The Intra African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) is a programme funded by the European Union to increase the capabilities of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States and countries in the ACP region to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, and have their voices better heard in international climate change negotiations.
The project was implemented as part of the SADC GCCA+ programme, coordinated by the SADC Secretariat. SADC is a Regional Economic Community comprising 16 Member States; Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The mission of SADC is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through efficient, productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance and durable peace and security; so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy.
The project built on past research and policy engagement conducted by SAIIA in 2019 and 2020 on marine and coastal EbA in selected SADC states, which highlighted shortcomings in the inclusion of EbA in the coastal zones of SADC. Focusing on research, dialogue, policy alignment and capacity building activities, the project sought to address the challenges of EbA policy uptake and implementation through the establishment of a regional community of practice that shares knowledge, innovative solutions and best practice case experiences across the region and globally. Additionally, in-depth thematic studies have been undertaken by experts within the region.
An in-person workshop was hosted in Cape Town, South Africa in April 2023. This brought together key representatives from the coastal and island countries in SADC and other key regional organisations. In addition, five virtual workshops focusing on the topics of the thematic studies took place with community of practice members from September to December 2022. These offered national policy makers, NGOs, research institutions and community-based organisations the opportunity to exchange EbA lessons and promote peer-to-peer learning.
The key publication outputs of the project were a Regional Assessment, a Policy Brief and four thematic studies, with accompanying podcasts on:
A project brochure, a COP27 statement and a community of practice statement were also developed, outlining key recommendations for policymakers to enhance the uptake of marine and coastal EbA both in policy and practice. A video was produced showcasing key messages from community of practice stakeholders and highlighting the importance of EbA for the region.
This project forms part of SAIIA’s long-standing engagement with regional policy stakeholders around climate change responses and sustainable blue economies, within the broader context of sustainable natural resource governance for development. The research and stakeholder relationships established through this project will be leveraged in ongoing activities relating to capacity building and policy development.
Additionally, a LinkedIn group for the regional community of practice has been established to promote ongoing collaboration, partnership building and knowledge on issues related to marine and coastal EbA within SADC.
