Castries, Saint Lucia, January 30, 2026 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Agence française de développement (AFD) have signed a new grant agreement to further advance a regional program supporting resilient, green and affordable housing solutions in the Eastern Caribbean. The support complements ongoing work by GGGI in collaboration with the government of Ireland and other regional partners.

Under the agreement, GGGI will support ongoing regional efforts to enhance existing guidelines for resilient, green, and affordable housing. The guidelines will align with global best practices and standards in the housing sector considering the region’s unique geographical and socio-economic context.

The grant will also co-finance the ongoing work in Saint Lucia that is currently being funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to design a comprehensive community master plan and environmental and social impact assessment for a pilot project site in Balata, Castries. The Government of Saint Lucia’s Balata pilot project, once completed, will increase the housing stock for low- to middle- income families, support home ownership and enhance resilience to the increasing intensity and frequency of the climate hazards that the region faces.

Marc Dubernet, AFD’s Atlantic Ocean Regional Director, affirmed: “I am delighted that we are able to continue and build on the work already underway in Saint Lucia, while also scaling up this initiative at the regional level to help foster a more resilient Caribbean. This collaboration demonstrates the strong value of partnership. I am particularly pleased with the constructive work carried out alongside GGGI and the Government of Ireland through DFA Ireland. Together, we are laying the groundwork for forward-looking, practical solutions that will support sustainable and resilient housing for the future of the Eastern Caribbean.”

Daniel Muñoz-Smith, GGGI’s Caribbean Representative, said, “This agreement builds on GGGI’s strong partnership with AFD to scale up resilient, green, and affordable housing. It will support the development of policy instruments that address those unique, but common challenges facing the small islands states of the Eastern Caribbean and present opportunities  for regional partners, including the OECS, to develop practical approaches to strengthen the region’s resilience, improve affordability, and promote sustainability for the communities that are most vulnerable to climate change.”

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean continue to face significant climate-related vulnerabilities that are compounded by natural and economic constraints. Further, limited availability of flat land has pushed many families to build houses along steep hillsides, thereby increasing their vulnerability and highlighting the need for adaptation measures tailored to enhance the resilience of homes built within these areas, to natural hazards and the intensifying impacts of climate change.

Since 2021, with the financial and technical support of AFD, GGGI, has been implementing projects tailored to deliver investment plans and enhance Eastern Caribbean SIDS capacities for the design and development of affordable, eco-friendly housing units that can withstand climate-related hazards. This latest initiative in the sector builds on this partnership and collaboration by integrating sustainable building practices and technologies and creating financial models for affordability, to ensure a sustainable and resilient approach to housing in the Eastern Caribbean.

About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) was founded as a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization in 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. GGGI supports its Member States in transitioning their economies toward a green growth model that simultaneously achieves poverty reduction, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic growth. With 54 Member States and 30 Partner countries and regional integration organizations in the process of accession, GGGI delivers programs and projects in over 57 countries. These initiatives encompass developing innovative green growth solutions, technical support, capacity building, policy planning & implementation, and assistance in building a pipeline of bankable green investment projects, project financing, investments, and knowledge sharing. GGGI’s work contributes to its Member States’ efforts to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals and the Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement.

About the Agence française de développement (AFD)

Agence française de développement (AFD) helps advance France’s policy on sustainable investment and international solidarity. Through its public sector and NGO financing operations, research and publications (Éditions AFD), sustainable development training programs (AFD Group Campus) and awareness-raising activities in France, AFD finances, supports and drives the transition to a fairer, more resilient world. Alongside our partners, we provide sustainable solutions for—and with—communities. Our teams are working on over 2,700 projects in the field, in over 115 countries, including France’s overseas departments and territories, to support projects for the climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality and global health. Together with Proparco and Expertise France, AFD supports the commitment of France and the French people to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Working by your side, toward a world in common.