El Salvador is among the most vulnerable countries to the adverse effects of climate change. According to the National Report on the State of Risks and Vulnerabilities (INERV given its Spanish acronym), 88.7% of the territory is considered a risk area and more than 90% of the population sits on that surface. El Salvador recognizes the need to mainstream climate change adaptation into its development planning processes to build cross-sectoral resilience and ensure a climate resilient long-term development.  

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) as well as the Consulting Mechanism that will comprise multiple ministries and other relevant actors, requires support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme activities to identify the key transformational approaches that need to be activated to effectively decrease the vulnerability level of the country. The Readiness Programme is expected to strengthen capacities as well as to reinforce the consistency of the various strategic frameworks, and to contribute to the process carried out in the National Adaptation Planning Readiness.  

In particular, the Country programme to be prepared will not only structure GCF engagement but will also feed into broader country climate related interventions such as the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA), National Communications, etc. Indeed, the country programme will be used to set the climate finance agenda domestically, to prioritize climate finance for mitigation and adaptation and will not be limited to GCF programming, but also inform on domestic and international climate financing opportunities.