CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Formulating a civil society agenda for climate change in Tobago

Title:               Formulating a civil society agenda on climate change in Tobago

Location:        Tobago

Year:              2012

Funded by:     Embassy of  the Federal Republic of Germany  Port-of-Spain                    

                                         

Amount:          USD 11,485

Project Purpose

To enhance the understanding of civil society in Tobago about climate change and support the development of a plan of action which also identifies and communicates priorities to address the impacts of climate change on natural resources and associated livelihoods.

Background

In 2011, CANARI facilitated a three-day workshop with representatives of various stakeholder groups in Saint Lucia to develop a civil society  agenda to address climate change.  The workshop incorporated discussion which reviewed the National Climate Change Policy and Adaptation Plan which was prepared by the Saint Lucian Government in 2003.  The agenda document detailed civil society's commitment to action within and among their organisations, support for Government plans and advocacy for areas of omission/actions not addressed by Government in the National Policy and Adaptation plan.  A culminating half-day session yielded clarification of Government's plan for the National Policy update and yielded a commitment of civil society groups to form a coalition to carry their agenda forward through follow-up actions.

The very positive outcomes of this project encouraged CANARI to replicate the process in other Caribbean islands, to aid civil society groups in considering and identifying the roles, responsibilities and actions that they may undertake to contribute to positive and meaningful action in addressing climate change.  Among the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago join Saint Lucia as being the four states which have both developed and tabled a National Climate Change Policy document in their local parliament.  These countries are therefore a step ahead of the other CARICOM states in identifying the action that is to be undertaken at the national level in addressing climate change, in accordance with international standards set through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

There is a strategic opportunity to replicate the process in Tobago while building on another project which will be facilitated by CANARI in September 2012.  That project pilots the use of participatory Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a new tool that can be used to facilitate effective participation by local communities and other stakeholders in the identification of general policy priorities, specific policies and actions needed on the ground at the landscape/ site level to address the impacts of climate change and extreme climatic events.  The project will facilitate the use of participatory three dimensional modelling (P3DM) to document, share and combine traditional/indigenous and other forms of knowledge on the risks from climate change and extreme climate events and the required adaptation policies and actions.  The project will therefore result in identification of specific priority adaptation measures needed in Tobago.

Against this backdrop of training and sharpened focus by stakeholders, the roll-out of the process used in Saint Lucia in 2011 to facilitate civil society dialogue on climate change impacts and positive action on adaptation is a timely intervention.

Project Goal

To build the capacity of civil society in Tobago to participate in decision-making and action to address the negative impacts of climate change on natural resources and associated livelihoods.

Project Activities

  • A 2-day national workshop to enhance understanding and awareness about climate change and to draft a plan of action to address the impacts of climate change on natural resources and associated livelihoods.
  • A half-day session to present the draft civil society agenda to other stakeholders
  • Finalisation of civil society agenda and sharing of lessons learned and experiences through the hosting of a discussion forum on the development of the agenda on CANARI’s Facebook page, posting YouTube videos and hosting a project page on CANARI’s website

Related News Releases

Civil society action to address climate change in Tobago - September 2012

Publications/documents

Civil Society Agenda to address the impacts of climate change in Tobago

Facebook

Creating a civil society agenda for climate change for Tobago

 

YouTube

 

For more information, contact:  Nicole Leotaud   -   [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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