Bissau, Oct. 7, 2026 (Lusa) - Guinea-Bissau has launched the RESIslands project to strengthen climate resilience and draw up proposals for climate-related investment, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) – which is responsible for the project development – has announced.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ECA noted that Guinea-Bissau has moved forward with RESIslands with the aim of «strengthening national capacity to assess climate risks and develop investment proposals that protect communities, livelihoods and ecosystems».
Technical consultations are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday «aimed at refining priorities, identifying capacity needs and building on existing initiatives», according to the statement from this UN commission, which notes that the launch of this initiative marks «the start of an engagement programme».
RESIslands is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), will run for 30 months and supports the following nine members of the African Island States Climate Commission (AISCC): Cabo Verde, the Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, the Seychelles and Tanzania (Zanzibar).
According to the ECA statement, in Guinea-Bissau the initiative «brings together national institutions and partners with the aim of improving risk assessment, strengthening political and institutional capacities, and developing a set of climate project proposals.» «Strengthening climate resilience in Guinea-Bissau is not just an environmental issue. It is a matter of development, security, the protection of livelihoods and the future of communities,» said Kjartan Fjeldsted, the ECA's programme manager, in his opening address.
Meanwhile, Carlos Pinto Pereira, minister for the environment and climate action, quoted in the press release and also present at the opening, highlighted the importance of communities having timely access to climate information, emphasising further «that the introduction of equipment and technologies must be accompanied by training and ongoing support, so that communities can use them effectively».
Also quoted in the press release, Inoussa Kaboré, Unicef representative in Guinea-Bissau and acting United Nations Resident Coordinator, noted that for this country, «climate change does not represent a future threat», but that «it is already affecting livelihoods, food security and economic development».
Kaboré therefore called for national priorities to be translated into investment proposals that deliver «tangible benefits to communities, with women and young people contributing to the development of solutions», the statement reads.
According to the UN commission, the coastal areas, mangroves and the Bijagós archipelago in Guinea-Bissau support fisheries, agriculture and food security.
«Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion and changes in rainfall patterns are placing these livelihoods and ecosystems under increasing pressure,» the statement adds.
According to the ECA, this preparedness initiative «supports the capacities, evidence and project preparation needed to attract climate investment» and that «the preliminary ideas remain subject to validation at national level, further development and subsequent funding decisions».
The launch of RESIslands forms part of Guinea-Bissau's regional engagement through the AISCC and the «Guinea-Bissau Pathway for African Island States», adopted at the ministerial conference held in Bissau in 2025, the ECA noted.
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