Leveraging national communications to integrate climate change issues into development policy

1. Leveraging national communications to integrate climate change issuesinto development policy

2. OUTLINE • Key climate change threats in Africa • Role of National Communications (NC) • How to use the potential of NC projects to integrate climate change into development and sector policies

3. Expected climate changes in Eastern & Southern Africa Temperature: Steady increase >3ºC by mid-century Rainfall: Mixed picture Eastern Africa: expected net increases Southern Africa: expected net decreases Variability: Rainfall erratic and unreliable, increasing flood and drought risk Projected Temperature Projected Precipitation Southern Africa Eastern Africa

7. Agriculture to face changes • Vulnerability high due to important employment, economic role • Significant drops in crop yield expected in most of the region for current practices • Agroclimatic zones for highland crops (tea/coffee) shrink/ disappear • Many areas become less suitable for staple crops • Drought-tolerant crops not supported by agricultural policies • Livelihoods of subsistence farmers and pastoralists especially threatened • Increasing risk of damage from diseases, pests, weeds and storms

10. What does this have to do with National Communications? The Initial National Communication (INC) process was important because: • The INC was the first effort to climatesummarize information relating to GHG emissions and its key vulnerabilities • The INC has generated awareness about Climate Change issues and helped catalyse awareness of climate change issues • The INC was the first point of reference for many development partners to support CC mitigation and adaptation activities in a country

11. BUT: The focus was seen on ‘International Convention reporting’ – Opportunities to channel information into non-environmental policy processes were lost The INC was conducted by technical experts, with limited participation of other stakeholders from public and private sectors Assessments and language was academic in formats not very helpful to policy makers

12. Second National Communications (SNC): A second opportunity! • Climate Change is more than environmental reporting – the SNC process is relevant for all policy segments • The SNC is a strategic policy support tool to highlight and communicate Climate Change priorities • Producing an SNC document not the end point. SNC information can be used to map socio-economic vulnerabilities, understand economic impacts of CC and frame follow-up measures

13. SNC should be a vehicle to inform and facilitate: • Institutional positions and responses to climate change issues • Continued analysis and review of climate data to stay up-to-date on vulnerability dynamics • Inter-ministerial dialogue to address primary climate change concerns in national priorities • Integration of climate risk reduction into sectoral and development planning

14. How can countries make full use of SNC potential? • Ensure that the studies commissioned by the SNC team address relevant policy questions 2) Ensure that the SNC does not work in isolation in the Environment Department. Establish a platform to share SNC information with other departments. 3) Make sure the mitigation and adaptation studies of the SNC deliver information that is suitable for the definition of follow-up measures (e.g. further assessments, project formulation, fundraising)

15. How can countries make full use of SNC potential? (cont.) 4) Make sure the SNC highlights critical short-term and long-term policy challenges and proposes some options forpriority sectors 5) Make sure the SNC process picks up existing capacity gaps and opportunities in the country to understand, analyze and address Climate Change issues 6) Make sure SNC work is complemented with targeted awareness and communication actions for public/private/policy stakeholders

16. Next steps • Understanding the potential of SNC to provide policy inputs • Actively encouraging involvement and supporting input by relevant government institutions • Helping to make the SNC better visible • Having a concrete follow-up for the SNC in mind • Ensuring that all mitigation and adaptation assessments in the SNC maintaining a human focus

17. Leveraging National Communications - Summary 1. National Communications: process and outputs Informed allocation of public / private financing to resilient and low-carbon economic growth CC Adaptation and mitigation priorities identified Project lessons utilized in national / sector plans 2. CC Adaptation and Mitigation platforms, plans and strategies Priority CC projects identified Institutional partnerships developed & strengthened 3. Adaptation financing and carbon financing options explored to undertake priority measures Project lessons captured and analyzed (M&E) Priority CC projects financed

18. Discussion • How can GEF focal points help in making the SNC more relevant to policy making? • What role can GEF Focal Points play in linking priorities that emerge from National Communications with other GEF programming?