresponding policies and regulations.
The respective effort will support unconditional and determined requirements set for Georgia within the Nationally Determined Contributions toward the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention. Moreover, the project will foster implementation of the new forest code. The project spans across the eight municipalities (Akhmeta, Dedoplistskaro, Kvareli, Tianeti, Lanchkhuti, Ozurgeti and Chokhatauri) of Guria, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kakheti.
In frames of the event, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili, Ambassador of the Federal Republic to Georgia, H.E. Hubert Knirsch and GIZ’s Caucasus Office, Mr Karl Testensen opened a new office of the GIZ in the premises of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
Signing ceremony enjoyed presence of Ambassador of the Federal Republic to Georgia, H.E. Hubert Knirsch, H.E. Christian Schoenenberger, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassadors of Swiss Confederation to Georgia, as well as heads of diplomatic missions, as well as trustees of the Guria, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kakheti regions; as well as representatives of the ministries.