GGGI and AFD Advance Collaboration to Further Promote Resilient
GGGI and AFD Advance Collaboration to Further Promote Resilient, Green and Affordable Housing Across the Eastern Caribbean
The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Agence française de développement (AFD) have signed a new grant agreement to further advance a regional program supporting resilient, green and affordable housing solutions in the Eastern Caribbean. The support complements ongoing work by GGGI in collaboration with the government of Ireland and other regional partners.
Under the agreement, GGGI will support ongoing regional efforts to enhance existing guidelines for resilient, green, and affordable housing. The guidelines will align with global best practices and standards in the housing sector, considering the region’s unique geographical and socio-economic context.
The grant will also co-finance the ongoing work in Saint Lucia that is currently being funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to design a comprehensive community master plan and environmental and social impact assessment for a pilot project site in Balata, Castries. The Government of Saint Lucia’s Balata pilot project, once completed, will increase the housing stock for low- to middle-income families, support home ownership and enhance resilience to the increasing intensity and frequency of the climate hazards that the region faces.
Marc Dubernet, AFD’s Atlantic Ocean Regional Director, affirmed: “I am delighted that we are able to continue and build on the work already underway in Saint Lucia, while also scaling up this initiative at the regional level to help foster a more resilient Caribbean. This collaboration demonstrates the strong value of partnership. I am particularly pleased with the constructive work carried out alongside GGGI and the Government of Ireland through DFA Ireland. Together, we are laying the groundwork for forward-looking, practical solutions that will support sustainable and resilient housing for the future of the Eastern Caribbean.”
Daniel Muñoz-Smith, GGGI’s Caribbean Representative, said, “This agreement builds on GGGI’s strong partnership with AFD to scale up resilient, green, and affordable housing. It will support the development of policy instruments that address those unique, but common challenges facing the small islands states of the Eastern Caribbean and present opportunities for regional partners, including the OECS, to develop practical approaches to strengthen the region’s resilience, improve affordability, and promote sustainability for the communities that are most vulnerable to climate change.”
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean continue to face significant climate-related vulnerabilities that are compounded by natural and economic constraints. Further, limited availability of flat land has pushed many families to build houses along steep hillsides, thereby increasing their vulnerability and highlighting the need for adaptation measures tailored to enhance the resilience of homes built within these areas, to natural hazards and the intensifying impacts of climate change.
Since 2021, with the financial and technical support of AFD, GGGI, has been implementing projects tailored to deliver investment plans and enhance Eastern Caribbean SIDS capacities for the design and development of affordable, eco-friendly housing units that can withstand climate-related hazards. This latest initiative in the sector builds on this partnership and collaboration by integrating sustainable building practices and technologies and creating financial models for affordability, to ensure a sustainable and resilient approach to housing in the Eastern Caribbean.
