Guyana to Strengthen Coastal Resilience and Adaptation

• The World Bank approved a project to help Guyana adapt to climate change and reduce flood risk in its coastal regions. This initiative is set to benefit around 320,000 people, approximately 40% of the country’s population, including the most vulnerable.
• Guyana is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Studies have shown that rising sea levels expose 100% of the country's coastal agriculture and 66.4% of its coastal urban areas to flooding and erosion, with potential GDP exceeding 46.4%.
• The new Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Project, valued at US$45Mn will build on existing efforts to enhance flood risk management in Guyana. The project will repair or replace more than 45 drainage infrastructure assets, focusing on sluices. A Sluice is a sliding gate or device for controlling water flow.
• The project will work closely with Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture to help it effectively manage and operate the drainage system. It will upgrade the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority's asset management system, develop technical standards for flood risk management in urban areas, and provide training to enhance personnel capacity for system operation and maintenance.
• Adverse climate shocks are key challenges that could negatively impact the Guyanese economy and weaken the macroeconomic outlook. Receiving funding like this from the World Bank, along with funding from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) toward Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems should boost climate change adaptation while investing steadily in people, physical infrastructure, and institutions.

(Sources: The World Bank Group & NCBCM Research)