Sudan & South Sudan ICI: Promoting Adaptation to Climate Change Through Improved Services, Phase II

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

Majority of Sudanese and South Sudanese rely their livelihoods on sectors that are highly dependent on climate and weather related changes (such as subsistence farming). Climate change and extreme weather have therefore significant impact on individuals' and communities' economic well-being and survival. The second phase of the 'Promoting Adaptation to Climate Change through Improved Services' project, planned jointly by the Finnish Meteorological Institute and its Sudanese and South Sudanese counterparts, supports Sudanese and South Sudanese' poverty reduction and resilience-building, by strengthening their abilities to adapt to climate change and extreme weather phenomena. During the phase one, the capacity of the Sudan's Meteorological Authority (SMA) was considerably strengthened and the results achieved were good. Among else, dozens of SMA staff were trained in different topics; the stations for the operational forecaster were re-arranged to pursue work tasks with more efficiency; a comprehensive plan was drafted to guide SMA in developing its applied research; a new strategy was drafted for the SMA; and the SMA's aviation services reached the ISO 9001-2008 standard. The phase II of the project focuses on Sudanese and South Sudanese institutions' capacity building, and particularly on strengthening their observation and analysis services related to the effects of climate change and changing weather patterns. Through strengthening the institutions' capabilities to forecast natural disasters caused by weather or climate related factors, and through improving sharing of related information to the wider public, it is also possible to prevent and reduce loss of lives and material damage caused by such phenomena. The project is the second phase of an earlier 'Promoting Adaptation to Climate Change through Improved Services' project (2011–2015), and builds directly on the first phase's achievements, also taking notice on the recommendations and lessons learnt from the first phase. Finnish Foreign Ministry's support to the project is 500.000€. The project will last for three years (2016–2018).