Supporting Niger to advance their NAP Process

Project details

Introduction

Country background, Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement

Niger is a landlocked country, most of which sits within the semi-arid Sahel belt, bordering the Sahara Desert. Climate change risks include recurring droughts, increasingly erratic rainfalls and floods, violent sand storms, destructive invasions of locusts and increased pressure on already insufficient water resources. All of these effects are placing more pressure on agriculture, livestock, fishing and forestry, which constitutes 44 percent of GDP. Declines in livestock and crops will drastically impact Niger’s economy, leading to widespread food insecurity, exacerbating rural migration and upsurges in diseases such as malaria, meningitis and measles.

After experiencing three major food shortages in the last 10 years, it is clear these profound and far reaching effects of climate change means that the climate change adaptation agenda is not just an environmental necessity, but is vital to human security as well as the wider development and the achievement of the SDGs.

Niger has been engaging with international climate change initiatives for decades, ratifying the UNFCCC in 1995, the Kyoto Protocol in 2007, and finally the Paris Agreement in 2016 which included the submission of their First NDC. In 2016 the ‘Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth Strategy (2035)’, or the ‘2035 Vision’ was adopted. The NAP process aims to build upon the adaptation aspect of the 2035 Vision, and integrate climate risk into national and sectoral programmes.

How has the NAP-GSP supported to date?

Conducted a mission to Niger in May 2014

To take stock of relevant initiatives on climate mainstreaming. The mission met with approximately 70 stakeholders and conducted 25 interviews and meetings.

Produced a Stocktaking Report

To provide an assessment of the institutional framework in Niger as well as the capacities relevant to the climate change policy implementation. This in turn, fed into a a proposed roadmap to advance the NAP process.

Conducted another mission in August and September of 2016

To identify priority interventions to advance the NAP process. The aim was to meet with sector ministries including the ministries of finance, planning, transport, water, agriculture, environment, health, and education, as well as donor organisations and research institutions. UNDP country office staff and international NGOs were also consulted, leading to a total of 25 meetings over the whole mission.

Helped build capacity and facilitated access to additional climate finance

Support was provided to identify adaptation planning priorities and develop a Readiness and Preparatory Support proposal to the Green Climate Fund, in conjunction with the development of a NAP support proposal on water to the GEF-LDCF. The “Advancing medium and long-term adaptation planning and budgeting in Niger” Readiness proposal was approved in December 2017.

News

> De-brief from NAP-GSP mission to Niger in August and September of 2016

September 2016 - A NAP-GSP mission was conducted from 29 August to 2 September 2016 to identify priority interventions to advance the NAP process. The above link provides a de-breif of the mission, including slideshows and other resources.

> Addressing long-term climate risks in Niger

21 May 2014, Niamey, Niger - The NAP-GSP team, together with programme partners UNITAR and GWP, conducted a ten-day mission to support the NAP process in Niger. The objectives of the mission were to undertake a stocktaking of relevant initiatives on climate mainstreaming, review institutional capacities, and suggest next steps to advance the NAP process in Niger.