IPCC_Managing Risks of Extreme Events.pdf - Climate Access

Chapter 7Managing the Risks: International Level and Integration across Scalesneed for effective coordination with UN Country Teams, the WorldBank, and other relevant partners at the country level, and in the fullimplementation and sustainable follow-up of new initiatives. The UKGovernment also published a review of the performance of the UNISDRSecretariat, alongside other multilateral agencies, in 2011 (DFID, 2011).The review is critical of the overall operational and organizationalstrengths of the UNISDR, citing a lack of a results-based framework, andweaknesses in strategic direction, coordination focus, and speed ofreform. The review does, however, highlight the unique coordinatingrole of UNISDR, and specifically praises “a good focus on climatechange, especially adaptation.”From the CCA side, the main global mechanism to increase understandingand share best practice in CCA is the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP),coordinated by the UNFCCC Secretariat (UNFCCC, 2010a; refer toSection 7.3.2.2). The NWP functions mainly as a forum for interestedparties and organizations to specify their own contributions to CCAthrough ‘action pledges,’ and for sharing, synthesis, and disseminationof information. Disaster risk reduction is well represented within theNWP, which identifies DRR as one of its 14 specified adaptation deliveryactivities, with an associated ‘call to action’ for strengthened work inareas such as linking DRR and CCA, risk mapping, and cost-benefitanalysis of adaptation options. Out of the 137 action pledges made bypartners, 59 include a component of DRR. Evaluation of the NWP by Partiesis only now being carried out, so as yet there is no formal assessmentof the degree to which it has supported changes in policy and practiceas well as information exchange.7.3.3.2. International Technical and Operational SupportDRM and CCA are now beginning to be linked not only in internationalcoordination activities, but also in mechanisms for international technicaland operational support.identified gaps in (i) integrating climate into policy; (ii) integrating climateinto practice; (iii) climate services; and (iv) climate data, concluding that“the problem is one of ‘market’ atrophy: negli gible demand coupledwith inadequate supply of climate services for development decisions”(IRI, 2006). Studies on specific sectors (e.g., health: Kuhn et al., 2005),or at a local level (Vogel and O’Brien, 2006), conclude that the maindeficit is not in generation of data, but in knowledge management. Theyconclude that this requires more effective mechanisms for decisionmakersto identify their information needs, and to work both with providers ofweather and climate information and with institutions working onother dimensions of human and social vulnerability to address theseneeds.In response to the need for a comprehensive approach to climatevariability and change, and the drive for more demand-driven climateservices the, World Climate Conference-3 agreed in 2009 to begindevelopment of a Global Framework on Climate Services (GFCS) (WMO,2010). This has a goal of “the development and provision of relevantscience-based climate information and prediction for climate riskmanagement and adaptation to climate variability and change,throughout the world.” The framework therefore explicitly links climatevariability (most relevant to DRR), in the context of climate change(most relevant to CCA), and support for risk management decisions(common to both). The GFCS has four major components: a UserInteraction Mechanism; a World Climate Services System; ClimateResearch; and Observation and Monitoring. The initiative will focus onimproving access and operational use of climate information, especiallyin vulnerable, developing countries. The principles and focus of theinitiative therefore correspond closely to the objectives of linking DRMand CCA in operational planning across international and smallerscales. In May 2011, the 16th WMO congress committed to “supportand facilitate the implementation of the GFCS as a priority of theOrganization,” including the development of an implementation planfor review and adoption in 2012 (WMO, 2011).7.3.3.2.1. Climate services for disaster risk reduction andclimate change adaptationNational meteorological and hydrological services (NMHSs) are theprimary source of meteorological observations and forecasts at timescales relevant to both disaster risk management and climate changeadaptation. These national services also constitute the members of theWMO, which serves to set international standards and coordinate amongthe members, as well as supporting several relevant internationalprograms, including a Disaster Risk Reduction and Service DeliveryBranch and a Climate Prediction and Adaptation Branch.In recent years, a number of studies have identified weaknesses in theway in which the large amount of potentially relevant information thatis available from NMHSs at the national and international level isincorporated into development decisions, particularly in the mostvulnerable countries. For example a ‘gap analysis’ of this issue in Africa7.3.3.2.2. Technical and operational support from civil societySome of the largest international civil society organizations involved indisaster risk management and humanitarian response are now beginningto integrate climate change adaptation activities into their operationalprograms (e.g., CARE International, 2010; Oxfam, 2011). One of thelongest established examples of civil society providing technical supportto CCA and DRM integration is the Red Cross/Red Crescent ClimateCentre. Alongside awareness raising and advocacy, the Centre analyzesforecast information and integrates knowledge of climate risks into RedCross/Red Crescent strategies, plans, and activities, with a particularfocus on implementation at the community level (IFRC, 2011).The various international civil society organizations working on DRR arenow also beginning to coordinate their operational support, and tomake explicit links to CCA (UNISDR, 2009a). The GNDR was launched in2007, and constitutes over 300 organizations across 90 countries. It409