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Otar Shamugia Meets Thomas Erickson, Regional Director of the Green Climate Fund, at COP29
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Otar Shamugia, held a productive meeting with Thomas Erickson, Regional Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Minister Shamugia expressed his appreciation for the strong partnership between Georgia and the Green Climate Fund, highlighting the significant impact of ongoing projects addressing climate change, disaster preparedness, and sustainable forest management.
“Developing comprehensive early warning systems across the country is a critical priority. These systems provide reliable information on threats and climate risks and exemplify our successful collaboration with GCF,” Shamugia stated. He further noted that, with GCF support, Georgia has installed advanced hydrological, meteorological, and agro-meteorological equipment, initiated monitoring of landslide-prone areas, and completed hydro-meteorological and geological hazard mapping in both eastern and western regions of the country.
The Minister also emphasized the transformative benefits of GCF-supported programs in areas such as land restoration, sustainable agriculture, water resource management, and forest sustainability. According to the Minister, these initiatives are directly improving the resilience of rural communities in Georgia to the impacts of climate change.
In his remarks, Shamugia underscored the Georgian government’s commitment to increasing domestic funding for environmental protection projects. He also emphasized the importance of international donor support for effectively advancing climate change mitigation initiatives.
Thomas Erickson commended the progress made in Georgia, lauding the focus on sustainable development and the steps taken to mitigate climate risks. He affirmed GCF’s continued readiness to support Georgia in its future efforts.
The Deputy Minister Nino Tandilashvili accompanied the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.