By Juan De Dios Roger Mattos
Today we started the side events in which IFAD is participating. We started with the side event of Mobilizing Biodiversity Finance where IFAD’s Environment and Climate Change, Director, Elwyn Grainger-Jones participated. At this event, GEF CEO Naoko Nishii explained what GEF has been doing to mobilize resources, but also what needs to be done in the future to adapt to the negative effects of climate change. According to Mrs. Nishii, the GEF has more than 20 years of experience in channeling funds to adaptation. The GEF council adopted an adaptation strategy and it is preparing a book about that. The Minister of Energy and Environment of the Seychelles described the policies that the country is preparing for climate change adaptation, taking into consideration that the Seychelles is a small island state. He said that, 'humanity is not prepared, or ready, to adapt'.
I also participated in the side event on Climate Change and Food Security along with the World Bank, UNIDO, FAO and UNEP. All these agencies are working to increase food security, even if it is not their principal mandate. There was a consensus among participants that targets are difficult to set because good food security is difficult to measure.
ECD’s Sheila Mwanundu, took part in the side event Towards Gender Equality. Participants highlighted the value of mainstreaming gender throughout projects. IFAD has clear targets to include gender and inclusion in monitoring and evaluation systems of each if its projects and it is also part of IFAD's overall monitoring system.
Finally Elwyn spoke later at the climate finance event along with the World Bank, IDB, the African Development Bank and UNDP. He spoke about IFAD’s innovative Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme and the real benefits and innovations it is bringing to rural communities in developing countries.
A number of bilateral meetings were organized with the World Bank, the Ministry of Environment of Colombia, and a number of other partners.