Implementing Climate-Resilient Integrated Water Resources Management in Botswana and Tanzania
The Intra African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) is a programme funded by the European Union to increase the capabilities of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States and countries in the ACP region to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, and have their voices better heard in international climate change negotiations.
The specific objectives of the GCCA+ Programme are to strengthen the capacity of Member States to implement commitments taken under the Paris Agreement, mainstream climate adaptation and mitigation in national sector strategies, and to access climate finance. The GCCA+ aims to increase the capabilities of SADC Member States to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, in support of the achievement of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), Africa Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The GCCA+ is already operational, having been launched in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa, on 6th November 2019. The Programme’s achievements to date include:
- Strengthening of science-based climate information to build resilience, manage risks, and mainstream climate information and early warning products and services into the climate-sensitive socio-economic sectors, as well as enhancement of the technical capacity of producers and users of climate change information.
- Incorporating climate-smart agriculture to strengthen capacity for COVID-19 response through improvement, availability, and access to high-value nutritious agricultural produce.
- Training of the SADC Group of Negotiators on Climate Change to build their capacity to articulate water issues in climate negotiations.
GCCA+ Project - Harvesting vegetables in Botswana
Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) is supporting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat to implement the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) programme in the SADC region. GWPSA’s main focus areas of support to the SADC Member States under the SADC GCCA+ project covers the three Outcomes of the project:
- Strengthening capacities for climate negotiations and taking climate action. This is mainly through bringing water security issues in climate change negotiation processes.
- Implementing the Paris Agreement and pilot adaptation projects. The main focus is integrating water issues in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the SADC Member States. At the local level, promoting water security issues within the WEF nexus demonstration projects and IWRM pilot projects.
- Strengthening capacities for implementing NDC/NAP, and access/mobilise climate finance. Providing support to the SADC member states to access climate finance, especially for projects that promote water security.
This project is aligned with Outcome 2, focusing on country-level implementation of IWRM in the Wami and Metsimotlhabe River basins in Tanzania and Botswana, respectively, in order to target communities that are vulnerable to climate change and develop hands-on capacity in the implementation of climate-resilient IWRM. This project will build the capacities of Botswana and Tanzania to adapt to the impacts of climate change through developing climate resilient IWRM pilot interventions in the two countries and creating an enabling environment for their upscaling. At the local level, implementation is being facilitated by GWP Botswana and GWP Tanzania.
Wami Ruvi River Basin - Tanzania