UN Division for Sustainable Development

Case Study Detail Record

Organization type:	Government

Name of Ministry/Agency:	The Department of Meteorology

Country:	Uganda

Initiative Title:	Adaptation and Mitigation Policies and Measures

Internet links:

Scope:

Status:

Timeframe:	Start: End:

Stakeholders/Partners:

Relevent issues:	- Mitigation policies/measures

Objectives/Challenges:

To identify and evaluate potential adaptation measures, and incorporate them into the country's development policy and management practices such as the PEAP, National Environment Action Plan (NEAP), the Water Action Plan (WAP), the Forest Action Plan (FAP), the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), and the Decentralization Process.

Lessons Learned:

The study enhanced the capacities of the participating institutions in Vulnerability, Adaptation and Mitigation Analysis and also identified some areas in which more capacity needs to be developed. Here below is a summary of some of them:

a) Strengthen Uganda's meteorological services so that they may provide reliable medium to long-term advisories with respect to droughts and floods;
b) Strengthen the Early Warning Information capacity, especially for food security and short-term climate prediction;
c) Carry out an inventory of existing practices and policies used to adapt to different climate variability episodes in all line agencies and sectors, so as to begin more detailed identification of adaptation measures for evaluation and adoption;
d) Ensure that the Uganda Disaster Preparedness Committee (UDPC) includes in its work plan long-term hazard reduction related to climate change and climate variability;
e) Promote awareness of climate variability and change and potential response alternatives throughout Ugandan society.
f) Carry out capacity building in water conservation at all levels of the community using appropriate methods including the use of market-based systems;
g) Build capacity of and identify the roles that can be played by the non-governmental groups, organizations and individuals comprising "civil society as the suggested adaptation measures depend for their success upon the active cooperation of individuals and organizations.

Policy Options:

Although climate change impacts upon Uganda are difficult to quantify due to uncertainty about the rate of climate change and its magnitude, the Uganda country study identified many specific impacts, which might be anticipated in agriculture, livestock and rangelands, forestry and water resources. The study also identified and recommended a range of adaptation measures which could be implemented to counter the identified impacts. The study however did not recommend ways of integrating the identified Adaptation and Mitigation measures into the countries development planning process.

Summary:

A Vulnerability, Adaptation and Mitigation Assessment study was carried out in 1995 with funding from the United States Government under the United States Country Studies programme. It looked at the sectors of water resources, crops, forestry as well as livestock and rangelands. Mitigation Analysis was done for the Energy Sector.