Side Event Showcases Capacity Development Results of UNDP African Adaptation Programme
The Africa
n continent is particularly vulnerable to climate change. In order to enhance the adaptive capacity of the region, the African Adaption Programme (AAP), a UNDP initiative funded by the Government of Japan, is supporting the development and implementation of sound and informed adaptation policies. The main results achieved so far were presented at a side event on Activating Africa’s Adaptive Capacity – Climate Change Challenges and Lessons from the Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP), 11 May 2011, Geneva, Switzerland, in the margins of the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
n continent is particularly vulnerable to climate change. In order to enhance the adaptive capacity of the region, the African Adaption Programme (AAP), a UNDP initiative funded by the Government of Japan, is supporting the development and implementation of sound and informed adaptation policies. The main results achieved so far were presented at a side event on Activating Africa’s Adaptive Capacity – Climate Change Challenges and Lessons from the Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP), 11 May 2011, Geneva, Switzerland, in the margins of the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
“Sharing best experiences in the area of climate change adaptation planning is a valuable instrument to address the challenges posed by this phenomenon”, highlighted Minister Koichi Mizushima, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations in Geneva, in his opening statement. Moderated by Mr. Ian Rector, Programme Manager of the UNDP Africa Adaptation Programme, the event featured presentations on capacity building activities related to gender mainstreaming and climate data & information management. Representatives from Kenya and Ghana presented their country experiences, including how challenges have been addressed and the results achieved thus far.
Mr. Rector introduced the AAP, highlighting the wide range of activities and tools covered by the programme, including the proIan Rector, Programme Manager of the AAP highlighted that the programme supports countries in readjusting their national climate change strategies.vision of technical assistance, the creation of a regional offices and information-sharing websites, the development of leadership programmes and journalists trainings. The latter enabled the diffusion of reliable information on climate change at all levels of society, strengthened cooperation among different stakeholders, helped understand gaps and opportunities to readjust national climate change strategies and reinforced regional collaboration.
Ms. Rose Mwebaza, UNDP Gender Expert of the African Adaptation Programme, focused on the issue of gender and climate change. “Women are disproportionally affected by climate change […] and at the same time climate change is likely to magnify the pattern of gender inequality”, she emphasized. Through the disaggregation of data, knowledge development, documentation and dissemination of best practices and the development of guidelines, the AAP is supporting countries in mainstreaming gender into national climate change response strategies.
Mr. Joseph Intsiful, Data and Information Expert of the African Adaptation Programme, provided an overview of the tools and services available to collect reliable information on climate change. He emphasized that “providing access to best available data on climate variability and impacts support countries in long-term planning to address climate change”. Several workshops in the region contributed to diffuse the required skills. The development of e-infrastructure is contributing to enhance regional and international collaboration.
Mr. Moses Omedi Jura, from the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources of Kenya, stressed that “reliable and complete information is necessary to make informed decisions”. AAP, through the Climate Action Development (CAI) tool, supported Kenya in reducing information complexity on climate related issues in the country. This increased available knowledge and clarified different needs and priorities of the various stakeholders, therefore promoting informed and inclusive decision-making.
“We need to make people understand climate change at the local level”, said Ms. Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, Resident Representative of Ghana. The government of Ghana worked with local districts to identify challenges posed by climate change and promote suitable adaptation measures. A simulation exercise on disaster preparedness in the North of the country enhanced collaboration among various stakeholders and facilitated the identification of gaps in the response system. Adaptive capacity was also promoted through the launch of a national platform for early warning system and disaster risk reduction and the revision of school curricula to raise awareness on this topic.
The African Adaptation Program is UNDP’s flagship programme for adaptation. It assists 20 African countries in implementing integrated and comprehensive adaptation actions and resilience plans. The projects aim to ensure that national development processes incorporate climate change risks and opportunities to secure development gains under a changing climate. UNDP helps countries establish an enabling environment and develop the capacity required to design, finance, implement, and monitor long-term and cost-effective adaptation policies and plans.
For further information on the workshop please contact the AAP team:
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African Adaptation Programme website: http://www.undp-adaptation.org/africaprogramme/
