Enhancing Climate Change Resilience through Early Warning

1. Enhancing Climate Change Resilience through Early Warning Pa Ousman Jarju Director and UNFCCC Focal Point Department of Water Resources 7 Marina Parade, Banjul Republic of The Gambia Adaptation Practitioners’ Days Ezdan Hotel & Suites,West Bay, Al Dafna Doha, Qatar, 1st December 2012

2. WHY AN EARLY WARNING PROJECT GAMBIA • Low human and infrastructure capacities for collection and monitoring of data and information on climate and climate change and the development of alerts; The limitations in capacities include: (i) Inadequate number and quality of equipment and tools; (ii) Acute shortage of qualified personnel to: • Transform data into processed information and weather forecasts • Package the data and forecast products into early warning messages that sensitize well targeted end-users; (iii) Absence of a strategy for appropriate communication of climate change early warnings To enhance the resilience of the population and the national economy urgent action and measures needed to be taken to address the deficiencies and strengthen climate change early warning system in The Gambia. Thus Early Warning Project formed the FIRST PRIORITY OF THE GAMBIAN NAPA

3. Expected Outcomes of the Climate and Climate Change Early Warning Project Three Outcomes Enhanced capacity of hydro-meteorological services and networks for predicting climate change events and risk factors. Effective, efficient and targeted delivery of climate and climate change information including early warnings. Improved and timely preparedness and responses of various stakeholders to forecast climate linked risks and vulnerabilities.

4. WHERE ARE WE ON IMPLEMENTATION? - PROVIDERS To enhance the capacity of hydro-meteorological services and networks we have : Conducted studies to: Establish and confirm baseline indicators (C4EcoSolutions – South Africa) Needs assessment to confirm previous needs and also determine emerging needs (National Consultant)

5. Results of the Baseline Needs AssessmentInfrastructure Rehabilitation • The Baseline Studies recommend to: • Protect Stations and Equipment by Fencing • Procure and Upgrade Meteorological and Hydrological Equipment, preferably using Automated and Electronic equipment • Enhance Human Capacity • The Total Cost is estimated to be about eight (8) times the budget of the current project; • Hence the need for a PHASE II.

6. WHERE ARE WE ON IMPLEMENTATION? - PROVIDERS • Developed Acquisition and Rehabilitation Plans in November 2011 based on existing and refined needs assessments. • Procured and installed some of the equipment identified in the needs assessment study and Plans from February 2012 Equipment from VAISALA, FINLAND INSTALLED AT THE AIRPORT MET. OFFICE

7. WHERE ARE WE ON IMPLEMENTATION? - PROVIDERS • Fenced some of the Meteorological Instrument Enclosures to protect them • Repaired/upgraded existing infrastructure of the data collection, communication and processing networks • Procured two (2) Field vehicles for data collection and monitoring of installations

8. WHERE ARE WE ON IMPLEMENTATION? - PROVIDERS On human capacity building, • Personnel Management Office (PMO), Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA) and the Project Management Unit recruited some degree holders to be trained in Meteorology • Involvement of PMO and MoFEA is to ensure that these staff are absorbed into the Civil Service after the Project phases out.

9. WHERE ARE WE ON IMPLEMENTATION? - PROVIDERS • A Class of 18 Technicians is now being trained on Meteorology and Hydrology to serve as Observers at the Stations; • A second Class is planned in January 2013 after the end of the current class in December 2012. • At this rate of training the capacity of NMHS personnel at the technical level may be met for the implementation of an effective Early Warning System for The Gambia

10. WHERE ARE WE ON IMPLEMENTATION? - PROVIDERS The UK MET Office determined the Training Needs for Gambia On Human Resources development we • Contracted the UK Met. Office to assess the Training Needs, Develop a Training Program and Conduct the Training • The Head of the Weather Forecast has just returned from the UK Met. Office following successful orientation on operations and management of NMHS. • Recruited Degree Holders are now being trained at the UK Met Office on Modeling, Model Interpretation and Forecasting. • Arrangements are being made to Train Weather Forecasters in Nigeria in 2013.

11. WHERE ARE WE ON IMPLEMENTATION? - USERS For Effective, efficient and targeted delivery of climate and Climate Change Early Warning we commissioned studies to: • Assess relevance of existing early warning products to the Users; • Determine from the communities additional socio-economic data and information to enrich the early warning products; • Identify appropriate and effective channels and mode of communication of relevant climate change early warning information to the communities;

12. Results of the Studies on additional data and communication of early warning information. For improving existing early warning products and for effective communication of early warning information from Providers to Users the Socioeconomic and Communication studies concluded and recommended the: • Use of Extension and Media Agents to translate and transmit Early Warning Information and Messages from Providers to Users; • Build the capacity of the Technical Advisory Committees (TAC) and the Multidisciplinary Facilitation Teams (MDFT) in the Project sites who have the required agents in their membership. • Conduct capacity building workshops for the membership of the TACs, MDFTs and communities at the Project Sites during December 2012 and January and 2013 to enable them perform the communication role.

13. WAY FORWARD • The current Phase of the Early Warning Project was prepared and budgeted in 2008 when resource constraints of the LDC Fund forced limited the budget to USD 1,028,500 • Hence, this phase allowed only minimal functionality and implementation on a pilot basis. • Baseline, Needs assessments and other studies conducted under this phase of the clearly and adequately outlined the need for increased functionality and has confirmed that the budgetary allocation under the current project is inadequate to meet the needs identified.

14. WAY FORWARD • Up-scaling of both the project coverage and funding will enable The Gambia to procure adequate technologies, develop and strengthen the infrastructure and provide the needed institutional and human capacity to develop and operationalise an effective climate change early warning system. • A Second Phase of EWS LDCF project is therefore proposed, which will bridge the budget gap between the investments achieved in the first LDCF project and a fully functional EWS. • The total Budget of Phase II is USD 8,000,000.

15. WAY FORWARD To achieve the Outcome of Improved and timely preparedness and responses of various stakeholders to forecast climate linked risks and vulnerabilities • Relevant policies will be reviewed and implementation strategies and Plans developed for climate sensitivity; • Policy process is identified to mainstream climate change and encourage preventative planning and decision making in response to early warnings and climate change trends; • Sensitization and awareness raising for the population will be conducted • A public-private platform for climate risk management will be established to engage private sector in climate proofing

16. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION