Global Climate Change Alliance:
Intra-ACP Programme
Training Module
Mainstreaming Climate Change
Module 3
Why and How Mainstreaming climate change into national
policies and strategies
Ms Isabelle Mamaty
Senior Expert
Climate Support Facility
An initiative of the ACP Group of States funded by the European Union
Why and how Mainstreaming CC into
national policies and strategies
 Learning objectives:
o To understand why it is important to mainstream
climate change (CC) into development planning
o To understand the different steps of the
mainstreaming of CC into development planning
 Expected outcomes:
o Increased knowledge on mainstreaming steps
o Increased knowledge on mainstreaming tools
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What is mainstreaming,
and why mainstream climate change?
3
From project-based
approaches...
 Project-based adaptation approaches such as those
developed in NAPAs are a first step in the right
direction:
o Contribution to national capacity building
o Involvement of stakeholders at grassroots level
o Identified projects usually correspond to real priorities and
involve wider developmental benefits
 But there are also problems, notably:
o Poor institutional arrangements for implementation
o Low capacity for adaptation planning and implementation
Source: World Bank (2010a) WDR 2010
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... to climate change
mainstreaming
 In the medium and long term, standalone
projects are unlikely to meet all adaptation
and mitigation requirements in a costeffective, scalable manner
 There is a strong case for mainstreaming
climate change into all development
planning, both at strategic planning levels
and in local development
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What is mainstreaming?
 The mainstream: the prevailing or dominant
course, current, tendency or way of thinking
 Mainstreaming: the informed integration of a relevant
value, theme or concern into the decisions of
institutions that drive national, local and sectoral
development policy, rules, plans, investment and
action (adapted from Dalal-Clayton & Bass 2009)
o Institutional strengthening and change and capacity building are at the heart of any
mainstreaming effort
 Integrated and shared response to the complexity
and challenges of sustainable development
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Objectives of mainstreaming
 Mainstreaming is a long-term, iterative
process aimed at:
o transforming ideas
o even more importantly, transforming policies,
resource allocations and practices
 in order to:
o promote desired developmental outcomes (with
regard to gender, environment, climate change,
governance, human rights, ...)
o and support integrated solutions to human problems
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Why mainstream climate
change?
 Climate change is a potentially significant threat
to on-going development / poverty reduction efforts
 Pursuing economic growth is necessary but not
sufficient to respond to climate-related challenges
 Climate change impacts are complex and require
coordination across multiple sectors
 Standalone responses to climate change may distort
development priorities and foster maladaptation
 An adequate, strategically designed response
can bring significant developmental benefits
8
Why mainstream climate change
at strategic planning levels? (1)
National level
More:
-integrated
-effective
-efficient
-sustainable
responses
Sector 1
Sector
coordination
Biophysical
impacts
Sector 2
Allocation of
resources
across sectors
Sector 3
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Socioeconomic
impacts
Why mainstream climate change
at strategic planning levels? (2)
National level
Sector level
Overall guiding policy framework
Operationalisation and
implementation of national policies
National legislation/regulation
Sector-specific
legislation/regulation
Exercise of some key functions
Own initiatives, development of
capacities & good practices
Management of international
relations
Transboundary cooperation on
climate-relevant issues
Wider pool of resources
Wider ownership of response
More widespread capacity and institution building
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Source: OECD (2009a)
Why mainstream climate change
at lower levels of governance?
Best levels for
observing /
understanding
development and
climate change
impacts
Vulnerability and
adaptive capacity
are contextspecific
Sub-national
and local levels
Most adaptation
options require
local
implementation
Potential for
piloting /
pioneering
initiatives
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Source: OECD (2009a)
How mainstreaming climate change ?
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Finding the entry
points and making the
case
Mainstreaming CC into
policy and planning
processes
Preliminary assessments
Mod1 Understanding the science
Understanding CC–
Mod2
development linkages
Understanding climaterelated uncertainties
Collecting country-specific
evidence and influencing
Mod3 policy processes
Mainstreaming CC in
(sub)national and sector
Mod9 policies, strategies,
programmes
Raising awareness and
Mod4
building partnerships
National consensus and
Mod10 commitment to climateresilient, low-emission
development
Strengthening institutions
and capacities
Needs assessment
Mod8
Working mechanisms
Costing, assessing and
selecting adaptation and
mitigation options and
measures
Mod5
Strengthening institutions
and capacities
Mod8 Learning by doing
Meeting the
implementation
challenge
Budgeting and financing
Mainstreaming CC in the
Mod6 budgetary process
Mainstreaming CC in
monitoring systems
Performance assessment
frameworks
Mod7
Supporting policy measures
National, sector and subnational levels
Strengthening institutions
and capacities
Mod8 Mainstreaming
as standard practice
Engaging stakeholders and coordinating within the development community
Adapted from: UNDP-UNEP (2009) Figure 3.1, p. 15
Main entry points in the national
and sector policy cycles
Recognise
climate risks
Allocate funding for
climate-specific
actions
Policy formulation
National long-term vision
National policies and
strategies
Planning
Multi-year development plan
Include
Sector level
climate
consideraSector policies and strategies
tions in
project
selection
Sectoral plans
criteria
Resource allocation
National budget
Climate-related fund(s)
Sector budget envelopes
Resources from fund(s)
Programming &
implementation
Sector-level development
plans and budgets
Sector programming
Policy cycle stage
Include climaterelated programmes/
projects (sectoral and
cross-sectoral)
National level
Relocate funding to
vulnerable or priority
sectors/ regions
Incorporate
climate-related
activities
Adapted from: Olhoff & Schaer (2010) Fig. 1, p. 10
Entry points for mainstreaming
in the policy cycle
Finding the entry
points & making
the case
Mainstreaming CC
into policy &
planning processes
Agenda
setting
National
development
planning
Meeting the
implementation
challenge
Policy
making
Implementation
& monitoring
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Adapted from: UNDP-UNEP (2009) Figure 3.2, p. 15
Key institutional requirements
for effective mainstreaming
Cross-sectoral &
cross-level
coordination,
cooperation
Powerful
champions at
national level
Effective
mainstreaming
Experience
sharing,
dissemination of
good practices
Timely
stakeholder
participation at
various scales
e.g. office of prime minister,
ministries of
finance/budget/planning
Integration of
new thinking,
new research in
planning &
monitoring
systems &
processes
Strengthening of
capacities of
stakeholders at
various scales
Key institutional requirements
for effective mainstreaming
 Availability and quality of :
o Climate related information and evidence
o climate information;
o socio-economic analyses of key linkages between climate change and development
o Institutional strengthening and capacity building
o assessments of costs and benefits of climate change adaptation activities;
o resources and commitment to support continuous capacity building and institutional
strengthening
o resources and technical capacity
 The level of engagement of a broad range of stakeholders
at all levels;
 Existence of and possibility for technical support;
 A mix of ‘Top-down’ and ‘Bottom-up’ approaches.
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Key stakeholders
Ministries of
Finance,
Planning,
Development
Donor
agencies
Ministries with
sector-specific
competences
Members of
Parliament
Sub-national / local
governments
Civil society
organisations
Research
organisations
Sector
management
agencies
Local citizens
& organisations
Private
sector
Local
private
sector
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Top-down and bottom-up
approaches to adaptation
National policies
& strategies
Adaptation
Subnational levels
(local in
particular)
Freely adapted from Dessai
& Hulme (2004)
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Bottom-up
Focused on
physical
impacts and
‘biophysical
vulnerability’
Stakeholder
approach
Top-down
Model- and
scenariodriven
National level incl.
sectors
Focused on
prevailing
socio-economic
& environmental
conditions and
on ‘social
vulnerability’
Communitybased
adaptation, pilot
projects
Roles & responsibilities of
main stakeholders
Stakeholder group
Main roles & responsibilities
Central government (incl. office of
Leadership, performance management frameworks
Policies, standards & regulations
Allocation of budget resources
Guidance & capacity building
prime minister, ministries of
finance/budget/planning, ...)
Local governments
Implementation of national policies
Integration with community strategies
Private sector
Preparation for losses & opportunities, risk mngt
Contribution to sustainable investments &
vulnerability reduction through development
Scientific & academic
organisations
Policy-oriented research
Support for decision making
Investment promotion agencies
Climate-proofing of investments, bridging of
development gaps
Poverty reduction organisations
Climate change adequately addressed
Adapted from: Schipper et al (2008)
Turning words into action
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Discussion
 Questions and answers
 Mainstreaming climate change into national
policies and strategies
What are the opportunities to
mainstreaming climate change in your
sector or at your level and what are the
institutional and capacity needs in your
organisation to do so?
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Presentation of case
studies
 Presentation of case studies of strategic
documents that have mainstreamed climate
change
 identification of best practices in
mainstreaming climate change
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Learning process exercise:
Working group
 Exercise: select a strategic national or
sectoral document of the specific country
and analyse how climate change has been
integrated in this document
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Recap – Key messages
 There is a strong case for mainstreaming climate change
into all development planning
 There are entry points for mainstreaming climate change
at all stages of the policy cycle
 Mainstreaming climate change at strategic
planning levels supports more integrated, effective,
efficient and sustainable responses
o But top-down and bottom-up approaches to adaptation are
complementary and mainstreaming is also justified at local level
 Evidence supports both the engagement of key actors
and the development of a communication and advocacy
strategy
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Key references
 EC (2009a) EC Cooperation: Responding to Climate
Change – ‘Sector scripts’ series. European Commission, Brussels
 EC (2009b) Guidelines on the Integration of
Environment and Climate Change in Development Cooperation. European
Commission, Brussels
 OECD (2012) : Integrating Climate change Adaptation into Development
Co-operation, policy guidance, revised version
 UNDP (2011) Practitioner’s Guide: Capacity
Development for Environmental Sustainability. United Nations
Development Programme, New York
 UNDP-UNEP (2011) Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change into
Development Planning: A Guide for Practitioners. UNDP-UNEP PovertyEnvironment Initiative
 UNDP – Integrating environment into development:
http://www.undp.org/mainstreaming/
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• Thank you
• Contact: Dr. Pendo MARO, ACP Secretariat
pendomaro@acp.int or +32 495 281 494
www.gcca.eu/intra-acp
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