The Green Climate Fund has approved a US$10 million climate adaptation project aimed at strengthening resilience and creating green jobs for young people in Zimbabwe.
The initiative, titled Adolescents and Youth for a Sustainable Future, was approved on 30 October 2025 during the GCF’s 43rd Board Meeting (B.43).
Implemented in partnership with Save the Children Australia, the programme seeks to empower adolescents and youth — who constitute 62 percent of Zimbabwe’s population — to lead community-based climate adaptation efforts.
The project will target six districts across three provinces and aims to restore approximately 56,750 hectares of degraded land while promoting sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem rehabilitation.
Classified under Category C for Environmental and Social Safeguards, the initiative focuses on communities reliant on rain-fed agriculture, which supports 70 to 80 percent of the population but remains highly vulnerable to climate shocks such as droughts, floods, and erratic rainfall.
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Zimbabwe ranks 174 out of 187 countries on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index (ND-GAIN 2023), highlighting its high vulnerability to climate impacts.
The project will prioritise interventions that improve food security, income resilience, and youth employment, with particular attention to young women, who experience heightened economic and climate-related risks.
“The initiative seeks to reduce climate vulnerability and improve livelihoods across six districts in three provinces by fostering green job creation and facilitating access to finance,” the GCF said in a statement.
“It will also support the restoration and sustainable management of 56,750 hectares of land, strengthening ecosystems critical to rural livelihoods.”
The programme will empower young people to co-design and implement Local Adaptation Plans alongside communities, local authorities, and private sector partners. It will also promote climate-resilient value chains in crops, livestock, and agroforestry by providing training, tools, and improved access to finance.
“At the heart of the project’s approach is Locally Led Adaptation, operationalised through Local Adaptation Plans that build on existing Local Environmental Action Plans,” GCF added.
The project is expected to reduce climate vulnerability, expand green employment opportunities for youth, and contribute to Zimbabwe’s broader transition toward a climate-resilient economy.
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