A SUMMARY REPORT
Climate Change and Development – Adapting by REducing
vulnerability (CC DARE) Programme
A UNEP and UNDP Joint Initiative
The Climate Change and Development – Adapting by REducing vulnerability (CC DARE)
Programme jointly implemented by UNEP and UNDP is supporting eleven (11) countries in Sub
Saharan Africa with their priority needs for adaptation. The programme is providing targeted and
flexible support that helps sub-Saharan African countries remove barriers and create
opportunities to integrate climate change issues into their development planning and decisionmaking frameworks. The overarching aim of CC DARE is to meet the identified country specific
needs using quick and tailored support that reinforces ongoing initiatives on climate change
adaptation, and strengthening existing national institutions so that they can be useful in
mainstreaming adaptation into development planning processes beyond the project.
The countries already engaged are Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda,
Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. The activities being covered are categorized in
the following areas:
1. Education, training, public awareness activities;
Individuals, the public sector, the private sector, local communities, media and civil society
organizations need to understand climate change risks, the developmental impacts of climate
change and how these impacts will influence their own work and lives. In the absence of this
understanding, it is less likely that key stakeholders will be supportive of, and implement,
priority adaptation activities identified in national documents such as National
Communications and NAPAs. Education, training and awareness about climate change lays
the groundwork for adopting adaptation considerations into regular policy development
activities.
a) All CC DARE supported national projects have a component of public sensitization and
awareness raising component that cover all strata of the population. In particular, CC
DARE has supported the development of media materials and training of Civil Society
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Organizations and Journalists in Rwanda, Togo and Uganda. These trained agents are
then used for public sensitization and communicators of climate change information
using the media materials. The activities in Rwanda and Togo have been completed but
that of Uganda is on-going.
b) CC DARE has also supported the development of education curricula in Benin and
Seychelles (primary/secondary school level), Malawi (college level MSc Programme)
and Mozambique (University level MSc Programme). The Draft versions of all the
curricula are available, tested in the classrooms using students, trained teachers and
lecturers and have now been submitted to appropriate authorities for approval, adoption
and operationalization in the institutions.
c) The Programme has also conducted Regional Training Courses that are relevant to subSaharan Africa. These include the training of Water Resources technicians and managers
from the East Africa in Kampala, Uganda in 2009. This Training Course is to be
replicated in West Africa in December 2010. The Programme has also conducted a
Regional Training Course on Climate Data Management and Assimilation for
meteorologists and climate change researchers in West Africa in April 2010.
2. Capacity Development
Implementing climate change adaptation strategies may require skills and knowledge that are
presently non-existence in the countries. The capacity of stakeholders to implement
adaptation efforts need to be assessed and strengthened. In the absence of particular skills, it
may not be possible for countries to implement the priority activities identified in their
national documents and strategies, nor to mainstream these activities into national planning
processes. To address these capacity building needs CC DARE Project is implementing
nationally prioritized capacity building identified in NCSA, NAPA and other climate change
related documents.
The following national activities have been completed or on-going.
a) The capacity building of six local communities (Kandi, Karimama, Ségbana,
Malanville, Banikoara and Gogounou) of the Region of Alibori in the extreme north
of the Benin in which technical capabilities of the elected local councilors and local
government staff at the offices of the Mayors, technical experts in the extension
services, and managers of producer organizations and communal Centers for
Agricultural Promotion have been built through 7 training workshops (total of 61
participants) based on 4 training modules developed from project resources.
b) Building the capacity of the communities and extension services of the Soroti and
Pallisa Districts of Uganda to adopt increased water and nutrient use efficiency as an
adaptation option to mitigate agricultural drought as well increase crop productivity
and environmental health. This activity is completed.
c) In Tanzania CC DARE supported the Department of Forest Mensuration and
Management (DFMM) of Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro in
improving smallholder livelihoods through woodlots management as a climate
change adaptation activity in Makete District. This project is complete and the
Guidelines for best practices in woodlots management practices have been published
in English Kishawahili. Also in Tanzania, the Environment Protection and
Management Services and CC DARE have identified, documented indigenous
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forecasting tools and skills and produce a Policy Paper that is expected to initiate the
integration of the tool in the conventional weather forecasting operations of the
Tanzania Meteorological Agency.
d) In Senegal the Department of Regional Planning (Direction de l’Amenagement du
Territoire, DAT) and CC DARE initiated the updating of the Urban Development
Plans (UDP) of the coastal settlements Rusfisque and Bargny by the revision and
updating of coastal maps and projection of the movement of the shoreline due to
climate change induced sea level rise of the areas. The tool has since been used by
Senegal to justify funding from the Adaptation Fund of about US $15 million. Also in
Senegal, the Planning and Finance Ministry is using CC DARE support to define a
process that will take into consideration climate change risks into the actual national
planning system and the budget allocations process.
e) In Mozambique, the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INAM) has digitized the
countries analog and historical climate data and analyzed the data and created a
database with online access thus enhancing national and regional capacity in terms of
conducting studies in climate change scenarios and adaption, improving short and
long term climate data, developing seasonal forecasts, creating a reliable platform for
climate variability and develop technologies for climatic scenarios that could in turn
be used by the different sectors and development planners to design adaptation and
climate proofed development strategies. Also in Mozambique, the Municipal Council
of the city of Xai Xai in Mozambique has develop and operationalized a tool to
reduce damage to infrastructure and property of the city due to coastal erosion and
land. This local level activity has enhanced the reactive capacity of the Municipal
Council in tackling the environmental problems particularly those relating to soil
erosion contributing therefore to the goal of a sustainable environment.
3. Policy influence and adjustment to create enabling environment for mainstreaming
climate change adaptation;
Adaptation to climate change requires a coordinated and integrated approach requiring
institutional structures that are capable of approaching climate change adaptation from a
cross-sectoral perspective and mobilizing coordinated action by different departments,
outside agencies and local people. In the absence of a supportive institutional structure,
countries will be less able to achieve a coherent response to urgent and immediate climate
change adaptation needs that support broader national development policies. Defined
planning structures and procedures are required to ensure mainstreaming of adaptation into
national planning processes. The frameworks and processes use to develop existing and new
policies, programs and projects may need to be altered so as to ensure adequate attention to
climate change concerns. The following are CC DARE supported national activities that fall
under this category.
a) Malawi used CC DARE support to adjustment in the National Science and
Technology Policy of Malawi through the insertion of climate change and
environment issues to initiate integration of climate change in the policy being
implemented by the National. A whole chapter on environment and climate change
has been inserted in the Policy and has been submitted to Cabinet and Parliament for
adaptation.
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b) In Uganda, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAAIF) of
Uganda collaborated with CC DARE in mainstreaming climate change adaptation
issues into the Development Strategy and Investment Plan (DSIP) of the agricultural
sector as a component of the 2009 revised National Development Plan (NDP) of
Uganda.
c) In Ghana, CC DARE supported the finalization of the Ghana Climate Change
Adaptation Strategy which is currently in a draft form to be validated by national
stakeholders and development partners in Ghana.
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