Date and Time: September 9th 2008. 8.45 am to 2.30pm
Venue: Håndverkeren, Rosenkranzgate 7, Oslo
All are welcome. The seminar is free and we encourage you to register by sending an e-mail by September 7th to
leyla@utviklingsfondet.no.
Lunch will be served.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit will be present at the seminar. Minister of the Environment and International Development, Mr.Erik Solheim and some of our local partnes from the south will give their views on climate change and adaption.
The Development Fund has been working with environment and development projects through Southern organisations and networks for 30 years. In relation to our 30th anniversary this year, a new report called «More than rain – identifying sustainable pathways for climate adaptation and poverty reduction», will be launched at the seminar.
Programme
8.45-9.10 Registration and coffee
9.10-9.15 Arrival of HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit
9.15-9.20 Welcome
By Arvid Solheim, Director of the Development Fund
Poverty reduction and sustainable climate adaptation
Moderator: Elin Enge, Director of Forum for Environment and Development
9.20-9.35 Opportunities to support for adaptation in the South
By Minister of the Environment and International Development Mr. Erik Solheim
9.35-9.55 Introduction of the seminar and the report: “More Than Rain”.
By Christoffer Klyve, Head International Department, The Development Fund
9.55-10.25 Presentation of the assessment report and findings: How can development projects, particularly those aimed at food security, contribute in reducing the risk from climate change, enhancing adaptive capacity and addressing vulnerability of local communities faced with climate stresses?
By Karen O’Brien, Chair of Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS), University of Oslo
10.25-10.45 Climate change vulnerability and risks in local communities in Nepal. Farmer’s innovations and local solutions.
By Bimal Regmi, Senior Program Officer, Local Initiative for Biodiversity, Research and Development, Nepal
10.45-11.00 Coffee and fruit break
11.00-11.20 Climate change vulnerability and risks in local communities in Tigray, Ethiopia. The case of integrated watershed approach and livelihood diversification.
By Mulugeta Berhanu, Head Environmental Rehabilitation and Agricultural Development Department, Relief Society of Tigray, Ethiopia
11.20-11.40 Climate change vulnerability and risks in local communities in Nicaragua. What similarities does Nicaragua share with Ethiopia and Nepal – despite different environmental conditions?
By Rosalba Ortiz, Program responsible for Latin America, the Development Fund
11.40-11.50. Commentaries by Marte Gerhardsen, National Director, CARE Norway
11.50-12.30 Lunch break
A climate change adaptation approach. Lessons learned and future challenges
12.30-12.50 Identifying sustainable pathways for climate adaptation and poverty reduction: Project integration and practical solutions.
By Gitte Motzfeldt, Program Advisor Climate Change Vulnerability, the Development Fund
12.50-13.10 What changes are needed in development policy processes to address the challenge of climate adaptation in a diversity of local contexts? Lessons learned from Malawi.
By William Chadza, Program Manager, Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy, Malawi
13.10-13.20 Commentaries by Hans Olav Ibrekk, Project Manager Environment, NORAD
13.20-14.20 Q&A
14.20-14.30 Closing comment by the Development Fund,
By Aksel Nærstad, Senior Politic Advisor, the Development Fund
About the "More than rain" project and report
This work represents an innovative form of collaboration between academia and civil society, the report contains ground breaking analyses on the linkages between climate change and poverty. While there is an urgent need to reduce emissions of climate gases, the worlds poor need to prepare and adapt to a changing climate. Furthermore, development organizations need to integrate climate change adaptation in development efforts.
The aim of this report is to contribute to the increased understanding of how to integrate climate change adaptation in poverty reduction projects and programs in ways that increase the capacity of individuals, households and communities to respond to climate variability and change. The analysis investigates what types of factors need to be addressed at local, regional, and global levels in order to make sustainable adaptation to climate change possible, and what kinds of activities and measures for climate adaptation should be included in development projects.
A central objective in the notion of sustainable climate adaptation is to address poverty in ways that reduce climate risk and vulnerability and increase the capacity to respond and adapt to climate variability and change, as well as other shocks and stressors. This report moves beyond considering adaptation as solely as technological solutions to also looking at the societal dimensions of climate change and peoples perceptions on climate change and adaptation, differential adaptive capacity and the role of culture and local knowledge.
In other words, the report explores what adaptation to climate change can look like in practice.
Speakers from Nepal, Ethiopia, Nicaragua and Malawi will discuss how their local environments are affected by climate change, and present the research and methods investigated to overcome the challenges involved. The Norwegian Minister for Environment and Development, Erik Solheim, researchers and development workers will address how these issues can be solved through development aid.
In collaboration with local partner organisations in the South and the Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) Project at the University of Oslo, the Development Fund will present its work addressing questions such as:
1. How is climate change going to affect local, rural populations in Africa, Asia and Latin-America, and how can the population in areas affected by climate change adapt to changes in environment and livelihoods?
2. What are the main linkages between climate change adaptation and poverty reduction?
3. How can development projects, particularly those aimed at food security, contribute in reducing the risk from climate change, enhancing adaptive capacity and addressing vulnerability of local communities faced with climate stresses?
4. How can comprehensive climate change considerations be integrated in poverty reduction strategies and projects in a diversity of local contexts?
5. How can development projects identify activities and development pathways that reduce poverty and increase the resilience of households and communities to climatic change?
6. What changes are needed in development policy processes to address the challenge of climate adaptation?
The seminar will present local cases analysed with the aim to understanding how local farmers are affected by current climate variability and change and whether current development activities are relevant in order to reduce vulnerability and increases the capacity to live and adapt to these and future changes in climate. Based on the insights from case studies prepared for the report «More than rain», we will explore new dimensions of poverty reduction and climate adaptation and add climate change understanding to the development work by improved project planning and implementation.