One World

Regional Climate Change Programme (RCCP)

Client—Department for International Development (DfID) (UK)

Area—Southern Africa: Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Timeline—August 2007—current

Details—The British government’s Department for International Development (DfID) contracted OneWorld to develop a five-year programme aimed at mitigating the impact of climate change on vulnerable livelihoods in Southern Africa.

The programme has seen three phases:

• Phase 1—Feasibility Study (completed in December 2007)
• Phase 2—Programme Design (completed in August 2008)
• Phase 3—Programme Implementation (began April 2009)

The feasibility study explored a number of likely climate scenarios for the region, and assessed the capacity of various role players to respond to these changing conditions. It highlighted a significant problem in dealing with climate change in the southern Africa region, namely that of relevant information. A key contribution within the context of climate change would be to provide useful and accessible information that enables effective adaptation decision-making across communities, governments and businesses. This also requires working with decision and policymakers and the institutions within which they are located. Thus a second aspect of the feasibility study emphasised the importance of capacity building. Finally, the study pointed to the value in using a risk-based assessment approach for climate modelling and scenario-building.

An important outcome of this phase was the creation and validation of a sub-regional map identifying ‘hot spots’ and possible case study locations. These case studies will be used to demonstrate the effectiveness and usefulness of integrated and timely information.

Stakeholder engagement was expanded during the design phase of the programme. A wide array of institutions, programmes and initiatives were surveyed resulting in a more in-depth understanding of existing climate change interventions and likely areas of collaboration. A structure for the programme was developed aimed at ensuring the ongoing sustainability of the programme through regional ownership and capacity building. The design phase also resulted in a Programme Memorandum which forms the basis for the implementation phase.

The programme is currently preparing for implementation through negotiation and discussion with DFID. Some of the initial activities in the implementation phase will focus on establishing an information clearing house, organising a regional donor conference, setting up a website and analysing the impact of climate change on achievement of the Millenium Development Goals.

For more go to the  Regional Climate Change Programme website and information clearinghouse