Background

The African Regional Workshop on Adaptation was held at the M Plaza Hotel in Accra, Ghana, from 21-23 September 2006. The workshop aimed at facilitating exchange of information and integrated assessments in order to assist in identifying Africa’s needs and concerns related to adaptation. About 60 participants, including representatives of 33 African Parties, 10 Annex I Parties and a number of international, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations participated in the workshop. Mr. William Kojo Agyemang-Bonsu, from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, chaired the workshop on behalf of SBI Chair Mr. Thomas Becker of Denmark.

The workshop was convened at the request of COP 10 by its Decision 1/CP.10, that called for the UNFCCC secretariat to organize three regional workshops and one expert meeting for small island developing States (SIDS) to enable exchange of information and integrated assessments to assist in identifying specific adaptation needs and concerns. The reports on the outcome of these workshops and the expert meeting will be considered by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) with a view to making a recommendation on further action to COP 13 in November 2007.

The highlight of the workshop was its success in fostering an exchange of experience on good practices on adaptation, many of which could be replicated. The workshop also provided for a fruitful sharing of information between African participants and support organizations, whether the GEF and its implementing agencies, or bilateral institutions with a strong focus on the African region. From this, an evident need emerged for enhanced access to funding and broadening the sources of support for adaptation activities, particularly those that build upon indigenous coping strategies. Participants articulated a number of needs and concerns relating to adaptation, which will need to be taken up in the negotiating process. Many of these were identified through the process of preparing National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) in African least developed countries. Finally, a session devoted to South-South cooperation revealed ample opportunities for further promoting such collaboration and streamlining its effectiveness.

Report of the African regional workshop on adaptation

International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) coverage of the workshop

Background paper on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Africa

Agenda

 

Presentations

 

Objectives of the workshop and background presentation

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Mr. Youssef Nassef	UNFCCC Secretariat	Recent developments on adaptation under the UNFCCC and objectives of the workshop
Ms. Balgis Osman Elasha	Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources, Sudan	Background presentation on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Africa

 

Session 1: Impact and vulnerability assessments

Systematic observation, data, climate methods and tools - availability, applicability, accessibility

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Mr. William Westermeyer	GCOS Secretariat	The Global Climate Observing System and Sustainable Development - An Action Plan for Africa Abstract
Mr. Motsomi Maletjane	Lesotho	Systematic observation, data, climate methods and tools Abstract
Mr. Paul Isabirye	Uganda	Systematic observation, data, climate methods and tools - an overview Abstract

 

Impact and vulnerability assessments

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Mr. Mamadou Lamarana Diallo	Guinea	Évaluation de la vulnérabilité et de l’Adaptation au Changement Climatique en Guinée
Mr. John Nganga	Kenya	Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment in East Africa Paper
Mr. Mohamed Jalil	Morocco	Climate change vulnerability and impact assessment in Morocco Fre Resume
Mr. Mduduzi Gamedze	Swaziland	Impact and Adaptation Assessments in Swaziland Abstract

 

Session 2: Adaptation planning and implementation

Agriculture and food security

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Mr. Moïse Sonou	FAO	Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change in Agriculture - FAO Methods and Tools to Identify Options and Develop Responses
Mr. Thomas Bagan	Benin	Adaptation aux changements climatique - Actions en cours au Bénin dans le domaine de l‘agriculture
Mr. Leopold Some	Burkina Faso	Stratégies d’adaptation dans le domaine de l’agriculture en Afrique de l’Ouest : le cas du Burkina Faso Résumé
Mr. Patrice Passe Sanand*	Central African Republic	Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment in the Agriculture Sector in the Central African Republic (CAR) Résumé Eng
Mr. Constantine Shayo	Tanzania	Adaptation Planning and Implementation - Agriculture and Food Security Paper

 

Water resources

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Mr. Jules Venance Kouassi	Côte d’Ivoire	Planification et Adaptation des Ressources en Eau Résumé
Mr. Micheliarson Andrianirina	Madagascar	Aperçu sur les Problemes des Ressources en Eau dus au Changement Climatique et Plan d’Adaptation
Mr. Evans Njewa	Malawi	Adaptation planning and implementation for water resources Abstract Paper
Mr. Charles Uramutse	Rwanda	Adaptation planning and implementation for water resources in Rwanda Résumé

 

Health

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Mr. Bernard Edward Gomez	Gambia	Identification of Priority Actions to Adapt to Climate Change in the Health Sector
Mr. Moussa Gousmane	Niger	Impacts des changements climatiques dans le secteur de la sante et les solutions proposes Article

 

Coastal zones

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Mr. Abdoulkader Oudoum Abdallah	Djibouti	Mesures d’Adaptation et de Protection pour la Zone Cotiere de Djibouti
Mr. Alexandre Cabral	Guinea-Bissau	Planeamento e execução da adaptação na zona costeira de Guinea-Bissau
Mr. Aderito Santana*	São Tomé e Príncipe	Planeamento e execução da adaptação na zona costeira de São Tomé e Príncipe
Mr. Reynold Johnson	Sierra Leone	Adaptation, planning and implementation relating to the Sierra Leone coastal zone Paper

 

Support for adaptation in the context of sustainable development

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Ms. Bonizella Biagini	GEF	GEF support to Adaptation Action in Africa
Mr. Bastian Bomhard	IUCN	IUCN Support for Climate Change Adaptation
Ms. Martha Mwandingi	UNDP	UNDP-GEF Climate Change Adaptation

 

Synergies: the experience of UNCCD

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Ms. Bettina Horstmann	UNCCD	Synergies between UNFCCC and UNCCD in Africa -Experiences made in implementing the UNCCD Abstract

 

Session 3: Regional collaboration

Roundtable on South-South collaboration

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Mr. Johnson Nkem	CIFOR	A Forest Platform for Climate Change Adaptation for Africa
Ms. Rhea Katsanakis	ISDR	Adapting to Climate Change and Reducing Disaster Risk
Mr. Aboubacar Issa	OSS	Dégradation des terres et adaptation aux changements climatiques - valeur ajoutée de l’OSS
Ms. Njeri Wamukonya	UNEP	South-South Collaboration

 

Roundtable on North-South collaboration

Presenter	Party/Organization	Subject
Ms. Karen Sutherland	Canada	Canada’s Experience in Supporting Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa
Ms. Melissa Knight	USA	Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development

 

* These presentations were not delivered in person because their authors were unable to attend the workshop.