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EU and IFC to Accelerate Climate-Smart Investments in South Asia

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EU and IFC to Accelerate Climate-Smart Investments in South Asia
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February 10: Six South Asian nations, including Nepal, are set to benefit from a new USD$ 21.5 million funding from the European Union (EU), which is expected help to accelerate climate-smart, inclusive infrastructure investments in their regions, the EU and IFC said in a joint statement on Thursday (February 10).

According to the statement, IFC – a member of the World Bank Group and one of the largest global development institutions focused on the private sector in emerging markets – will implement the project under the programme, Accelerating Climate-Smart and Inclusive Infrastructure in South Asia (ACSIIS).

ACSIIS is a five-year programme running from 2021 to 2026. It is expected to help spur investments in energy, water, waste management, transport, logistics, and green buildings to benefit people and businesses in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. ACSIIS would leverage USD$ 850 million of private sector investments in the region, the statement added.

“The impact of COVID-19 on investments in infrastructure has been widespread and severe. Investment commitments in infrastructure with private participation in 2020 dropped by an unprecedented 52 percent from 2019 levels. IFC estimates that South Asian countries can unlock more than US$3 trillion of climate-smart investment opportunities by fully meeting the national targets under the Paris Agreement by 2030,” the statement reads.

According to Hector Gomez Ang, the regional director of IFC for South Asia, attracting private capital for climate-smart infrastructure in a sustainable and inclusive manner will be critical for post-COVID-19 recovery in the region.

“The EU’s support for the programme could not come at a better time as it is vital to act now to unblock obstacles to spurring sustainable infrastructure projects. This programme will leverage IFC's experience and expertise in supporting climate-smart infrastructure development in the region,” he added.

The programme will also support the development of climate-smart investments in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, health, and education while focusing on key themes such as cities, gender, and green finance. The latest initiative builds on IFC’s previous partnership with the EU to support the Eco-Cities Programme in India and other programmes in the region.

Through ACSIIS, IFC will support early-stage market development to address key market-wide constraints, as well as deliver project-level technical advice to structure sustainable infrastructure investments for the target countries, the statement further said.

The programme will also support capacity building of private and government sectors to improve their ability to design, structure, and implement sustainable infrastructure projects. Several of these components, according to the joint statement, are part of IFC’s Upstream strategy, which aims to create markets in the most challenging environments, laying the foundation for future investment projects.

 

 

 

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