OACPS launches EUR 85 million Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications Programme (ClimSA)

Brussels, 30 March 2021/OACPS: Over 160 participants from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) regions and Europe gathered online to take part in the official launch of the Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications Programme (ClimSA).

Endowed with a budget of EUR 85 million, the intra-ACP ClimSA programme is a joint initiative of the Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union EU) to support the climate information services value chain in ACP Regions, through the provision of technical assistance, financial assistance, infrastructure, and capacity building to improve and widen access and use of climate information.

In his introductory remarks, OACPS Secretary General, H.E. Mr Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, underscored the importance of the ClimSA programme in contributing to providing “timely, appropriate data and information that allows decision makers – at both policy and technical levels – to decide on and choose the best adaptation option as we address climate variability and climate change.”

Recognising that science-based climate information is critical and necessary to build resilience to climate change impacts, Secretary-General Chikoti further stressed the “instrumental role of the Intra-ACP ClimSA programme to support Members and Regions of the OACPS in their efforts to build resilience and pursue sustainable development”.

For Ms. Carla Montesi, Director for Green Deal and Digital Agenda, European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), the “EU” is “particular excited about this new programme as we trust it will bring climate science to the most vulnerable communities in the world and contribute to making science informed decisions at all levels. We are confident that this programme will strengthen all the components of the climate services value chain making an extra effort to reach the last mile with innovative solutions.”

Ms. Montesi also referred to the new EU Adaptation Strategy adopted on 24 February 2021, which “calls for actions to push the frontiers of knowledge on adaptation so that we can gather more and better data on climate-related risks and losses.”

The African Union Commission (AUC) Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, HE Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, in her intervention, recognised that the “ClimSA programme addresses the need for adequate and reliable climate services, which responds to the African Union’s Development Goal. The programme enhances the capacity of our Member States as well as Regional Institutions in order for them to be able to develop and mainstream science-based climate information services and prediction into policy and decision making.”

Assistant Secretary-General of the newly-created department for Environment and Climate Action, OACPS, Ms Cristelle Pratt, presented the Intra-ACP ClimSA Programme overview. She pointed out that ClimSA is implemented with the joint collaboration of international and regional partners including all ACP regional climate centres, the World Meteorological Organisation, the European Commission Joint Research Centre, and EUMETSAT.

In the second segment of the launch event, High-Level representatives from the following partner organisations: WMO, AEWR-ECOWAS, ENRARD-ECCAS, ACMAD, EUMETSAT, CIMH, SPREP and EC-JRC, participated in a Round table. Their different interventions respectively focused on the following:

ECOWAS: discussed the benefits they expect from ClimSA programme for Agriculture and Food security in the West African region;
ECCAS: explained the way forward for the newly create Regional Climate Centres, in terms of challenges and perspectives;
EUMETSAT: elaborated on the role of satellite in monitoring climate and weather and on how data can be accessed;
WMO: discussed the importance of Global Framework on Climate Services and related socio-economic benefits for developing countries;
ACMAD: shared their experience on climate services in the MESA (Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa) project as well as the capacity gap in Africa for climate services, in terms of infrastructure and human resources;
CIMH: spoke about the role of the Regional Climate Centres and how to work with the different sector alongside to National Meteorological and Hydrological Service;
SPREP: explained why Climate Services are important for resilience to climate in the Pacific region, providing some insights on what is planned at community level, in terms of early warning;
EC-JRC explained how Copernicus can help developing countries with existing challenges. In particular elaborated on the Climate station, which JRC is developing and on the benefit of the tool for the region.

The OACPS Secretary-General, in his closing remarks, expressed the wish to work closely with key partners at all levels to ensure that ClimSA is a success and will deliver the necessary climate information services to transform our societies and economies, while achieving environmental sustainability.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (OACPS) is the world’s largest group of developing countries. Since 5 April 2020, the ACP Group of States officially became the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). This follows the entry-into-force of the revised Georgetown Agreement which was endorsed by the ACP Heads of States at the 9th Summit of ACP Heads of States and Government in December 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya. The Organisation is composed of 79 states, consisting of 48 countries from sub-Saharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean, and 15 from the Pacific. Members of the OACPS include 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 37 Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) and 15 Landlocked LDCs. These countries and regions have contributed less than most others to climate change, but they are also more vulnerable to changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events.

The Intra-ACP Climate Services and related applications programme (ClimSA) is an initiative of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) funded under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) to strengthen the climate services value chain: from access to information, generation and provision of climate services to engagement and capacity of users to ensure utilisation of these services. For that purpose, the intervention aims to provide, among others, technical support, capacity building, institution strengthening and, awareness, for eight Regional Climate Centres in the three ACP regions.