Undersecretary Africano Bartel meets Stephanie Speck, Green Climate Fund's Head of Special Initiatives in Juba March 3, 2025. (Photo: TRC).

South Sudan is seeking financing from international climate agencies for an ambitious $639 million country program to mitigate climate disasters through adaptation and smart agriculture projects, an official said.

A high-level delegation from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is in Juba for a five-day mission aimed at addressing the escalating impacts of climate change in South Sudan.

The visit follows an invitation extended by President Salva Kiir to the Executive Director of the GCF.

Upon the arrival of GCF delegation, Joseph Africano Bartel, the Undersecretary of Ministry of Environment and Forestry, highlighted the significance of this mission.

Mr. Bartel noted that South Sudan has experienced severe climate events in recent years, including widespread flooding in Upper Nile, Unity, and six other states, as well as droughts and a recent heatwave that led to the temporary closure of schools.

“The Green Climate Fund is here to meet us and to discuss with us what kind of funding they’ll be able to help us with,” he told journalists in Juba on Monday.

“We, as a country, have developed a country program that requires up to $639 million dollars. So, we prioritize projects, energy generation, adaptation, such as smart agriculture, and capacity building.”

The Green Climate Fund, established under the Paris Agreement, is the world’s largest climate finance agency, supporting countries in their mitigation and adaptation efforts.

GCF is a fund for climate finance that was established within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

During their mission, the GCF delegation will engage with various stakeholders, including government ministers, civil society organizations, international partners, and the private sector.

The agenda includes a visit to Bentiu to assess firsthand the impacts of climate change on local communities.

Stephanie Speck, Head of Special Initiatives for the Green Climate Fund, expressed the fund’s commitment to supporting South Sudan.

She emphasized the GCF’s role in channeling climate investments to the most vulnerable communities, particularly in countries experiencing fragility, conflict, and climate crises simultaneously.

“We have more than $17 billion committed around the world, which makes us the largest multilateral climate fund,” Ms. Speck said.

“We are particularly concerned with funding to the most vulnerable communities and underserved countries, countries that may be experiencing fragility, conflict, and the climate crisis at the same time.”

“So, we are very aware of South Sudan’s vulnerabilities, and the Under-Secretary has already spoken about flooding, drought, heat waves, and insecurity. All those things come together in South Sudan, making it one of the countries that the Green Climate Fund is most interested to invest in.”