MEA 593 Summary Report Kara Smith April 4, 2013

1. MEA 593 Summary Report Kara Smith April 4, 2013

2. Background • 2006 Call for proposals for the ACCCA project received 274 applicants. • 14 chosen based on: • Usefulness for climate change adaptation decision making • Relevance for poverty alleviation and sustainable development • Involvement of stakeholders • Consistency with national priorities. • Appropriate and feasible methods • Qualifications and capabilities of the project team.

3. Projects in Asia

4. Projects in Africa

5. UNITAR CCP conducted 7 activities • Develop a protocol for pilot actions • Focus call on set of key criteria including communication and working with local stakeholders. • Range of methodologies • Develop ‘good practices’ with each project, let projects learn from each other instead of having a prescribed protocol. • Platform of modules, guidance, case studies and common databases to support projects. 2. Issue a call for proposal, evaluate & select projects 3. Execute pilot actions

6. UNITAR CCP conducted 7 activities • Support projects through technical assistance and training - Workshops for Project Action Teams • Outreach to catalyze regional and interational cooperation - Website - Participation in important meetings to share information on projects and preparation of synthesis report. • Manage, monitor and evaluate action • Plan follow-up action

7. Outputs of Pilot Action Teams • Risk communication products • Knowledge enhancement and capacity building • Establishment of sustainable partnerships and strengthening of formed networks • Recommendations for adaptation projects • Identification of critical knowledge gaps

8. ACCCA Methodology Capacity building

9. Output 1 – Risk communication products • Essential to engaging stakeholders, based on the premise that an informed public is much easier to mobilize. • Local communities eager and willing to participate and commit to identifying adaptation options. Decision makers and policymakers also engaged on how to integrate climate change into country development goals.

10. Risk Communication • Written products: leaflets, climate change magazine, revision of old textbooks, brochures, posters. • Seminars and workshops: surveys, training on how to conduct outreach activities to encourage adaptation, awareness raising. • Theatre, dance, music, radio bulletins, national TV coverage street plays, community exercises. • Video: using local people to show to neighboring communities, targeting decision makers, explaining climate change.

11. Output 2 – Knowledge and capacity building • Key for sustaining the project work and ensuring continuation. • Lack of capacity and knowledge to address impacts of climate change has been identified as a major challenge in developing countries. • Training workshops, seminars, social learning activities. Training on tools for developing future climate change scenarios (GIS, Awhere, climate envelopes from scientific team).

12. Output 3 – Establishment of sustainable partnerships and strengthening of formed networks • Partnerships with village & community leaders locally, policymakers and key institutions such as meteorological groups nationally. • Partnerships with universities and research centers to involve researchers. Custodians of country data to form baseline data about livelihoods and coping strategies. • Involvement of ministries to insure that options are linked to the country’s development agenda.

14. Output 4 – Recommendations for adaptation • Scope and funds of project did not allow for implementation of all adaptation options identified. • In certain projects, proposed adaptation options were adopted by the communities. • Diversifying crops, spraying to prevent malaria • Some communities disappointed that no solutions were being adopted due to cost. • Identifying options is important step that empowers the community to address the threats. • Proposals submitted to key stakeholders and potential doners.

15. Examples of recommendations for adaptation • Tanzania: Explore energy sources, such as biogas. The use of new crop varieties and the encouragement of fish farming practices, the introduction of irrigation schemes around the lake and alternative water sources, such as deep wells. • Philippines: Proposed adaptation strategies depend on the climatic events: during El Niño, the season is monitored and local communities are warned about oncoming floods. During a prolonged dry season, irrigation and water impounding are encouraged. Finally, during La Niña, when pests and diseases increase, pesticides usage was among the proposed option. • Nepal: Promote insurance schemes/methods to counter weather disaster risk reduction. The Ministry of Home Affairs of Nepal is currently assessing possible insurance schemes for the community.

16. Output 5 – Identification of critical knowledge gaps • Identification of knowledge gaps critical to address the training and information needs of all stakeholders. • Traditional knowledge on coping with climate variability passed on through generations – collected by project teams.

17. Knowledge gap identification • Interviews • Surveys • Discussions • Focus groups • Climate data from stations • Testing of potential adaptation strategies (Bangladesh)

19. ACCCA Future plans • Move from awareness raising to action • Additional funding and technical support needed by communities • Expand climate risk communication • Small grants to support translation and mass printing of posters & pamplets. • Publish guidelines for mainstreaming adaptation in policies • Policy briefs on how to improve dialogue between group and vulnerable communities to foster more climate resilient policy actions and support implementation. • Donor briefs to stress importance of supporting processes for improving climate risk communication. • Practitioner briefs to provide a set of guiding principles for climate risk communication with recommendations for developing and deploying risk communication tools and methods.

20. ACCCA Future Plans • Potential for an adaptation academy • Experts and leaders at different country scales could be trained in specific areas of critical value to the climate adaptation process. • Incorporation of climate science analysis and risk communication in academic curricula. • Share and disseminate knowledge • Adaptation options identified, various communication methods used and methods used to engage all stakeholders can be re-applied in other countries with similar impacts from climate change.