PREPARE

The President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience

Presidential Initiative – 2021–Ongoing

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An elevated wood walkway cuts through a plain of thriving mangrove saplings
Thailand's mangroves are vital habitats, providing numerous ecological benefits and serving as a shield against coastal hazards. By reestablishing mangroves, Thailand aims to enhance ecosystem resilience, protect coastal communities from erosion and storm surges, and promote biodiversity conservation. These restoration projects involve planting mangrove saplings, educating local communities about the importance of mangroves, and engaging stakeholders in sustainable practices. Through the collective commitment of government agencies, environmental organizations, and local communities, Thailand strives to revive the roots of mangroves, ensuring the long-term health and vitality of these invaluable coastal ecosystems.
© 2023 Rishiraj Dutta
Co-led by the U.S. Department of State and USAID, and bringing together 20 departments and agencies, the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) is the cornerstone of the U.S. government’s approach to help more than half a billion people in developing countries adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change by 2030.
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Launched in November 2021, the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) unites the diplomatic, development, and technical expertise of the United States. PREPARE is America’s contribution to the global effort to build resilience to the impacts of the climate crisis in developing countries.

PREPARE builds on over a decade of U.S. government experience in climate adaptation programming and diplomacy. Previous U.S. foreign assistance for climate adaptation has demonstrated the kinds of dividends that can be expected. Every $1 invested in adaptation yields between $2–10 in economic benefits. These benefits help avoid losses in lives and livelihoods as well as lower financial costs, create meaningful jobs, contribute to greater security and stability, and strengthen capacity to protect hard-won development.

Partner Under PREPARE to Invest in Climate Adaptation

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PREPARE is actively facilitating investment from the private sector to advance adaptation and resilience in climate-vulnerable partner countries.

Extreme and erratic weather threatens the lives and livelihoods of billions of people both in the United States and around the world. Through PREPARE, the U.S. government is helping people, communities, and countries prepare for, manage, and respond to sudden climate disasters such as fires, floods, and extreme heat, as well as longer-term threats such as droughts, sea level rise, and water scarcity.

Pillars of PREPARE

KNOWLEDGE:
Information is Power

The United States will build the capacity of the current and future generations to help people make choices about where they live, what jobs they have, and how they can protect their families from extreme heat, droughts, floods, loss of land due to sea level rise, conflict spurred by climate stressors, and other environmental changes caused by climate change.

PREPARE aims to deepen global understanding of climate risks, vulnerabilities, and adaptation solutions while supporting expanded development, innovation, and delivery of climate information and services, decision support tools, and early warning systems. Evidence indicates that climate information services not only average a one to 24 return on investment, but also advance income and productivity gains.

PLANS AND PROGRAMS:
Mainstream and Integrate Adaptation, Build Relationships, Execute

The United States will help countries and communities in vulnerable situations plan for climate impacts and mainstream adaptation into broader decision making, with the ultimate goal of safeguarding lives, livelihoods, and the natural environment.

PREPARE strives to foster country-led solutions and improve the capacity of national and local governments to assess and embed climate risks into their budgets, plans, policies, and operations with the ultimate objective of translating priorities into bankable projects. USAID also plans to support locally-led adaptation that enables Indigenous peoples, vulnerable communities, and marginalized populations to meaningfully participate in and lead adaptation-related decisions.

RESOURCES:
Mobilizing Finance and Private Capital

The United States will accelerate financing of adaptation measures by contributing to and shaping new and existing multilateral and bilateral adaptation funds, supporting multiple climate risk finance strategies, strengthening capacity to access finance for adaptation and develop bankable investments, and striving to mobilize private capital.

PREPARE strives to accelerate financing of adaptation measures by supporting multiple climate and disaster risk finance strategies, strengthening capacity to access finance for adaptation and develop bankable investments by creating incentives and reducing risk for private investment.

PREPARE Call to Action to the Private Sector

The PREPARE Call to Action to the Private Sector was launched by USAID Administrator Power and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry at COP27 in recognition of the urgent need to accelerate private sector action to address long-standing gaps in climate adaptation. Companies responding to the call are galvanizing action in six focus areas. This Call to Action is aligned with PREPARE’s efforts to mobilize public and private resources for climate adaptation and address barriers to investment to help achieve the scale and innovation needed to address these gaps.

Update on PREPARE Call to Action to the Private Sector

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Since November 2022, 39 companies and partners have made voluntary commitments to build climate resilience around the world. These efforts will mobilize more than $3 billion to help people better manage the impacts of climate change.

PREPARE Call to Action to the Private Sector at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference

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In their role leading the implementation of the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC) John Kerry and the Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power launched a global Call to Action for businesses at COP27 to make new, significant commitments to signal the critical importance of building climate resilience in partner countries.

How USAID is Advancing PREPARE

USAID is utilizing its long-standing, on-the-ground partnerships to strengthen the climate resilience of governments and communities through sustainable development and humanitarian assistance, and develop climate-smart solutions. These efforts align with USAID’s 2022–2030 Climate Strategy, which sets ambitious timelines and targets for reducing global emissions, increasing adaptation, and mobilizing climate and risk financing to support adapting to the impacts of the climate crisis.

Health, Ecosystems and Agriculture for Resilient, Thriving Societies (HEARTH)

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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s HEARTH activity portfolio engages private sector partners to collaboratively implement integrated sustainable development activities that conserve high-biodiversity landscapes and improve the well-being and prosperity of communities that depend on these landscapes.

News and Information

For More Information

Climate Adaptation

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USAID strengthens the resilience of vulnerable populations to the impacts of climate change by partnering with countries to apply best practices, science, knowledge and tools.

Climate Change

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USAID plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and addressing its impacts by working with partner countries to implement ambitious emissions reduction measures, protect critical ecosystems, transition to renewable energy, build resilience against the impacts of climate change, and promote the flow of capital toward climate-positive investments.

USAID Climate Strategy 2022–2030

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USAID’s 2022–2030 Climate Strategy guides our whole-of-Agency approach to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, help partner countries build resilience to climate change, and improve our operations.