GWP Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda were present to discuss how the joint programme can enhance climate resilience in Eastern Africa.

The WACDEP programme for Eastern Africa will support Burundi and Rwanda in developing a ‘No regrets’ Investment strategy for enhancing climate change resilience through improving water security. The initiative will be implemented in support of the priorities defined in both countries’ National Adaptation programmes (NAPAS), Rwanda’s low carbon development strategy and the IWRM plans for Burundi

WACDEP will include support to processes for mainstreaming Climate change in the Kagera Basin and implementation on the ground of a demonstration project in the Bugesera sub-national transboundary involving both Rwanda and Burundi at local level.

A demonstration site has been selected in the Bugesera tranboundary region of Burundi and Rwanda. The demonstration project in the Bugesera will aim to enhance the resilience of the communities’ especially vulnerable groups such as women, children and youth.  Stakeholders in the Bugersa suffered massive displacements due to the civil wars, leading to forest degradation, poor watershed management and weak institutional capacity for withstanding climate change impacts.

Stakeholders agreed on the following actions for follow up:

• Holding a WACDEP inception workshop for Rwanda and Burundi in the
• Bugesera transboundary sub-basin. The workshop will involve communities from both Burundi and Rwanda and will agree on a joint management unit for the pilot demonstration project.
• Consultations with central government stakeholders and key government agencies in Rwanda and Burundi.
• Consultations with Regional Stakeholders from NELSAP, Kagera Basin and more.
• Identification of priority activities for implementation and developing an implementation plan for WACDEP in Rwanda and Burundi.
• Develop country proposals in collaboration with UNEP and GWP Eastern Africa for submission to the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund. The proposal will be submitted as a Regional Programme on the Nile Basin and will complement the WACDEP and current UNEP project on the Nile Basin.