The proposal titled “Increased climate resilience planning for municipal water resources in Lebanon”, led by the Ministry of Environment and implemented by UNDP, aims to enhance Lebanon’s capacity to plan for climate adaptation in the urban water sector. The project seeks to address key barriers including the lack of integration of climate change adaptation (CCA) into planning and budgeting, weak institutional capacity, lack of reliable data, and poor implementation of existing plans. It focuses specifically on strengthening governance and coordination (Outcome 3.1) and generating robust evidence for adaptation planning (Outcome 3.2), targeting two pilot sites—Tyre and the Nahr el Kalb Watershed. The overarching goal is to establish a CCA strategy and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) roadmap through participatory processes, while simultaneously improving technical capacity among national and local stakeholders.
Lebanon faces increasing climate-related water stress due to rising temperatures, decreased precipitation, and worsening droughts. This vulnerability is intensified by demographic pressure, aging infrastructure, and limited resources, especially in urban areas. Despite several sector-specific strategies, the country lacks a unified national climate adaptation framework. This Readiness proposal, valued at $2.1 million over 48 months, builds on previous GCF and non-GCF initiatives, aiming to mainstream CCA into municipal water management and align it with Lebanon’s updated NDC. Ultimately, the project will create mechanisms for vertical and horizontal coordination, support local adaptation planning, and improve access to climate finance, laying the foundation for broader resilience-building in Lebanon's urban water sector.