Strengthening climate information and early warning systems for climate resilient development and adaptation to climate change Status of the UNDP-GEF Supported Initiatives in 10 countries in Africa Pradeep Kurukulasuriya Mark Tadross Doha, Dec 2012

Overview 11 Least Developed African countries – Benin, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sao Tome & Principe, Gambia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia Projects will address NAPA-identified priorities (LDCF funding) Two main components:  Transfer of technologies for climate and environmental monitoring (mostly investment)  Climate information integrated into development plans and early warning systems (mostly technical assistance)

Developments to date Project development team:  6 international lead developers (1-2 countries each)  1-2 national counterparts in each country Initial planning meeting for international lead developers Government-led stakeholder workshops in each country Initial consultations with key government departments, NGOs and the private sector  National Meteorological and Hydrological Agencies  Ministries of Agriculture and Health  Disaster Management Agencies  Cell phone companies and power generation utilities

Challenges for implementation Equipment:  Rehabilitation of existing weather and hydrological stations is sometimes preferable to new equipment  Current observations often relayed by telephone  Automatic Stations (transmitting via GPRS or satellites) are preferred but may not be practical (limited GPRS coverage) or easy to maintain (skills to fix)  Incompatibility of equipment from different manufacturers exacerbates maintenance and functional difficulties  Radar only covers small regions (often around airports) and involves large investment and maintenance costs  Calibration equipment often lacking  Satellite-receiving equipment in disrepair or data inaccessible to institutions who can use it  Data archiving facilities inconsistent, centralised etc.

Challenges for implementation Institutional  Data collectors receive limited incentives to report data regularly  Limited facilities for receiving and archiving data  Limited national capacity for implementation  Limited budgets for hiring new staff Communication and dissemination  SMS systems for reporting and dissemination require operational budgets  Centralised facilities for issuing timely warnings to districts/provinces are not always functional  Forecasts not useful e.g. not adapted to specific sectors  Limited use of internationally available forecasts and monitoring

Challenges for implementation Operational  Limited operational budgets limit the effectiveness and sustainability of interventions  Few private sector services  Climate information not combined with other information on vulnerability to enhance warnings  High turnover and lack of trained personnel  Slow procurement processes Legislative  Met services are often not fully constituted  Lack of dedicated Institutions mandated to issue warnings

Approach to project design  Identify users/sectors in need of climate-related warnings and long-term observations. Assess feasibility and costs of providing new and rehabilitated equipment  Assess current and past activities to improve climate-related technologies and EWS – identify (un)successful approaches  Identify current systems, weaknesses in the flow of information, dependencies on skilled human resources  Use satellite monitoring information in place of observations where feasible, cost-effective and accurate  Improve forecast infrastructure and technologies – assess if forecasts can be shown to have useful skill  Wherever feasible, utilise monitoring and forecasts from international and regional centres

Next steps ………  14 national and 6 international team members engaging with government agencies, NGOs and donors to:  Understand current deficiencies in observational network and development of climate related information  Assess problems related to human resources, budgets, institutional capacity, communication of information etc.  Ongoing information, interactions and feedback via blog site:  In-country consultations to be held between November 2012 and January 2013  1 st draft project documents: January 2013  Feedback and review workshops: February - March 2013  Submission final documents to GEF: April

Collaboration and alignment with regional, bi- and multi-lateral initiatives Regional:  ACMAD, ICPAC  SADC, COMESA, ECOWAS Bi-lateral donors:  DFID, GIZ, JICA, USAID Multi-lateral donors:  UN (WMO, FAO, WFP, UNEP, UNDP-BCPR, ISDR)  World Bank, IFC, GFDRR  AMESD (EU)

Timeline for project development phase Inception Workshops Project design Validation workshops + government consultations JunMayAprMarFebJan 2013 NovOctSepDec 1st Draft review National consultations, risk mapping, hardware inventory, capacity assessments, budget analyses, O&M costs etc. Initial consultations 2nd Draft Final Draft Logical framework financing plan Submission for CEO Clearance, adjustment based on GEF review

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