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Without advocating what an equitable Belgian contribution to climate finance should be, the evaluation examines the framework (regulatory, policy and operational) and instruments used to implement the objectives of federal climate finance.  

Climate finance is the local, national or multilateral funding that supports mitigation and adaptation measures to address climate change. Belgian International Climate Finance consists for 97% of Official Development Aid and covers a wide range of sectors including agriculture, education, energy, environment, governance, health, humanitarian aid, water & sanitation, and sustainable cities. 

A series of key interventions were selected for in-depth case studies in Burkina Faso, Niger, Rwanda and Vietnam, as well as in Senegal and Tanzania where field missions took place. 

Adaptation and mitigation 

Belgian international climate action is mainly focused on climate adaptation in vulnerable countries. Some projects may contain both adaptation and mitigation elements.   

Climate adaptation aims to reduce the vulnerability of human or natural systems to the effects of climate change by maintaining or increasing adaptive capacity. Examples are water harvesting and management, soil management and coastal protection. 

Climate mitigation contributes to stabilising the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by reducing or limiting emissions. Examples are forest expansion, forest management and renewable energy sources. 

The evaluation makes a number of recommendations to the federal government, the DGD, Enabel, BIO, the non-governmental and institutional actors, and the Climate Change Department of the FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment.