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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
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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 Botswana Lesotho Namibia South Africa
1960: 26000 km2 2000: 1500 km2
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!