climate change adaptation in the context of shared transboundary basins in africa: building adaptive...
TRANSCRIPT
Climate Change Adaptation in the context of shared transboundary basins in Africa: building adaptive capacity
Jean Boroto and Thomas Petermann
on behalf of
InWent Capacity Building
Work done in partnership with
ANBO UNEP GEF IW- LEARN UNDP GWP Eastern Africa GTZ NBI Most River and Lake Basins Commissions or
Authorities in Africa Host countries of the workshops Research and other institutions WWC (Africa Programme)
A shared river and lake basins context
In Africa, more than 60 rivers and lakes are shared:
Climate change needs a transboundary response
Need to transcend national context
What can be done?
Orange River
BotswanaLesothoNamibiaSouth Africa
Pangani River
Lake Tanganyika
1960: 26000 km2
2000: 1500 km2
Recent shared lake and river basins workshops
Where Dates Target
Entebbe, Uganda
26-29 Aug. 2008 Africa continent
Abuja, Nigeria 2-3 Dec. 2008 West and Central Africa
Pretoria,South Africa
3-5 March 2009 Eastern and Southern Africa
Outcomes
Consensus that urgent action is required, but what exactly?
Considering limited mandate of L& RBOs?
Things that ought to be done anyway?
Two kinds of actions
Operational level…
Advisory and advocacy level
By who?
Three levels of intervention
Regional Economic Communities (SADC, ECOWAS,…)
RBOs (Commissions, Authorities)
Member States
Action by RECs
Appropriate policies, laws and strategies (such as SADC Protocol) – to mainstream CC
Fund (raising) – approach cooperating partners or own resources
Coordination
Action by RBOs
Commissions and Authorities have different mandates!
Advisory, advocacy and capacity building (all)
Operational (authorities) such as infrastructure development and operation
Coordination (between member states) and lessons from elsewhere
Fundraising (on behalf of member states)
Member States
Action on the ground (education, capacity building)
Infrastructure and Non infrastructure (WCWDM, RWH, Conjunctive use of Surface and Groundwater)
Disaster Management Policies and Strategies
Involvement of other sectors
Funding (contribution to RBOs’ budget)
Critical action items
Monitoring (out to be done anyway), CC is a further incentive!
Educate, prepare vulnerable communities to understand CC (not a punishment from the gods from God)
Funding, including research(ers)
Lessons
Do not rush into up scaling model results: Extrapolate findings, adapt and adopt… (a
challenge!)
Often baseline data is NOT available!
Use best wisdom: plan for the future even if it can’t be predicted.
Conclusions
Though CCA is not the top priority in the programmes of L&RBOs in Africa, its gradual mainstreaming into policy, advocacy, capacity building, financing and other activities (data, infrastructure or other), is today’s best response.
Coordination is critical!