Climate change and international cooperation - Our work and impact

With the effects of climate change accelerating, it is now essential to take action both to mitigate the causes of climate change and to strengthen populations’ capacities to adapt to its effects. As a French international development cooperation agency, our aim is to help boost the resilience of ecosystems and of our societies.

In line with the Paris Agreement, which recognises the need to limit global warming to below 2°C (and to 1.5°C by 2100), France has set itself the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 in accordance with the 2019 Energy and Climate Law. It has made some major climate commitments in recent years, including to:

• Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% between 1990 and 2030
• Become the second highest contributor to climate finance in the EU, contributing 31% of climate finance in 2023
• The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is the first development bank to commit to aligning its financing with the Paris Agreement and to adopt a strategy on climate and development, with more than €40 million in climate finance pledged by the Group since 2017

In line with the AFD Group’s strategy, our agency is committed to conduct its work in a low-carbon and environmentally friendly manner.

We also implement projects in over 90 countries with the aim of helping our partner countries to strengthen their capacity to address the challenges of climate change and seize the opportunities it brings. This involves both mitigating the causes of climate change and adapting to its impacts using a holistic and integrated approach.

Our actions help promote more sustainable, resilient, inclusive development that is capable of adapting to climate change and mitigating its causes. They centre around three key objectives:

1. Strengthen capacities and foster stakeholder engagement with climate change issues through training; awareness raising; creation of forums for public and private stakeholders to discuss climate change issues; institutional support to reinforce the capacities of public institutions, civil society organisations, and the private sector to integrate climate change into their policies and actions; support for national, local and sectoral decarbonisation strategies; support for the development of climate projects that are likely to win investment; facilitation of access to climate finance; and support for the creation of green budgets and voluntary carbon markets.
2. Mitigate the causes of climate change and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through actions to promote the energy transition in various sectors; support for improving energy efficiency, decarbonisation, and the development of renewable energy production; development of low-carbon solutions; and sustainable management of natural resources via support for low-carbon agricultural and forestry practices, the fight against deforestation, and promotion of the circular economy.

Adapt to the impacts of climate change by conducting analyses, assessments, simulations, and scenarios to evaluate specific vulnerabilities; by identifying risks and opportunities related to climate change, and supporting the development of sectoral climate projections; by strengthening early warning systems and integrating water management; by supporting the implementation of resilient agricultural practices to improve food security for populations; by protecting ecosystems and biodiversity through conservation and restoration activities; by developing resilient infrastructure; and by supporting the identification and management of health risks related to climate change.

Our action aligns with the priorities of the Paris Agreement, which recognises the need to limit global warming to below 2°C and to aim to limit it to 1.5°C by 2100. It also contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 13, which addresses actions to combat climate change.

We are also actively committed to the objectives set out in France’s 2019 Energy and Climate Law and to the climate and development strategy of the AFD Group, the AFD being the first development bank to commit to aligning its financing with the Paris Agreement.

Through our range of services, we help support the implementation of governance frameworks that promote sustainable and responsible climate action. In doing so, we help strengthen the capacity of authorities and stakeholders on the ground at local, national and regional levels. Our services include:

• Public and private technical expertise
• Peer-to-peer learning
• Improvement and sharing of knowledge and technology
• Upskilling in the design of complex projects with co-benefits for the climate
• Involvement of local populations in climate policy planning processes and inclusion of their vulnerabilities and needs
• Support in the form of grants and/or subsidies for pilot projects