Today we kicked off an amazing international project for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): "Comprehensive Climate Hazard Mapping and risk assessment and development of Climate Risk Model for Timor-Leste". This project is part of a bigger ambition to safeguard rural communities and their physical assets from climate induced disasters in Timor-Leste, an initiative by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Secretary of State for Civil Protection (SSCP) and the Secretary of State for the Environment (SSE).

The coming 12 months, we will work closely with our project partners EBD Global and Hivos to perform a country-wide hazard and vulnerability mapping and to develop a climate risk model for Timor-Leste. Antea Group will contribute to a comprehensive literature review, gathering of existing data and extensive field surveys in order to assess hazards – such as coastal flooding, inland floods, landslides, erosion, drought, and other meteorological hazards – and map the correlated vulnerabilities including physical, ecological, social, and economical vulnerability.

Based on the results of the assessment, a climate risk model will be developed for the UNDP and GCF to continue to safeguard Timor-Leste’s rural communities and their physical assets. On top of that the risk model will be used to strengthen decentralized decision making in the light of developing climate-smart, robust and long-term investment plans in the area.

Towards a resilient coast

Climate change is even more apparent in a fragile ecosystem such as the coasts of Timor-Leste. Any adaptation to the rising sea levels needs to be balanced with the livability of cities and villages at the seaside, tourism development and a multifunctional use of public space. This ambition can only be achieved by engaging all other stakeholders in the process and working closely together with the right partners and expertise. At Antea Group, this is how we aim to contribute to sustainable development every day; and with this project, advance towards a resilient coast and society as a whole for Timor-Leste.

With this project we support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 9 - Industrie, innovatie en infrastructuurSDG 11 - Duurzame steden en gemeenschappenSDG 13 - KlimaatSDG 14 - Leven onder waterSDG 15 - Leven op het landSDG 16 - Vrede, justitie en sterke publieke dienstenSDG 17 - Partnerschappen