Sustainable management of water and rangeland resources for enhanced climate resilience of rural communities in Djibouti

With funding from the GEF-Least Developed Countries Fund, the proposed project aims to tackle increased climate change impacts on vulnerable rural communities in the Ali-Sabieh, Dikhil, Tadjourah, and Obock regions of Djibouti, where agropastoral communities experience food and economic insecurities because of insufficient water access. 

By taking action on natural resources management and by structuring livelihood value chains to strengthen the climate resilience of communities, the project intends to bring positive impacts at the landscape level, well beyond the target villages. The project also aims to enhance the enabling environment for climate action, including support for integrated landscape management into policies and plans; as well as seeks to contribute to the establishment of a coherent national early warning system, reinforcing the links between local, regional, and national levels. Finally, the project will support a number of key stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector actors and local communities, to strengthen sustainable water supply and land resource management through a whole of society approach and ensure transformational adaptation can take place. 

The project’s main objective is therefore to enhance climate change resilience and food security for rural communities in Djibouti, by improving water resource management, early warning systems, and institutional capacity for adaptation and climate risk preparedness.

The project recognizes and will work to overcome the following barriers:

• Limited institutional and technical capacity within the government to implement long-term climate change adaptation policies and interventions at different scales  

• Limited access to early warning systems for flood and droughts at regional and local levels  

• Limited capacity (financial, technical, governance) to effectively manage water resources in response to changing water needs and availability 

• Limited capacity of communities to manage landscapes in a sustainable and integrated manner the face of increasing climate risks  

• Limited access to alternative livelihoods, including limited capacity for individuals and MSMEs to engage in the green economy 

• Limited awareness of climate change, its impacts, as well as access to curated, coordinated, and current knowledge/information on effective and relevant climate change adaptation actions in Djibouti  

To help lower the barriers and achieve the main objective, the project will build on baseline interventions and implement a mix of interventions that will target:

i) institutional capacity to plan and prepare for climate change, and implement adaptation measures;

ii) improve local resilience to climate hazards through a combination of grey and green adaptation measures with adequate capital and human resources for the maintenance of existing grey infrastructures; 

iii) exploit opportunities for economic development in the context of climate change; and 

iv) provide strengthened knowledge management environment to enable more effective climate change adaptation at all levels.  

Component 1: Enabling environment for climate change adaptation in Djibouti 

Outcome 1.1: Institutional capacity to plan, implement, and monitor adaptation investments at national and sub-national levels is increased 

Outcome 1.2: Early Warning System (EWS) for flood and drought preparedness is strengthened at sub-national and community levels  

Component 2: Enhancing water and land resource management for improving water security and climate resilience of rural communities 

Outcome 2.1: Enhanced capacity at local and regional level for water management

Outcome 2.2: Enhanced water access and flood protection through grey and hybrid infrastructure for vulnerable communities in Ali-Sabieh, Dikhil, Tadjourah, and Obock 

Outcome 2.3: Climate resilience of people and ecosystems is improved through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approaches 

Component 3. Developing sustainable livelihoods to improve food security and adaptive capacity of rural communities in Djibouti 

Outcome 3.1: Sustainable livelihoods are diversified and MSMEs developed and strengthened through a value-chain approach for enhanced adaptive capacity. 

Component 4. Knowledge management and monitoring and evaluation (M&E)

Outcome 4.1: Strengthened knowledge management for enhanced evidence-based decision-making and scaling up of best EbA practices in Djibouti 

Under Component 4 of the project (Knowledge Management and Monitoring and Evaluation), a tailored M&E framework will be developed and implemented; project impacts monitored; and learning identified and shared for scaling up of results. 

The Project Management Unit (PMU) will be responsible for regular progress reports to the UNDP Country Office, while a UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisor (RTA) will provide an additional layer of project oversight and will participate in regular project team calls to monitor progress and advise on project implementation. 

M&E missions will be conducted at mid-term review (MTR) and terminal evaluation (TE) by independent third-party consultants.