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CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Title:                     Analysing climate change policy and institutions in Saint Lucia                              and Trinidad and Tobago: Piloting a Caribbean process

Countries:            Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago

Dates / Term:      January 2013 – December 2013

Funders:               Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN)

Partners:

• World Resources Institute (WRI)
• Saint Lucia National Trust

Project amount:  USD 90,000

Background:

Climate change adaptation is a complex challenge cutting across many communities, economic sectors, and levels of government.  A changing climate adds another layer of complexity to the existing challenges of sustainable development by increasing uncertainty, directional change, and extremes in natural settings.  The strongest efforts for planning and action for adaptation have taken place at the international and community levels.  However, if adaptation actions are to be effective, national level policies and institutions need to be strengthened in order for countries to respond to a changing climate. 

Especially in SIDS, the quality of policies and institutions at the national level will greatly affect the quality of decisions at all levels and the capacity of stakeholders to anticipate and respond to a changing climate. Yet national-level policy making is lagging behind the already evident threats to development from climate change.  One possible source of this lag is the lack of engagement from civil society.  Because efforts have largely been internationally driven, local organisations lack both understanding of the needs and opportunities and ownership to drive change.

The project seeks to address the need for civil society engagement in policy and institutional analysis for climate change adaptation and will involve pioneering the use of the WRI's Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA)  tool in the Caribbean.

Goal and objectives:

Overall goal:

The project aims to improve the capacity of Caribbean islands to develop and implement effective climate change adaptation policy and action.   The project goal is to pilot a rigorous and participatory research process in Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago that builds understanding of effective climate change adaptation policy, institutions and actions and improves capacity for participatory climate change policy design and adaptation implementation in Caribbean SIDS. 

Specific objectives:

1. To facilitate and support participatory research by civil society on climate change adaptation policy, institutions and actions.
2. To analyse the current state of policy, institutions and actions.
3. To identify high-priority and low-cost “next steps”.
4. To influence policy and adaptation processes.
5. To catalyse, facilitate and support opening of decision-making processes and action to greater participation of civil society.
6. To develop island-specific approaches to vulnerability assessment.

Activities:

• Two-day workshops in Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago among research partners
• Establishment of a regional Advisory Panel to set the direction for priority areas for research
• National workshops in Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago for building capacity of other NGOS to administer the ARIA tool
• National surveys using the ARIA tool in Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago
• Research in three priority areas in Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago
• Communication of results
• Evaluating the pilot and identifying recommendations for refining the process

Related News Releases:

• CANARI researches climate change adaptation readiness

Publications / Documents:

• Civil society agenda to address the impacts of climate change in Saint Lucia
• Report on the Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) Informational Meeting with Civil Society Organisations, Saint Lucia
• Report on the Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) Phase II Research Meeting with Civil Society Organisations, Saint Lucia
• ARIA Phase I Workbook for Saint Lucia
• ARIA Phase II -Final workshop report (with 3 priority area workbooks) for Saint Lucia
• Report on the Workshop to Review the Findings of Phase I and Initiate Phase II of the Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) Study, Trinidad and Tobago
• ARIA Phase II Priority areas reort, Trinidad and Tobago
• ARIA Phase II Workbook - Priority Area - Coastal Zones Trinidad and Tobago
• Aria Phase II Workbook - Priority Area - Food Production, Trinidad and Tobago
• ARIA Phase II Workbook - Priority Area - Tourism, Trinidad and Tobago
• ARIA Caribbean toolkit study - Policy Brief for Trinidad and Tobago

• CANARI Policy Brief 17: Strengthening Institutional Arrangements in Trinidad and Tobago to Facilitate Climate Change Adaptation Policy Formulation and Execution

Facebook:

• Work begins on assessing adaptation readiness in T&T
• Civil society invited to partner on climate change adaptation

YouTube:

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

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