Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 10 July 2015: The government of Tanzania held a national training for ministries involved in the NAP process on 8 July 2015. A NAP launching ceremony was followed by a three-day training workshop on the NAP process that was organised by the Tanzanian Vice President’s Office with technical support from the UNDP-UNEP NAP Global Support Programme, UNDP Tanzania Country Office and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). A health sector stock-taking exercise was initiated after the training.
Climate change could seriously challenge many of Tanzania’s development goals. The country depends on hydro-power for energy production and on rain-fed agriculture. Therefore, water scarcity, droughts and floods could significantly threaten people’s livelihoods. Adaptation to climate change is critically important if Tanzania is to achieve its goal of becoming a middle income country by 2025.
The Tanzanian government has recognized the urgency to act on climate change by launching the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process. This process addresses the country’s medium- and long-term adaptation needs by mainstreaming climate risks into all sector-specific and national development planning. The process seeks to strengthen coordination, promote evidence-based decision-making and help adopt an iterative approach to adaptation planning.
A national NAP training workshop was held in Bagamoyo from 8 to 10 July 2015. It was hosted by the Division of Environment, Vice President’s Office of Tanzania. Participants included public administration officials from a wide range of sectors as well as representatives from development partners and NGOs. Representatives from both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar were at the workshop.
The workshop’s objective was to familiarize participants with the NAP process - including the LEG Technical Guidelines. Presentations on the various steps of the NAP process were complemented by group exercises which developed practical skills related to the implementation of NAPs. These exercises helped participants identify the information, activities and institutional mechanisms needed. Particular attention was given to initial stocktaking as one of the most immediate steps in the NAP process, for which designated officials will be responsible. The workshop facilitated also dialogue between the key ministries and stakeholders. A message repeated throughout the workshop to participants was that the NAP process is integrative and iterative, requiring enhanced coordination and cooperation among stakeholders.
The workshop was supported by UNDP through the NAP-GSP. Support to develop training modules and financial assistance were provided by GIZ. Assistance was also provided by UNDP Tanzania and the Global Water Partnership (GWP).