Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Building the capacity of local authorities and grassroots organisations in LDCs and SIDS to tackle...
Recommendation
Building the capacity of local authorities and grassroots organisations in LDCs and SIDS to tackle climate change requires more attention. We urge the FCDO to grow long-term capacity in LDCs and SIDS by lengthening programme cycles to 5–10 years for climate adaptation programme cycles. The FCDO should also provide multiannual funding for the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR). Further, in line with the fourth Principle for Locally-Led Adaptation, “Investing in local capabilities to leave an institutional legacy”, the UK should sponsor courses in climate change and development in civil service training institutes and universities in LDCs and SIDS reflecting their priorities as well as offer training and exchange programmes in the UK for civil servants from LDCs and SIDS. (Paragraph 33) 1 Gov.uk, PM remarks at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue: 6 May 2021, 6 May 2021 4 Global Britain in demand: UK climate action and international development around COP26 Providing sufficient, long-term and reliable funding
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
. Government response: Agree The UK has a strong track record of promoting community-based or locally-led adaptation through previous programmes such as the Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED, 2014–2019) which supported the establishment of County Climate Change funds in Kenya and various decentralised climate finance models in west Africa. On average our International Climate Finance programmes tend to last between 6–7 years. At COP26, we announced our intention to support LIFE AR for another 5 years (with options to potentially extend beyond this in support of the LDC 2030 vision). The UK and the Netherlands co-convened the Global Commission on Adaptation (2018– 21) and launched a ‘year of action’ (2019–20) which focussed specifically on locally-led adaptation and developed the “Principles for Locally-led Adaptation”. This established the LLA ‘Community of Practice’, a network of community and grassroots organisations designed to share best practice as well as promoting the Principles. After the Commission ended in January 2021, the UK Government provided additional funding for the 2021/22 financial year to ensure this Community of Practice is maintained beyond the life of the Commission and to ensure that the network continued to grow ahead of COP26, and beyond. The UK Government is also providing seedcorn funding to the Resilience and Adaptation Mainstreaming Programme (RAMP) to develop a global university network to provide training and services to central government ministries and build local capacity for adaptation planning. UK institutions engaged in this project include Oxford University, the School of Oriental and African Studies and University College London, as well as the Commonwealth Network of Universities. Founding members of the network include universities in Kenya, Jamacia, Tanzania, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Ghana. Providing sufficient, long-term, and reliable funding