On 22 November 2024, under the auspices of the Intra-ACP Programme funded under the OACPS-EU, 11th European Development Fund (11 EDF), the Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), with the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), the African Centre of Meteorological Application for Development (ACMAD), the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) and the Southern African Development Community, Climate Services Centre (SADC-CSC), co-organised a side event in the CARICOM Pavilion at COP29, titled "Mainstreaming Climate Information in African Sub-Regions". The event showcased the benefits, best practices and challenges in integrating climate information into decision-making processes.
The sub-Saharan Africa region is significantly affected by climate change. In particular facing recurrent droughts, floods and unpredictable extreme weather patterns. These climatic impacts disrupt critical sectors such as agriculture, water resources, health and infrastructure, threatening socio-economic development. Despite the growing availability of climate data and services, challenges such as inadequate institutional frameworks and limited financial resources hinder the mainstreaming of climate information into policies and planning. The ClimSA Programme seeks to address these barriers by strengthening the climate services value chain and embedding climate considerations into policies and development strategies.
The Team Leader of the ClimSA's Technical Assistance to the OACPS, Dr Dieudonne Nsadisa Faka, speaking on behalf of the OACPS Secretariat, warmly welcomed the audience to the last side event of the series at COP29, underscored the importance of improving the quality and quantity of climate services delivered by Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) to the und-users in the OACPS Member States. He also highlighted the role played by the ClimSA Programme in fostering South-South cooperation by sharing experiences in integrating climate considerations into policymaking.
Mr Ottavio Novelli, serving as the moderator, highlighted the remarkable collaboration underpinning the ClimSA initiative, which brings together a diverse consortium spanning the six OACPS regions. He emphasised the coordination efforts led by the OACPS, supported by technical expertise from international institutions such as the Joint Research Centre of the European Union (JRC), the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO), EUMETSAT, and the AESA Consortium providing technical assistance. Acknowledging the backing of the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), Mr. Novelli praised the development –under the ClimSA Programme– of innovative tools designed to advance best practices in climate resilience, now available for use by climate-vulnerable countries.
In this context, Mr Calistus Wachana, Climate Services User Engagement Expert at ICPAC, presented the adoption of a community-based adaptation tool called Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP), demonstrating its effectiveness with tangible outcomes at the sub-national level in Machakos County, Kenya, and Chiboka District, Uganda. At the national level, ICPAC is supporting Kenya and Uganda in developing national frameworks for climate services to strengthen climate resilience. ICPAC also works together with the IGAD Secretariat to finalise the regional climate change strategy. Mr Wachana also highlighted efforts to engage decision-makers in integrating climate services through three key meetings involving high-level officials from 2022: the focus has been on raising awareness, demonstrating cost benefits and securing commitments. By 2024, Ministers of Finance of the IGAD region had endorsed the integration of climate services into national policies, plans and programmes, marking a significant step forward. They have also committed funds to climate services development, a key, progressive decision for climate action.
Mr Novelli commended the ICPAC initiative and suggested the need to consider the Green Climate Fund which is increasingly financing programmes focused on climate services, highlighting the need for capacity building of national institutions to prepare and submit bankable proposals for such funding. He also emphasised that while ideas may be plentiful, the preparation of well-structured dossiers is essential to secure support from major donors for climate change resilience.
Professor Mansur Bako Matazu, from ACMAD, presented best practices and challenges encountered by his institution in delivering climate services under the ClimSA Programme. He highlighted the importance of engaging policymakers from the outset, aligning services with national development agendas and involving local communities for co-production and ownership. Successful practices including fostering partnerships with research institutions, or involving secondary schools in expanding observational networks, were acknowledged. While challenges such as limited public funds, mistrust between public and private sectors, inadequate technology and weak institutional frameworks still require significant efforts, there are success stories that create more incentives to pursue capacity building of stakeholders to mainstream climate considerations into policies and strategies. ACMAD stressed the need for greater investments, capacity building and leveraging partnerships to enhance climate service delivery and achieve better outcomes.
Dr Faka presented the Caribbean Climate Outlook Portal led by the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH). He highlighted CIMH's leadership to establish a consortium of diverse stakeholders for co-designing and co-producing strategies to address climate challenges; and intention to extend the Climate Outlook Portal to other regions as a one-stop shop for climate data, products and services from the OACPS’ regional climate centres. Such platform would provide actionable climate outlooks to support decision-makers and stakeholders in planning and implementing measures for climate resilience. Dr Faka also provided an overview of the activities of the Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF), which convenes stakeholders, including those from agriculture, disaster risk management and water resource management, to prepare the seasonal climate outlooks and plan for mitigation strategies before the onset of the rainy season. SADC’s Heads of State have launched an appeal for financial support to cope with the drought induced disaster in the SADC region. This appeal was informed by SARCOF’s climate outlook, produced by the SADC-CSC six months in advance. The outlook accurately predicted the conditions that prompted Member States and SADC leaders to issue the global appeal for assistance. This proactive approach, combining climate monitoring and forecasting, provides vital information that enable governments to take informed decisions to mitigate drought impacts and seek international support timely and effectively.
Finally, ICPAC Regional Agrometeorologist Mr Oliver Kipkogei complemented Eastern Africa’s key initiatives in climate services under ClimSA, including the development of the Eastern Africa Hazards Watch, an online portal offering a one-stop shop for risk information. Regional stakeholders’ engagement platforms like the Great Horn of Eastern Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF) generate seasonal climate outlooks and advisories for sectors such as agriculture, water and energy, with bulletins shared every three months to support decision-making. Additionally, advanced user interface platforms, like the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG), provide monthly updates integrating climate data with other factors like livestock and market conditions. Despite progress made, Mr Kipkogei stressed that challenges still persist, including bridging the gap between climate service producers and users, particularly at the local level, due to limited outreach and training resources. Another significant issue is inadequate documentation of the impacts of initiatives like ClimSA, which hampers efforts to secure additional funding. The need to demonstrate measurable outcomes, such as improved resilience indices or increased access to climate information, was underscored as critical for unlocking further donor support for climate adaptation efforts.
The side event concluded with actionable outcomes, including enhanced understanding of the importance of integrating climate services into policies, improved collaboration among RCCs and strengthened partnerships for ongoing and future initiatives. Participants left with valuable insights and recommendations to support the sustainable integration of climate information into decision-making processes at all levels for enhanced climate resilience across African, Caribbean and Pacific regions.
For more information, download the Concept Note below.
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