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Capacity Building
![Photo of ICLEI's Cities for Climate Protection Southeast Asia Regional Workshop:
Integrated Actions for Local Energy Security and Global Sustainability, Bangkok, Thailand](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081108235130im_/http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/climate/images/04-138_O.jpg) ![Photo Credit: USAID/Duane Muller](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081108235130im_/http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/climate/images/cap_usaid_dm.gif) |
ICLEI's Cities for Climate Protection Southeast Asia Regional Workshop:
Integrated Actions for Local Energy Security and Global Sustainability, Bangkok, Thailand |
Overview
According to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, building a country’s capacity
… encompasses a country’s human, scientific, technological, organizational,
institutional, and resource capabilities. A fundamental goal of capacity building is to enhance
the ability to evaluate and address the crucial questions related to policy choices and modes of
implementation among development options, based on an understanding of environment potentials and
limits and of needs perceived by the people of the country concerned.
(1)
Capacity building for climate change refers to the development or strengthening of personal skills,
expertise, and relevant institutions and organizations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and/or
to reduce vulnerability to climate-related impacts. Capacity building often involves the participation
of multiple stakeholders, including host country governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
research institutions, local communities, and international organizations.
USAID’s Approach
Building human and institutional capacity to address climate change is a fundamental component of
USAID’s Global Climate Change Program. Capacity building cuts across many of the issues under
consideration in the climate change process, including activities focused on GHG mitigation, technology
transfer, land-based carbon sequestration, vulnerability and adaptation to climate impacts, and climate
change science.
In response to the broad range of needs expressed by developing and transition countries, USAID’s
Global Climate Change Program is helping to address climate change concerns by integrating capacity
building into its sectoral activities through education, training and outreach activities. USAID has
sponsored workshops and training seminars in over 40 countries throughout the world, providing
developing and transition countries with the knowledge and skills to address climate change and meet
their responsibilities under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Training has addressed the development and transfer of technologies; vulnerability and adaptation
to climate impacts; monitoring and evaluation of GHG emissions; and the economics of climate change.
In all of these areas, the Agency has placed particular emphasis on partnerships with the private
sector and on working with local and national authorities, communities, and NGOs to create alliances
that build upon the relative strengths of each. Training and technical assistance programs often
support demonstration activities that strengthen in-country capacity, as well as promote strategic
partnerships, education and outreach, technology cooperation and research. USAID’s unique network
of in-country field missions creates a long-term presence that serves to build trust between the United
States and in-country partners, from government officials to local citizens. This approach helps improve
the odds that development partners will continue to implement relevant projects long after USAID support
has ended.
The United States has been a signatory to the UNFCCC since 1992 and was the first industrialized nation
to ratify the Convention. Because participation by the majority of countries is essential to successful
implementation of the UNFCCC, a key element of the Agency’s efforts in the area of climate change
is to build the capacity of developing and transition countries to help them meet their responsibilities
under the UNFCCC. In addition, section 2(d) of Article 9 of the UNFCCC calls on parties to provide
advice on “ways and means of supporting endogenous capacity building in developing countries,”
while Article 6 states that parties shall promote, and as appropriate, facilitate and cooperate on
education, training, outreach, and public awareness.
USAID’s Global Climate Change Program is addressing many of these issues. From 1998 to 2002,
USAID helped build climate change-related capacity by sponsoring over 10,000 training and technical
assistance activities worldwide. For example, in Ukraine, USAID supported the establishment of the
Climate Change Initiative (CCI), which serves as a support resource for the Government of Ukraine in
its efforts to develop a sound national climate change program. The CCI includes three key components:
a training program, a Web site, and an information and project management center. The CCI’s
training program supports courses on climate-related topics such as GHG mitigation, GHG inventories,
economics, and baselines. The CCI Web site
includes articles on different aspects of climate change, analyses of sources of GHG emissions in
Ukraine, a database of all climate activities in Ukraine, a pipeline of potential GHG mitigation
projects, a copy of the training modules, and other valuable information and links on climate change.
The information and project management center provides Ukrainian officials and NGOs with translations
of UNFCCC documents and other climate change materials, including a monthly electronic newsletter.
These materials have been invaluable to Ukraine in its participation in the UNFCCC negotiations.
The CCI has helped establish strong working relationships with key individuals and institutions such
as the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Fuel and Energy, the Parliament,
regional and city administrators, NGOs, industrialists, and entrepreneurs, which has led to a greater
awareness of climate change issues throughout Ukraine.
USAID is also building capacity in Brazil through support for the Brazil Energy Training and Outreach
Program (BETOP). BETOP has implemented approximately 45 outreach activities that include training
courses, workshops, and seminars to over 1,600 participants from 350 private and public Brazilian
organizations. These training and outreach activities have addressed issues such as clean energy
policy and regulation, energy efficiency, and project finance. BETOP activities were implemented in
partnership with over 20 local organizations, including, among others, state industry federations,
Brazilian universities, international donors, private sector companies, and research institutes.
Training themes included economic aspects of climate change, an Amazon perspective of global climate
change, and the business perspective of climate change. The workshops were designed to increase the
Brazilian knowledge base on developing clean energy and climate mitigation projects, while promoting
greater integration and involvement of public institutions in the climate change debate. As a result,
the private sector in Brazil is more aware of climate change and of the cost- effective mitigation
opportunities in both the energy and land-use sectors.
Conclusion
Ukraine’s CCI and BETOP in Brazil are just two of many examples of USAID’s successful
approach to capacity building for climate change. The Agency continues to help developing and
transition countries address climate-related concerns as an integral art of their development goals
continues. By integrating capacity building into its Global Climate Change Program, USAID is ensuring
that climate concerns will be addressed for many years to come.
Footnote
(1)Capacity Building - Agenda 21’s definition (Chapter 37, UNCED, 1992.)
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