Arup is one of a handful of suppliers recently awarded a place on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO’s) new Global Development Delivery Framework – known as the GDD, focusing on major climate change and nature projects with official development assistance (ODA)-eligible countries.
The GDD enables the FCDO to present country partners with a compelling UK offer on climate, biodiversity and associated environment issues of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, including low carbon growth and mitigation, climate resilience and adaptation, and the protection, restoration and sustainable management of biodiversity which underpins ecosystem services and protects the natural environment.
These ambitions – captured in the FCDO’s 2022 International Development Strategy and the recent whitepaper – also underscore the UK Government’s commitment to tackling its number one international priority: climate change and biodiversity loss.
The GDD covers a total of seven areas that are split into individual contracts known as lots consisting of climate and nature; health and humanitarian; gender, equality and social inclusion (GESI); economic development and trade; finance and investment; research; and governance and conflict.
As a leading international sustainable development consultancy, Arup promotes nature-based solutions as a key component in achieving climate resilience. Under the GDD’s climate change and nature development programmes, aimed at countries eligible for ODA, Arup is ready to deploy technical advice and expertise to inform, shape and support policy; strategic planning; programme design; programme implementation; and monitoring and evaluation.