Harare, Zimbabwe – 15 May 2026 – The Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, through the Climate Change Management Department, in partnership with UNDP Zimbabwe, today launched a new Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Project titled “Advancing Zimbabwe’s Climate Resilience and Low-Emission Development through Enhanced NDC Strategies, Climate Technology Needs Assessment and Private Sector Engagement.”

The project seeks to strengthen Zimbabwe’s implementation of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), advance low-emission and climate-resilient development, and improve the country’s readiness to access climate finance through stronger climate technology prioritization, private sector engagement and development of bankable climate finance projects.

The GCF Readiness support will focus on the development of a Climate Technology Needs Assessment and enabling framework, a Private Sector Engagement Roadmap, refinement and validation of two priority GCF concept notes, and preparation of a broader pipeline of climate finance projects aligned with Zimbabwe’s national development and climate priorities.

Speaking during the launch and inception workshop held in Harare, Government and UNDP representatives emphasized the importance of translating climate policy ambitions into practical investments, partnerships and implementation tools that deliver tangible benefits for communities, the economy and the environment.

“Through this GCF Readiness support, Zimbabwe is strengthening the systems, partnerships and investment pathways required to translate NDC ambition into climate-resilient and low-emission development outcomes,” said Nature, Energy and Climate Team Leader, Constance Pepukai.

“The project provides an important platform to align climate technology, private sector engagement and project pipeline development with Zimbabwe’s national climate priorities,” said Acting Secretary for Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Mr Washington Zhakata.

The launch brought together representatives from Government, UNDP, the GCF National Designated Authority, sector ministries, private sector and financial institutions, academia, civil society organizations, youth representatives and development partners, underscoring the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in mobilizing climate finance at scale.

The inception workshop featured presentations on the project overview and expected results, GCF requirements and monitoring frameworks, gender equality and social and environmental safeguards integration, technical outputs, annual workplans, procurement plans and implementation arrangements.

Key Project Deliverables

1. Strengthen Zimbabwe’s climate technology prioritization and enabling frameworks for NDC implementation.
2. Develop a Private Sector Engagement Roadmap to unlock climate investment opportunities.
3. Refine and validate two priority concept notes for submission to the Green Climate Fund.
    
4. Build a stronger pipeline of bankable projects for low-emission and climate-resilient development.
    
5. Integrate gender equality, social inclusion and social and environmental safeguards across all project activities.
   About the GCF Readiness Project

The GCF Readiness Project, “Advancing Zimbabwe’s Climate Resilience and Low-Emission Development through Enhanced NDC Strategies, Climate Technology Needs Assessment and Private Sector Engagement,” supports Zimbabwe’s national capacity to plan, finance and implement climate action. The project is implemented by UNDP Zimbabwe in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife through the Climate Change Management Department and contributes to Zimbabwe’s climate finance readiness and NDC implementation agenda.

Media Contact

UNDP Zimbabwe Communications Unit
Email: communications.zw@undp.org