Climate Change and Development Strategy (2012–2016)

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our generation. USAID — as part of the broader Presidential Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) — is addressing this challenge in ways that recognize both its severity and the opportunities clean economic growth presents to spur innovation and encourage investments that will have long­lasting environmental and development benefits. If we support countries to build climate resilience and move towards a “low carbon” economic growth pathway, we can help provide more stable and prosperous futures for the U.S. and for our partners, including new markets for clean technology and expansion of the green economy. Alternatively, if we are unable to meet this challenge, climate change could jeopardize many of the development gains the international community and the U.S. government have worked for decades to secure.

USAID’s work on climate change fits into a larger domestic and international policy context and is guided by Administration policy as developed in the President’s Global Development Policy,the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review,USAID Forward, and the GCCI. Additionally,USAID’s Policy Framework 2011­2015 defines the following as one of seven Core Development Objectives for the Agency: Reduce Climate Change Impacts and Promote Low Emissions Growth. USAID has a long history of programming in sectors relevant to climate change and will draw lessons learned from this history to shape efforts under this strategy.

The goal of USAID’s 2012-­2015 Climate Change and Development Strategy is to enable countries to accelerate their transition to climateresilient low emission sustainable economic development