Results from the recently concluded Plan make clear the Group’s leadership on climate action. Looking ahead, our next Climate Change Action Plan (2020-2025), already underway, aims to boost support for countries to take ambitious climate action by increasing financing for adaptation and supporting increased systemic climate action at the country level.

Implementing this as countries also grapple with the economic consequences of COVID-19 means looking at interventions that can deliver short term objectives – such as jobs and economic growth – as well as longer terms ones like decarbonization and boosting adaptation and resilience, helping our clients shape a sustainable recovery.

Drawing from our technical expertise, operational know-how and financial resources – including through successfully delivering our first ever Climate Change Action Plan – we will expand our efforts, for instance going beyond traditional climate sectors and making sure that climate prior actions are core parts of the economic recovery from the pandemic. This is how we can deliver the critical systemic, economy-wide change for our clients and help set development pathways today that can unlock low-carbon, resilient benefits for decades to come.

“For those of us who have worked in development for years, it’s clear that climate change could unravel our most hard-won efforts”, says Bernice Van Bronkhorst, Global Director, Climate Change. “We are at a once-in-a-generation moment to help clients act on climate and in so doing also gain the benefits of cleaner air and water, healthier oceans, more resilient cities, and more sustainable food and agriculture systems. We are committed to getting this right.”

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