St. Louis, Senegal 29 October 2024. A three-day training workshop in St. Louis, Senegal, from 29-31 October 2024, focused on building the capacity of the implementation teams of the World Bank’s Senegal River Valley (SRV) Development and Resilience Project, to understand and implement locally led adaptation approaches as part of the project.
The training was part of the support provided by the GCA, through Innovations, Environnement, Développement en Afrique (IED Afrique) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), to embed LLA approaches into the SRV Project. A component on LLA has also been added to the Project Operations Manual to guide implementation.
The SRV Project aims to address ongoing socioeconomic and climate challenges and to improve regional collaboration, beginning with Mauritania and Senegal. Key components of the Project include investments in community resilience and inclusion for social cohesion; integrated territorial investments for connectivity and local economic development; and institutional strengthening and regional knowledge.
Over 25 representatives from the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) and local and regional governments, who will lead implementation in community investments, participated in the LLA training. The workshop aimed to:
Familiarize participants with the impacts of climate change on local governments and populations.
Introduce concepts and tools for integrating climate change into territorial planning.
Train participants in the use of practical and methodological tools for LLA.
Provide a platform for exchanging experiences and best practices on integrating climate issues into local governance.
Key topics covered under the workshop included:
1. General Introduction to Climate Change
Key concepts of climate change.
The impacts of climate change on local governments in the Senegal River Valley.
2. Tools for Climate Integration into Planning
Tools and approaches for integrating climate change into planning (e.g., vulnerability analysis, climate scenarios).
Examples of the use of climate-sensitive planning tools in similar contexts.
3. Practical Group Work
Development of local strategies for integrating climate issues into local development plans.
Climate risk analysis and prioritization of adaptation actions.
4. Case Studies and Experience Sharing
Successful examples of integrating climate issues into local governments in the Senegal River Valley or similar contexts.
Mamadou Diedhiou SRV PIU Coordinator thanked the GCA, IED Afrique and IIED for the technical support, and committed to implementing activities included in the People’s Adaptation Plans developed by communities when the funding cycle begins.
Mamadou Fall, Executive Director, IED Afrique informed participants that the LLA component of the Project manual should be updated frequently, based on piloting by IED Afrique and IIED in three communes in Senegal, and the experience in the other 40 communes under the Project.
Similar training will also be provided in Mauritania, where piloting will take place in two out of the targeted 17 communes.