Announcing the Climatelinks Climate Strategy Hub

On Earth Day 2022, USAID officially launched its new 2022-2030 Climate Strategy. This bold new Strategy will guide USAID’s work by calling on all corners of USAID to play a part in their “whole-of-Agency” approach to climate change. The Strategy recognizes that the most urgent demands of the climate crisis must be addressed in the here and now, while implementing transformative long-term solutions to global systems like agriculture, energy, governance, infrastructure, and health. 

To support USAID’s ambitious new Climate Strategy, Climatelinks has launched a Climate Strategy hub. This hub highlights key components of the Strategy as well as technical or knowledge resources and guidance. This hub will be regularly updated as additional guidance is released, and includes relevant resources for each sector. 

USAID will work on the ground with partner governments and local actors to set the global trajectory toward the vision of a resilient, prosperous, and equitable world with net-zero emissions. The Climate Strategy is built on USAID’s foundational principles, which will be incorporated into all planning and activities: Locally-led Development, Equity and Inclusion, Private Sector Engagement, Nature-based Solutions, and Evidence, Technology, and Innovation. 

The Climate Strategy is guided by a single, overarching goal: to advance equitable and ambitious actions to confront the climate crisis. Efforts to achieve this goal will be organized around two main Strategic Objectives: Targeted Direct Action and Systems Change. These Objectives are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually reinforcing. USAID will also demonstrate its commitment to addressing the climate crisis by transforming the way the Agency operates through a Special Objective where USAID commits to doing our part by transforming their own operations to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the climate crisis, and supporting partners to do the same.

Addressing the climate crisis requires a holistic approach to development. Every USAID sector and Mission has a role to play as we help transform global systems. The Climate Strategy includes six ambitious high-level Targets that reflect how a whole-of-Agency approach can dramatically increase USAID’s impact.

• Mitigation: USAID will partner with countries to support activities that reduce, avoid, or sequester six billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• Natural and Managed Ecosystems: USAID will support the conservation, restoration, or management of 100 million hectares with a climate mitigation benefit.
• Adaptation: USAID will enable the improved climate resilience of 500 million people.
• Finance: USAID will mobilize $150 billion in public and private finance for climate.
• Country Support: USAID will align our development portfolios with countries’ climate mitigation and adaptation commitments in at least 80 countries by 2024, and will support our partners to achieve systemic changes toward meeting those commitments in at least 40 countries.
• Critical Populations: USAID will support our partners to achieve systemic changes that increase meaningful participation and active leadership in climate action of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, youth, and other marginalized and/or underrepresented groups in at least 40 partner countries.