Planning for the future
Nadia Manasfi
Integration of climate change into development planning
The institutional integration of climate change related risks and opportunities is a significant step in order to strengthen the legitimacy of any action and allows economic and human resources to be allocated to the subject and related activities. Water availability was addressed as a current (political) issue and connecting element, establishing links to other topics such as agriculture, health, biodiversity and stakeholders engagement. Climate change was introduced in development planning as a cross-cutting issue, rather than a separate topic. A systematic approach for integrating climate change risks and opportunities in combination with capacity development measures helped to minimise the additional challenge for development planners at the practical level.
*Well-developed legal and institutional framework for climate change at the national level.
*Established development planning processes at the sub-national level
*Long-term partnerships with key stakeholders.
*Multi-level approach (linking local, sub-national and national level).
*Addressing initially current and tangible problems - such as water provision - helps to introduce the rather abstract topic of climate change into political decision-making.
*The intensive support of the process of integrating climate change into the development plan of one local entity pays off as it serves as an example for others to follow.