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
Jan 02, 2016
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 KurukulasuriyaMark 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)
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
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
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
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.
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
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
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
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
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
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
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
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: http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
In-country consultations to be held between November 2012 and January 2013
1st draft project documents: January 2013
Feedback and review workshops: February - March 2013
Submission final documents to GEF: April 2013
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
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)
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com
Timeline for project development phase
InceptionWorkshops
Project design
Validation workshops+ governmentconsultations
JunMayAprMarFebJan 2013
NovOctSep Dec
1st Draft review
National consultations, risk mapping, hardware inventory, capacity assessments, budget analyses, O&M costs etc.
Initialconsultations
2nd Draft
Final Draft
Logical frameworkfinancing plan
Submission for CEOClearance, adjustmentbased on GEF review
[Issue] [Best practices to improve recruiting process ROI]
[Cumbersome online forms]
[Standardize résumé data extraction to optimize effective data integration, exchange, and search applications.]
[Do not allow upload of résumé—this has to occur in order for data extraction technology to be optimized.]
[Large résumé volumes]
[Implement electronic résumé processing to speed online applications through process.]
[Utilize common data formats and database schemas to optimize data usage and value.]
[Utilize technologies to process résumés effectively and efficiently through internal resources.]
[Many formats] [Utilize technologies that accept and process multiple résumé formats and languages.]
http://www.ews-undp.blogspot.com