Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ... - ITU

This sample structure emphasises the importance of articulating ICT and climate change actions within
broader national climate change and development strategies, as well as of ensuring coherence between
national policy actions and international climate change processes, in collaboration with partners such as
the UNFCCC and the ITU.
Ultimately, and regardless of the specific design of institutional arrangements adopted within a given
country, ICT and climate change structures should reflect and integrate the myriad of stakeholders and
issues involved in this emerging field, and should remain flexible to respond and adapt itself to emerging
technologies, climatic threats and development opportunities.
3.3 Policy process
This area of action refers to the design and implementation of a coherent process to integrate ICTs and
climate change adaptation, “from the process of content development and structure design, to the actual
integration of ICTs and climate change issues in policy implementation” p. 25 61 .
There are a series of key stages 62 that need to be fulfilled in the process of integrating ICTs and climate
change adaptation strategies. These stages can be summarized as follows:
1. Awareness raising and strategizing, with a focus on the specific climatic issues, needs and priorities of
the context.
2. Problem definition, based on vulnerability and technology assessments, conducted in collaboration
with local stakeholders.
3. Identification of ICT-enabled solutions, with a focus on identifying ICT-enabled applications that are
appropriate to the local needs and conditions.
4. Identification and selection of policies/strategies/standards that integrate ICTs and adaptation
actions.
5. Implementation and evaluation of ICT and climate change policies/strategies/standards, which could
be conducted by an external body.
The diversity of tasks and stakeholders involved in these processes evidence the need for flexibility, in order
to adjust the process to the priorities of each context, to the impact of both expected and unexpected
climatic threats, as well as to the advent of new and emerging technologies and actors working at the
intersection of ICTs and climate change.
Having explored the key components and areas of action that need to be addressed by developing countries
in order to integrate ICTs in climate change adaptation strategies, the following section will provide a series
of suggested next steps for future actions.
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