Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Meeting on Climate Change

1. Eastern Africa Sub-RegionalMeeting on Climate Change Kigali,31 August-3 September 2009

2. Outline Presentation • Organisation AMCEN East African Community GoR Comesa • Negotiators Meeting: 31 August • Framework of Eastern Africa Climate Change Programme:1-3 September • Site visit to witness the practice:4 September

3. Introduction Our appreciation goes to AMCEN and to our region for having accepted to hold this meeting in our country because it has been an opportunity for our colleagues in environment but also for our partners in government to learn about this process of negotiations. At the same time, it has been an opportunity to raise awareness through media coverage for our policy makers but also for our people.

4. Introduction • It has been opened by our MoS in charge of Environment • Our colleagues from the region attended massively and participated actively • The support from UNEP has been a key for the success of the workshop

5. Meeting of Negotiators • It has been very instrumental for the participants to share knowledge about the negotiations process. • It is true we have to “think globally and act locally” but there is a need of ownership at the national level. • Presentations have been done by selected experts and most of them were from the continent

6. Meeting of Negotiators • As you can see it ( we have documents in our files), presentations covered: • Mitigation • Adaptation and finance • United Nations framework Convention on Climate Change • Technology and transfer • Bali Action Plan • Economic Impact of Climate Change on Eastern Africa • Rapid Assessment of low carbon growth in Rwanda

7. Break-out Sessions • In the spirit of making this climate change businesses understood by the common people, we have managed to look at concrete issues from the national point of view but also to link them with sub-regional framework including the global impact • Discussion were focused on 2 issues • National issues • Sub-regional issues

8. Eastern African Subregional meeting • Common negotiating position on a comprehensive international climate change regime beyond 2012: Africa has to have a shared vision and speak with on common an informed voice • We have to look beyond Copenhagen and this exercise has to be a strong foundation in this sector of climate change

9. Eastern African Subregional meeting • Presentations were made on the following subjects: • REDD • Conceptual framework for Eastern African Climate Change programmes • Climate change and gender related matters Break- out sessions and came up with the experts’s statement, key messages

10. Conceptual framework for Eastern African Climate Change programmes • Analyses of Climate Change Programmes, Projects and Initiatives: • Subregional level • National level • Gaps • Recommendations

11. Analyses of Climate Change Programmes, Projects and Initiatives/1 • Sub-Regional • Most of multi-country climate change initiatives remain at the conceptual stage and at continental level. • Most of the programmes target capacity building and networking and rarely do they deal with actual adaptation needs that would enhance resilience.

12. Analyses of Climate Change Programmes, Projects and Initiatives/1 • The few sub-regional programmes are primarily directed towards climate change negotiations with very little to local actions. • Most of the initiatives are yet to be mainstreamed into the respective regional economic community’s enabling instruments and programmes • Most of multi-country climate change initiatives remain at the conceptual stage and at continental level.

13. Analyses of Climate Change Programmes, Projects and Initiatives/1 Sub-Regional Most of the programmes target capacity building and networking and rarely do they deal with actual adaptation needs that would enhance resilience. The few sub-regional programmes are primarily directed towards climate change negotiations with very little to local actions. Most of the initiatives are yet to be mainstreamed into the respective regional economic community’s enabling instruments and programmes.

14. Analyses of Climate Change Programmes, Projects and Initiatives/2 National Most of the Countries in the sub-region have developed National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA). Proposed NAPA projects vary in type and scale - most of the actions are planned at the sectoral scale

15. Analyses of Climate Change Programmes, Projects and Initiatives/2 • The available funding opportunities are either insufficient or difficult to access due to procedural constraints and complicated criteria set by the funding agencies or mechanisms.

16. Analyses of Climate Change Programmes, Projects and Initiatives/3 • Gaps • Lack of integration of climate change in development and sectoral policies and implementation. • Lack of long term approach to addressing climate change at the sub-regional and national levels. • Nature of relationship between environmental change and human conflict. • Inadequate education and public awareness creation on climate change and its impacts.

17. RECOMMENDATIONS • Need for sub-regional approach to climate change: • incorporate mechanisms for climate change into sub-regional policy instruments. • linkage between Climate Change and sub-regional security. • strengthening of regional institutions and capacities in dealing with climate change.

18. RECOMMENDATIONS/2 • Need for Sub-Regional Assessments, Scenarios and Early Warning, Preparedness and Response. • Harmonization of climate change-related programmes, projects and initiatives. • Enhance public education and awareness raising on climate change.

19. ELEMENTS OF THE FRAMEWORK/1 Post Kyoto Climate Change Regime and Beyond. Enabling Policy and Institutional Framework Enhancing Financing Mechanisms Enhancing Research, Information Management and Communication Enhancing Technology development, Transfer and Diffusion Enhancing Capacity Building Enhancing Partnerships

20. ELEMENTS OF THE FRAMEWORK/2 Implementation of Early Action Flagship Programmes: Disaster reduction and risk management Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Ecosystems and Biodiversity – Forests, Water, Ocean and Coastal Zone and Sustainable Cities Sustainable Energy Sustainable Trade