Supporting Climate Adaptive Solutions in Lesotho Through Policy and a Community-based Green Economy Pilot

Elements of Innovation

• Awareness Raising and Communication
• Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction
• Diversity, Gender and Inclusion

What is the project about?

With the impacts of climate change increasingly apparent in Lesotho, this project serves a dual purpose: to address the effects of climate change on human movement and foster a green economy through sustainable livelihood opportunities. In pursuit of this objective, the project envisions the Government of Lesotho taking a leading role in adopting strategies that enhance climate resilience. Concurrently, local communities are being supported to embrace practices that withstand the effects of climate change and contribute to sustainable livelihoods.

Based on a nationwide assessment of the connections between migration and the environment, the project assists the Government in formulating a gender-sensitive strategy focused on migration, environment, and climate change. Collaborating with cooperatives in five communities, the project not only expands employment prospects within the green sector but also raises awareness on climate-resilient practices to cooperative members and their communities. The project functions as a two-pronged approach, harmonizing efforts towards reduced climate-induced human mobility and enhanced sustainable livelihoods.

How is the project innovative?

The unique character of this initiative should be recognized in the way it engages with concrete and tangible solutions in the context of development and climate change. It does so by supporting Lesotho’s institutions and communities to transition towards green growth, enabling advances toward health, natural resource sustainability and social equity.

The initiative foresees the engagement and participation of local communities, to both strengthen their resilience to environmental changes, and provide them with the tools needed to take an active part in developing a sustainable green economy. Moving beyond theoretical perspectives, the initiative plays an active role in creating green employment and promoting growth within the green economy. This approach enables Lesotho to adopt a vanguard role in reimagining the intersection of migration, climate resilience, and economic progress towards a more sustainable and equitable future.