Building Local Scientific Capacities For the NAP Process in Senegal

Senegal, Sub-Saharan Africa

The implementation of National Adaptation Plans (NAP) can be effectively used for building and strengthening local technical and scientific capacities, as has been proven by Senegal. Through a science-based support project for Senegal’s National Adaptation Plan processes (PAS-PNA), the NAP process shall be based on a sound scientific information basis by strengthening the exchange between science and policy. More specifically, the PAS-PNA aims to: i) identify the current state of climate change issues considered in national policies as well as existing national and sectoral strategies; (ii) analyze approaches for the development of scientifically based climate information; and iii) help integrating this information into Senegal‘s political programming. Activities involve stock-taking of the current state of knowledge, organizational and strategic advice, technical trainings, and scientific analyses (such as vulnerability and impact analyses).

The approach constitutes a good practice because it is based on a strong stakeholder engagementprocess, it is innovative in terms its goal, and it includes safeguards to make sure the considerations of vulnerable communities are taken into account.

Impact of activities

STRONG INVOLVEMENT OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY THROUGH A PARTICIPATORY CO-DESIGN PROCESS: Regular meetings allowed researchers to appropriate their roles and responsibilities. Hence, their involvement in political programming is effective and provided the scientific basis for the management of climate change issues. Their contributions consist mainly in providing technical and scientific support to young researchers in charge of carrying out vulnerability studies, making data available which were needed to carry out vulnerability studies and coordinating the consortium. Their role is also to review the deliverables of the vulnerability studies and to provide comments.

IMPROVED EXPERTISE OF RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS: The training of key stakeholders (national authorities, scientists, private sector, civil society, etc.) and the application of an integrated and interdisciplinary approach helped to raise the level of knowledge and scientific capacity. The involvement and training of recruited post-docs supports the creation of the next generation of scientists a tthe local level.

PRODUCTION OF SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND INFORMATION ON RISKS AND VULNERABILITIES: The stocktaking and validation of climate information facilitate evidence-based policymaking. In line with this, the project is about to produce, publish and disseminate around five scientific documents in support of the NAP process. The output includes: one report on the scientific state of the art pertaining to existing vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies in Senegal, one report on the policy stocktaking focused on the analysis of scientific references used to justify impact and vulnerability to climate change in national and sectoral policies, and one report per sector on the vulnerability studies (three reports in total). The approach and methodology underpinning the vulnerability analyses have been schematized and reports and policy briefs on the vulnerability studies conducted for the three sectors will be published. Additionally, the project plans to publish the list of indicators and georeferenced digital vulnerability maps (in the sectoral report of the vulnerability studies). Subsequent policies will thus be put on a solid scientific basis. All of the aforementioned documents will be accessible in the media library AdaptationCommunity.net.

CROSS-SECTORAL SYNERGIES: The numerous meetings between the various actors have improved the communication and the quality of the exchanges between various actors. The meetings with each consortium held every 2 months also secured the monitoring of the assignments of the different actors.

Institutions involved

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES: Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD in French acronym); Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment (MAER in French acronym); Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation (MHA in French acronym); Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEFP in French acronym); Ministry of Local Governance; Directorate of Environment and Classified Establishments (DEEC in French acronym); High Council of Territorial Governing Bodies (HCCT in French acronym).

IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS: Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH; Climate Analytics gGmbH.· INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); French Development Agency (AFD in French acronym).

OTHER INSTITUTIONS: Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD in French acronym); Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis (UGB in French acronym); Thiès University, Zinguinchor University, Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA); National Agency of Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM in French acronym); Laboratory of Physics of the Atmosphere and the Ocean (LPAO); Doctoral School Water Quality and Uses (EDEQUE in French acronym); Regional study Center for enhanced adaptation to drought (CEERAS in French acronym); National Climate Change Committee (COMNACC in French acronym); National Council of Consultation and Cooperation of the Rural Population(CNCR in French acronym).

Source details
Global Good Practice Analysis (GIZ UNDP)