As the NDC Partnership marks 10 years, we are sharing five stories of how its support has helped countries turn climate commitments into action. Since 2020, GWPO has mobilised NDC Partnership funding for 16 projects across 12 countries with US$900K funding from NDC Partnership Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP) and US$1.3M from the NDC Partnership Action Fund, combined with technical assistance from GWP Regional Water Partnerships and GWPO to catalyse over USD$60M in climate-resilient water investments. To mark the anniversary, we are sharing five of those stories, starting with Mali.
The challenge
Mali’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) investment plan sets out priority programmes spanning energy, agriculture, forestry and sustainable waste management. Like many countries, Mali does not lack ambition, but needs finance to turn well-defined priorities into investments that partners and investors can back.
The support
With a USD 88,578 grant from the NDC Partnership, GWP West Africa, working with the Country Water Partnership of Mali, is supporting the Government to organise an international forum to finance those priorities. The work is led nationally by the Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development through its Agency for Environment and Sustainable Development.
Country ownership has shaped the project from the start. When the Government decided to link the forum to the development and adoption of Mali’s NDC 3.0, the roadmap was revised according to the country’s newest climate commitments.
Progress so far
On 16 June 2026, an inception workshop formally launched preparations for the forum. Government institutions, technical and financial partners, financial institutions, the private sector, academia, civil society, youth, women and the Malian diaspora came together to validate the roadmap, agree governance arrangements and shape the forum’s objectives.
Next, the programmes will be packaged into investment profiles for partners, investors and the private sector, with financing commitments documented and followed up after the forum.
A relatively small grant, placed at the right moment, can help a country move from plan to pipeline. GWPO and our regional network play a catalytic role by convening stakeholders, strengthening national processes and connecting climate priorities to the finance needed to deliver them.
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