The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and its partners yesterday afternoon awarded the best climate resilience projects financed in Tajikistan through the Climate Resilience Financing Facility CLIMADAPT program.

The CLIMADAPT Awards Ceremony that took place at Hyatt Regency Dushanbe Hotel recognized some of the best commercial decisions to improve the resilience and competitiveness of Tajik businesses.

According to the EBRD Resident Office in Dushanbe, more than 30 beneficiaries were awarded at the ceremony for their efforts in promoting climate resilience value chains and for demonstrating the business case for investing in high performance technologies.

Among the winners are men and women who have adopted innovative water- and energy-efficient technologies such as drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting and water storage, solar panels and energy-efficient cold-storage facilities.

In addition to the businesses that received financing through the CLIMADAPT credit line, awards and recognition for successful implementation were given to representatives of the program’s partner banks which have demonstrated compelling examples of championing climate resilience financing and structuring successful investments, often in very remote areas of Tajikistan.

Special awards were given to CLIMADAPT partner organizations in acknowledgement of their outstanding contribution to, and support for, promoting and implementing climate resilience technologies.

Launched in February 2016, CLIMADAPT is a US$ 10 million credit line program and pilot initiative to facilitate access to climate resilience technologies improving the use of water, energy and land resources in Tajikistan. The credit line is operated through Tajik banks and microfinance institutions for on-lending to final beneficiaries.  Partners in the program include the government of Tajikistan, the Climate Investment Funds and the United Kingdom.

The Climadapt facility was launched by the EBRD together with the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF).  Technical assistance within the program is financed by donor funds from the government of the United Kingdom and from the multi-donor EBRD Early Transition Countries Fund.

CLIMADAPT credit line reportedly helped more than 2,250 Tajik beneficiaries to build climate resilience.

To-date, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has invested about €600 million (US$ 700 million equivalent) into various sectors of Tajikistan’s economy.