Challenges to climate change adaptation in Uganda.

Participants in the NAP Dialogue pose for a group photo.

Climate change is a national mayhem with area specific effects i.e. increased influx of pests and diseases, flooding especially in the low land areas of Teso, soil erosion and landslides in the hilly areas of Mbale, Bundibugyo and Kasese causing tremendous loss of lives and property. The effects of climate change have affected planning and budgeting of the country as they lead to double doing of activities especially during construction and planting which retards the realization set national development targets. Uganda is committed to the pursuit of climate resilient and low carbon emissions with the ongoing impact assessment of the level of vulnerability of Ugandans to climate change, and implementation of some of the National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) priorities, however these efforts are being influenced by a number of challenges many of which need collective efforts to be addressed.

During the National Adaptation Planning Dialogue held on 8^th/06/2016 at Imperial Royale Hotel organized by ACODE, Action Aid and EMLI Bwaise Facility in collaboration with the Ministry of water and Environment, limited quality and quantity of data to assess the vulnerability of Ugandans to climate change was mentioned as one of the challenges to adaptation where there is scanty information regarding the vulnerability levels of Ugandans which affects the level of planning.

Mr Chebet Maikut, commissioner, Climate Change Department, Ministry of Water and Environment said that despite the USD 8.37 million from the least development fund and $ 4 million that is to support Uganda to build resilience on water supply and sanitation there is still inadequate capacity to mobilize and use resources for adaptation.

In addition, the inadequate ability by institutions to integrate climate change issues in to development plans i.e. district plans has affected the level of implementing national development plans. According to Aaron Werikhe, NPA, only 30% of the priorities in the NDP 1 was implemented due to lack of sector development plans that are in line with NDP and the limited coherence in the budget process. He said that planning and financing communicate to each other and failure to achieve the coherence affects the realization of the set developmental goals.

Despite the challenges, there is still hope for Uganda to adapt effectively to climate change if only; the government stops reliance on donor funds and think of local initiatives that can deepen financing, Uganda Revenue Authority strengthens its work of collecting more domestic revenue  to cater for climate change financing and strengthen coordination in institutions.

Possible and environmental level polluters should begin to pay revenue to the government that can be used to tackle climate change issues.

Agriculture being the sector most prone to climate change impacts, adaptive agriculture programmes should be put in place for example countries should embrace climate smart agriculture through increasing financing in the sector.

Fund climate resilient infrastructures, in Uganda a number of roads and bridges are being affected by the heavy rains which leave most of them flooded and others broken, therefore funding climate resilient infrastructures will help to reduce government spending on infrastructures in the long run.

A lot is required to address climate change impacts but more is needed to build capacity among Ugandans specifically in resource mobilization, integration of climate change issues in sector plans and strengthen coordination among institutions towards a common cause if the development targets are to be realized.

The Paris Agreement is not falling in a vacuum.

Delegates Launching the NAPA Evaluation Study at the Workshop

At a workshop organized by non-party stakeholders under Climate Action Network Uganda (CAN-U) and Environment and Natural Resource Civil Society Organizations (ENRCSO) Network through partners: Action Aid Uganda;  Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE); Environmental Management for Livelihood Improvement Bwaise Facility (EMLI); Environment Alert (EA); International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and OXFAM working in collaboration with the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Water and Environment to dialogue on the Outcomes of the COP21/CMP11 held in Paris, France.

Approx. 204 (71 female and 133 males) participated, representing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Development Partners, Civil society Organizations, Media Houses, Academia, and Indigenous peoples, who dialogued on the implications of the Paris Agreement to Uganda.

At the Workshop, Hon. Wilberforce Kisamba- Mugerwa (PhD), the Chairperson-National Planning Authority, representing the Minister of Water and Environment urged District Local Governments & MDAs to reflect climate change in the budget circular call in addition to building their capacities to address climate change issues.

Mr. Chebet Maikut, Commissioner, Climate Change Department-Ministry of Water and Environment and UNFCCC Focal point informed the Workshop that Uganda had taken steps to implement some of the COP21 Outcomes. Among them included; notifying the UNFCCC Secretariat of Uganda’s priority adaptation and resilience needs for possible support. The country had commenced the process of ratification and domestication of the Paris Agreement. To this effect, Government has established: 

• National Steering Committee on the Implementation of the Paris Agreement 
• Multi-sectoral National Projects Development Coordination Committee on Climate Change to be chaired by NPA

The workshop highlighted a number of issues: Adaptation still an issue for developing countries; no target for adaptation finance, Agreement fall short of gender consideration; loss of differentiation between Annex I & II countries; capacity building to be coordinated under a global body; Uganda enclosed with software technology and not yet undertaken the technology needs assessment (TNA); low involvement of private sector; Agreement creates momentum for Uganda’s Climate Law formulation.

The Workshop recommended: popularization of the INDC & Paris Agreement; build on existing programs and projects to implement the Paris Agreement; build capacity of the various stakeholders to effectively implement the Paris Agreement; establish a climate change trust fund and build supporting institutions to ensure sustainability; pioneer the mobilization of internal sources of revenue to avoid over reliance on donors e.g. fuel and emission tax among others as practiced in countries like Tanzania.

2015 Paris Agreement, a typical departure from the UNFCCC

Cross-section of COP21 delegates along the main walk-way

The COP21 completed business on December 12, 2015 with adoption of the Paris Agreement. A new decision making body known as the Conference of Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) was established, and will commence business in 2020. The Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (AWG-PA) was also established and will hold its first session in 2016 alongside the sessions of the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies.

The New Paris Agreement is envisaged to enhance the implementation of the UNFCCC, including the objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.

Innovatively, the Agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including by making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilient development. 

I am happy to note that Parties agreed on establishing the global goal on adaptation of enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change although the provision of scaled-up financial resources is not yet clear.

 “Considering the need” for public and grant-based resources for adaptation is not enough. Poor countries should not acquire loans to adapt to changing weather patterns.

Although the Agreement seems to provide a bearing on how financial resources will flow, it remains in suspense to determine the quantity and nature of such financial resources. Most of the Agreement language is process based yet developing countries cannot wait for another 5 years to see actual financial flows.

However, a wave of hope remains in the Finance Decisions giving effect to the Agreement. With reference to the quantified figure of USD 100 billion per year as a floor, a lot of work is expected to re-work on the ambiguous language of 'Prior 2025'. There is need to operationalize the short term goal process in 2020. In addition, most of the Agreement language is not clear e.g. on matters relating to provision of scaled-up financial resources, Public and grant based resources for adaptation will only be taken into consideration as of when and for who.

Also communicating indicative quantitative and qualitative information on projected levels of public financial resources will only be done “as available”. The Standing Committee of Finance might play a dual reporting role to both the CMA and COP.

There is a typical departure from the Convention, with the insertion of other Parties providing financial resources on voluntary basis. One wonders why this voluntary nature of doing business did not remain under the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA).

Article 9 of the Paris Agreement has set a departure from the Convention by carrying the burden of providing and mobilizing financial resources to all Parties both Developed and developing.

CSOs position on the legislation and institutional framework for Climate Change in Uganda

On March 10, 2014, CSOs majorly from Climate Action Network Uganda were convened by Environmental Management for Livelihood Improvement Bwaise Facility (EMLI) in collaboration with the Climate change Unit (CCU) with support from ActionAid Uganda to develop a position on the proposed legislation and institutional framework for Climate change in Uganda.

Having approved the national climate change policy last year on December 19, 2013, two issues were left to be finalized before the decsiion of the Policy Committee on Environment (PCE) is submitted to Cabinet for endorsement i.e. the legislation and institutional framework.

The options for the legislation were between standalone legislation and an amendment of National Environment Act whereas the institutional framework is either a Department or a Climate change Commission.

The UNFCCC National Focal Point for  Uganda, Mr.Isabirye Paul noted that the earlier proposed institutional framework was to upgrade the current CCU into a Department under the Ministry of Water and Environment but in the due course of the review, another proposal by PCE was to have a Climate Change Commission. The legal framework was standalone climate change legislation or an amendment of the National Environment Act.

Based on the discussions on legal implications of a Department and a Commission, Participants proposed a Commission as compared to a Department. This was due to the fact that the Department is small and does not have a mandate over other ministries to develop the performance framework as well as coordinating specialized regulatory agencies such as National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

Participants have proposed the following to justify the kind of Climate Change Commission (CCC) needed in Uganda. The CCC should:

1. Have the legal political muscle and visibility to cause inter-ministerial climate change response and avoid duplication;
2. Facilitate the collection, blending, coordination of and accounting for climate finance from a variety of sources whereas the distribution of such funds to climate change activities that promote national priorities;
3. Be able to promote synergies between climate change related work among Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Private sector and Civil society while respecting its legal autonomy;
4. Be able to monitor the compliance, with the provisions of the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol and other instruments that Uganda is a party. It should coordinate negotiations on climate change issues at local, regional and international levels;
5. Promote and facilitate scientific and technical cooperation, knowledge sharing and information exchange services so as to establish a fully operational online information repository.