Strategic Plan Capacity Building of the National Climate Change Committee of Guyana

Strategic Plan Capacity Building of the National Climate Change Committee of Guyana i Executive summary The Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana (commonly called Guyana) has mobilised climate financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to enhance climate resilience of the agriculture sector (inclusive of fisheries and livestock) through the institutional strengthening of the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) of Guyana. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the GCF Delivery Partner for Guyana, is coordinating the development of a Capacity Building Plan for the NCCC, inclusive of a 10-year Strategic Plan, a 12-month Capacity Building Plan for the agricultural sector, and a 10-year Capacity Building Plan for the NCCC (this document). The Strategic Plan and Capacity Building Plans, when implemented, will drive the consolidation of the NCCC as the national consultative body on climate change processes, in support of the mandate of the Office of Climate Change (OCC). Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) Vision 2040, recognises the negative impacts of climate change on Guyana’s economy, the need to climate-proof human health, agriculture and fresh water supply, to mainstream education for sustainable development and to pursue the transition to renewable energy as a key climate mitigation activity. The GSDS is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Plan for thee Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change. The OCC’s draft National Climate Change Policy and Action Plan (NCCPAP) 2020-2030 is the cross sectoral expression of the GSDS. The timeline of the NCCPAP coincides with the Decade of Development (2020-2029) recently launched by the Government of Guyana to transform the country into a ‘green state’, a ‘digital state’, a ‘petroleum state’, and an ‘education nation’. The 10-year timeline of the Strategic plan and Capacity Building Plans provide a clear opportunity to contribute to this transformation in real time. The OCC has a broad mandate to support work on climate change adaptation, mitigation and related forest conservation and has overall responsibility for coordinating and aligning the efforts of various government agencies around the issue of climate change. In 2018, the OCC reestablished the NCCC to be responsible for the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into relevant policies, strategies and/or plans. The Committee provides guidance and support to the implementation of all levels of sectoral initiatives with respect to climate change. It is the key vehicle for capacity development. ii Capacity development is the process through which individuals, organisations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the abilities to set and achieve their own development over time (UNDP 2009)1. Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Education, Training and Public Awareness calls on governments to develop and implement education and training programmes, including the strengthening of national institutions, training of scientific, technical and managerial personnel, as well as implementing public awareness programmes on climate change and its effects. The Government of Guyana has heeded this call. Based on the results of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and problem tree analyses of the 2019 NCCC baseline capacity assessment results and from discussions with the OCC and NCCC Technical sub-Committee (April-May 2020), the core problem affecting the NCCC was determined as “Low capacity as a consultative body on climate change”. The primary contributing causes are: • Weak structural and financial support for implementation of sector strategies and actions plans; • No legal certainty to mainstream and integrate climate change considerations into sector strategies and action plans; and • Insufficient capacity for evidence-based decision making at national and sub-national levels (Institutional). The objectives of the Strategic plan and Capacity Building Plans are the obverse of the primary contributing causes and provide the objective basis for the capacity development of the NCCC. Vision statement By 2025, the National Climate Change Committee operates as the premier consultative body that coordinates effective and sustained national support for the Office of Climate Change’s mandate to build Guyana’s climate change resilience. Mission statement To advise on and to develop operational procedures and coordinated delivery of scientific, technical and community of practice support for the effective and efficient management of Guyana’s climate change processes. 1 UNDP (2009). Capacity Development: A UNDP Primer, http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/capacitybuilding/overview/ http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/capacitybuilding/overview/ iii Main objective of the NCCC The NCCC will be the premier consultative body on climate change for the provision of scientific, technical and institutional guidance and support on international, regional, national and sub-national climate change processes to the OCC. Specific objectives of the NCCC 1. To provide a forum for consultation on climate change processes, including but not limited to providing advisory services to the National Designated Authority (NDA) on direct access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF and other climate funds2; 2. To coordinate the provision of scientific and technical advice on the management and monitoring of climate change processes, including the development and implementation of sector strategies, action plans and information sharing initiatives; 3. To be an effective platform for the mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, policies, sector strategies and plans; 4. To develop and sustain a mechanism for determining national funding priorities, review of project concepts and proposals, to inform engagements with the NDA, Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the GCF and other MDB and climate finance governance bodies; 5. To perform any other task that may be requested by the OCC from time to time. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) describe inter-alia the mandate, roles and responsibilities of the NCCC and decision making procedures for two priority tasks: 1. Priority task 1: The provision of advisory services to the NDA on direct access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF and other climate funds. 2. Priority task 2: The mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter-alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. Under the SOPs, three sub-Committees will streamline the work of the NCCC: • Steering sub-Committee: to provide strategic guidance to the overall implementation of the NCCC agenda for action. • Scientific and Technical sub-Committee: to advise on scientific and technical issues, including reviewing direct entity access applications for GCF and project concepts / proposals for GCF, Adaptation Fund (AF), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other climate funds. The Committee will provide support for compliance and review, as well as to advise on pathways to mainstream and integrate climate change considerations into key policies, legislations, and key sector strategies and action plans. 2 The main climate funds are: (i) the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), (ii) the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund, (iii) the Adaptation Fund (AF), (iv) the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF), (v) the European Union’s funds for Climate Action, and (vi) the Green Climate Fund (GCF). These funds and others supplement Multilateral Development Banks (MDB) climate finance. iv • M&E sub-Committee: to advise the Steering sub-Committee on progress to implement the NCCC Strategic plan, to monitor the implementation of advice and decisions related to the two tasks of these SOPs and any other strategic initiative undertaken by the NCCC The Strategic plan will deliver the following outcomes by the end of 10 years: • Outcome 1: By 2023, the coordinated delivery of high-quality scientific and technical advice from the NCC is contributing to the efficient and effective management of the climate change processes. Lead institution: Ministry of Agriculture assisted by, the Guyana Forestry Commission, Ministry of Communities and Ministry of Public Infrastructure. • Outcome 2: By 2025, the NCCC is consolidated as the premier advisory body to the OCC and is contributing to evidence-based decision making. Lead institution: OCC • Outcome 3: By 2026, financial planning and accessing finance for the effective management of climate change processes are developed and sustained. Lead institution: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. • Outcome 4: By 2029, key policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans have been climate proofed and are safeguarding Guyana’s green development. Lead institution: Ministry of Finance. Priorities for capacity building of the agricultural sector: Capacity to identify Guyana’s sources of emissions from agriculture, ability to quantify emission units to spare (emissions permitted them but not "used"), and facility to sell the excess capacity to countries that are over their targets, are enhanced. Capacity to understand the importance of ecosystems to food and nutrition security, and to restore or maintain healthy ecosystems that play an important role in delivering services that help people adapt to climate change, increased. Knowledge about the projected impacts of climate change over the water cycle, rainfall patterns and the availability and quality of both surface and groundwater, agricultural production and associated ecosystems enhanced. Capacity for national agro-meteorological and agro-climatological systems to support ecosystem-based climate resilient agriculture enhanced. Food and agricultural production and processing technologies and techniques are enhanced through capacity building and adoption of green solutions. Priorities for capacity building of the NCCC: At its meeting held on 26 July 2019, the NCCC focused attention on the capacity strengthening of the Committee (NCCC) to foster effectiveness in its role as the consultative body in the implementation of climate readiness work. Specifically, the NCCC identified the following areas to be developed through training: • Climate change, Conventions, institutions and networks, climate finance, country plans (e.g. National Adaptation Plan (NAP)), sector plans, regional plans (case studies); • Modelling the effects of climate change e.g., with respect to agriculture; v • Methodologies to undertake vulnerability and adaptation assessment. Monitoring capacity development of individuals and institutions within the key sectors needs to be reconciled with results, taking into account that the OCC needs to monitor how results contribute to delivering an effective climate change response, nationally and sub-nationally. The following scorecard is a modified GEF/UNDP tool that quantifies a qualitative process of capacity change using appropriate indicators and their corresponding ratings. The scorecard presents descriptive sentences for each capacity development indicator with four numerical ratings (0 to 3). Capacity building scorecard for the agricultural sector (12 months): Capacity Results Measurable indicators of success Rating Score Comments Result 1: Capacities for management and implementation Result 2: Capacities to generate, access and use information and knowledge 1. A critical mass of technical skills in critical areas of agricultural adaptation to, and mitigation of climate change, developed. 75% of lead agricultural institutions have under developed critical climate change response skills 0 50% of lead agricultural institutions with developed critical climate change response skills 1 The critical climate response skills and technologies are available and utilised 2 There is a national based mechanism for updating the acquired skills and technologies 3 2. Knowledge of, and ability to access, climate financing enhanced. 75% of lead agricultural institutions have no knowledge of how to access climate financing 0 5o% of lead agricultural institutions have knowledge on how to access climate financing 1 Resource requirements for lead agricultural institutions are partially identified 2 Climate funding sources for resource requirements are identified 3 Result 3: Capacities for engagement 3. Understanding of UNFCCC and Paris Agreement (PA) procedures to effectively participate as a negotiator or technical expert at annual and inter sessional meetings, increased 75% of lead agricultural institutions have no knowledge of UNFCCC and PA procedures 0 75% of lead agricultural institutions have knowledge of UNFCCC and PA procedures 1 Lead agricultural institutions are partially able to provide competent technical advice 2 Lead agricultural institutions can provide competent technical practitioners and their readiness to participate in UNFCCC and PA meetings is recognized 3 Result 4: Capacities for policy and strategy development 4. The capacity of agricultural practitioners in climate change 75% of lead agricultural institutions have no knowledge of mainstreaming climate change 0 50% of lead agricultural institutions have knowledge of mainstreaming climate change 1 vi mainstreaming in agricultural sector strategies and plans is increased. Lead agricultural institutions can align new or revised agricultural sector strategies and actions plans with climate change priorities 2 Lead agricultural institutions can integrate climate change aligned strategic priorities and actions into annual work plans 3 Result 5: Capacity to monitor and evaluate 5. A cadre of agricultural professionals in project management and donor relations trained. No or irregular monitoring of climate change issues in agricultural programmes and projects 0 An adequate monitoring and evaluation resource framework is in place 1 Regular participatory monitoring and evaluation of climate related results is being conducted 2 Monitoring and evaluation information is produced timely and accurately for use. 3 Capacity building scorecard for the NCCC (10 years): Capacity Results Measurable indicators of success Rating Score Comments Outcome 1: By 2023, the coordinated delivery of high-quality scientific and technical advice from the NCC is contributing to the efficient and effective management of the climate change processes. Lead institution: Ministry of Agriculture assisted by, the Guyana Forestry Commission, Ministry of Communities and Ministry of Public Infrastructure. 1. The NCCC is able to review concepts and proposals and competently advise the NDA on eligibility for climate financing NCCC is not capable of conducting credible climate modelling and assessments 0 NCCC is capable of conducting credible climate modelling and vulnerability assessments 1 NCCC directs national and regional priorities for funding climate change processes 2 The preparatory process for climate financing proposals receives expert inputs from NCCC 3 Outcome 2: By 2025, the NCCC is consolidated as the premier advisory body to the OCC and is contributing to evidence-based decision making. Lead institution: OCC 2. The NCCC is functioning as a fully fledged national consultative body on climate change to the OCC NCCC has no legal mandate to serve as the consultative body on climate change to the OCC 0 The climate change policy framework provides an enabling environment for NCCC to serve as the consultative body on climate change 1 Adequate climate change policy framework exists for recognition of the NCCC as the national consultative body on climate change but there are problems implementing it 2 NCCC is functioning as the national consultative body on climate change and receives budgetary allocation under the resource framework of the OCC. 3 vii Outcome 3: By 2026, financial planning and accessing finance for the effective management of climate change processes are developed and sustained. Lead institution: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 3. The NCCC members have developed capacity to facilitate efficient planning and administration of fund-related responsibilities and guide the development and implementation of the CSF for the GCF. 75% of NCCC member institutions do not have adequate resources for their programmes and the requirements have not been assessed 0 50% of NCCC member institutions know their resource requirements but are not being addressed 1 NCCC is partially able to efficiently plan and administer its fund-related responsibilities in keeping with the CSF 2 NCCC is fully able to efficiently plan and administer its fund-related responsibilities in keeping with the CSF 3 4. The NCCC members are well grounded in the procedures and operations of the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement (PA) 75% of NCCC member institutions have no knowledge of UNFCCC and PA procedures 0 50% of NCCC member institutions have knowledge of UNFCCC and PA procedures 1 NCCC member institutions are partially able to function as climate change negotiators 2 NCCC member institutions are fully capable to function as climate change negotiators 3 Outcome 4: By 2029, key policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans have been climate-proofed and are safeguarding Guyana’s green development. Lead institution: Ministry of Finance. 5. The NCCC members have benefited from targeted capacity building in specialised areas such as: the economics of adaptation and mitigation; climate expenditure and institutional reviews; and climate information. 75% of NCCC member institutions have no knowledge on how to cost access interventions for climate change processes 0 5o% of NCCC member institutions have adequate knowledge on how to cost access interventions for climate change processes 1 Resource requirements for climate change processes have been identified 2 NCCC is fully capable of advising on the pathway to a ‘whole of government’ approach to climate change processes budgeting and programme development 3 6. The NCCC is an effective platform for the mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. 75% of NCCC members who attend NCC meetings are not heads of their institutions 0 100% of NCCC members who attend NCC meetings are heads of their institutions 1 Pathways for climate-proofing key policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans exist but are not yet operationalised 2 NCCC is recognised as the platform for the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. 3 viii The bifurcated strategy of the capacity strengthening, the NCCC and according it a legal mandate will foster its effectiveness in the role as the consultative body in the implementation of climate readiness work. The accelerated capacity building plans for the agricultural sector (12 months) and the NCCC (10 years) outlined in this document presuppose a stable NCCC that is recognised by all relevant stakeholders, including the key state and non-state institutions that cover the five priority sectors – agriculture, forestry, energy, water resources and transportation. An effective NCCC will be truly representative of the knowledge trust of Guyana and guarantees the best available evidence based decision making on climate change processes at national and sub-national levels. The following recommendations target the consolidating of national and sub-national actions: 1. Anchor the NCCC within the institutional ambit of the OCC to streamline the management of climate change processes and to include within its statutory resource framework. The retention of this oversight role of the OCC will ensure that the national climate change response is coordinated and the functions of the NCCC remain interoperable; 2. Vigorously pursue a legal mandate for the NCCC under the existing legal framework or relevant other administrative facility as soon as possible to remove doubt and uncertainty from the minds and actions of stakeholders, potential beneficiaries and international development partners; 3. Commit to and implement a ‘whole of government’ approach to planning and budgeting for climate change management at national and sub-national levels as soon as possible. This may require a review of national and regional plans for the identification of entry points for climate change readiness work; 4. Develop and retain critical masses of skills at the individual and institutional levels and organise such skills into thematic communities of practice that self-regulate and grow; 5. Continually assess the Strategic plan and make adjustments to maintain relevance and efficacy. Year 1: Lead agricultural sector institutions have capacity to build resilience in the agricultural sector. Year 2: The NCCC is subsisting as a legal body within the institutional ambit of the OCC and its membership appears in the Official Gazette of the Government of Guyana. Year 10: The NCCC has benefitted from strategic capacity development interventons that have converted it into the national consultative body to coordinate climate readiness work in Guyana, thereby allowing the OCC to fully execute its mandate to support work on climate change adaptation, mitigation and related forest conservation. Key Milestones ix List of acronyms and abbreviations AF: Adaptation Fund BUR: Biennial Update Report CARICOM: Caribbean Community CIF: Climate Investment Fund COP: Conference of the Parties CRSAP: Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan CSF: Country Strategic Framework EbA: Ecosystem Based Adaptation ECLAC: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ENSO: El Niño Southern Oscillation FAO: Food and Agricultural Organisation FCPF: Forest Carbon Partnership Facility FFEM: French Global Environment Fund FIP: Forest Investment Programme GCF: Green Climate Fund GCPF: Global Climate Partnership Fund GDP: Gross Domestic Product GEF: Global Environment Facility GEEREF: Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund GHG: Greenhouse Gas GMSSC: Green Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee GSDS: Green State Development Strategy HFLD: High Forest Low Deforestation ICF: International Climate Finance IKI: International Climate Initiative (Germany) IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPLC: Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities ISFL: Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes ITCZ: Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone LCDS: Low Carbon Development Strategy M&E: Monitoring and Evaluation MDB: Multilateral Development Banks MoA: Ministry of Agriculture MoC: Ministry of Communities MoF: Ministry of Finance MoFA: Ministry of Foreign Affairs MoPI: Ministry of Public Infrastructure MoTP: Ministry of The Presidency MRV: Measurement, Reporting, Verifying MRVS: Measurement, Reporting and Verification System NAP: National Adaptation Plan x NC: National Communication NCC: Natinal Climate Committee NCCAC: National Climate Change Advisory Committee NCCC: National Climate Change Committee NCCPAP: National Climate Change Policy and Action Plan NDA: National Designated Authority NDC: Nationally Determined Contributions NICFI: Noway International Climate Forest Initiative OCC: Office of Climate Change PA: Paris Agreement PMR: Partnership for Market Readiness REDD: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation RP: Readiness Programme SCF: Strategic Climate Fund SDG: Sustainable Development Goals SIDS: Small Island and Coastal Low-lying Developing States SFM: Sustainable Forest Management SOP: Standard Operating Procedure SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats TAP: Technology Action Plan TNA: Technology Needs Assessment ToR: Terms of Reference UN: United Nations UNDP: United Nations Development Programme UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change WBG: World Bank Group xi CONTENTS Executive summary i List of acronyms and abbreviations ix List of Tables xiv List of Figures xiv Background 1 Guyana climate change readiness preparation 2 Vulnerability to climate change impacts 2 OCC as climate change coordinator 2 Guyana’s Green Development 3 The situation of climate change in Guyana 4 Guyana’s climate at baseline 4 Guyana’s changing climate 5 The global climate change context - in brief 6 Vulnerability to climate change: 7 National response to climate change: 8 The Climate Change Capacity Needs 12 Climate change adaptive capacities: 12 Building capacity for national adaptation planning 13 Climate change mitigation considerations 14 Other fiscal incentives: 15 The National Climate Change Committee 16 Terms of reference 16 Membership 17 Meetings 18 Baseline capacity assessment of the NCCC 18 Result area 1: Key bio-data of members of the NCCC 18 xii Result area 2: Professional competence of members of the NCCC 19 Result area 3: Enabling environment for the work of the NCCC 19 SWOT analysis of the NCCC 20 Problem tree analysis of the NCCC 24 Links to UNFCCC processes 25 Climate finance 29 Bilateral climate financing 29 Multilateral climate financing 30 Climate Funds 32 Strategic plan for the NCCC 34 Name change 34 Vision statement (proposed) 34 Mission statement (proposed) 34 Realigned objectives of the NCCC 35 Main objective of the NCCC 35 Specific objectives of the NCCC 35 Strategic performance measures: 38 Strategic initiatives: 42 Identifying strategic risks: 45 Managing the strategy: 46 Standard operating procedures 46 Governance structure 47 Priority Task 1: Direct access application process 50 Priority task 2: Mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations 52 Types of measurable capacities 53 Capacity building plan for the NCCC 55 Objectives of the NCCC capacity building plans 55 Guiding principles for the capacity building plans 56 Capacity building plan for the agricultural sector (12 months) 57 Building resilience through adaptation and mitigation 57 xiii Identification of learning interventions 57 Capacity building objectives, indicators and modality 58 Capacity building scorecard for the agricultural sector 62 Capacity building plan for the NCCC (10 years) 63 Capacity building objectives, indicators and modality 63 Capacity building scorecard for the NCCC 66 Conclusion and recommendations 68 Annexes 69 Annex 1: Terms of Reference for the NCCC (draft) 69 Annex 2: Stakeholder workshop report 73 xiv List of Tables Table 1. Summary of climate change scenarios for Guyana’s temperature, precipitation and sea level rise for the period 2030’s-2100. ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Table 2. Comparison between findings by the UNFCCC on the Implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries (2018), the SR15 Report on knowledge gaps and the Guyana baseline assessment of the NCCC................................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Table 3. Bilateral sources of climate funds to developing countries as overseas development assistance. ................... 29 Table 4. Main climate funds, pledges, and priorities. ...................................................................................................... 32 Table 5. Performance measures for the specific objectives articulated for the NCCC strategic plan ............................. 38 Table 6. Strategic initiatives for delivering the strategy for the strengthening of the National Climate Change Committee at the governance, institutional and thematic levels. .................................................................................. 42 Table 7. Strategic risks and proposed risk mitigation measures for the NCCC Strategic plan. ....................................... 45 Table 8: Activities, responsible parties and time requirements for the project selection process for climate funding. . 52 Table 9. Climate concepts and capacity strengthening needs for the agricultural sector. ............................................. 57 Table 10: Capacity building objectives, indicators, and modalities for the capacity building of the agricultural sector in climate change processes................................................................................................................................................. 60 Table 11. A capacity development scorecard for capacity building of the agricultural sector. ....................................... 62 Table 12: Capacity building objectives, indicators, and modalities for the capacity building of the National Climate Change Committee. ......................................................................................................................................................... 64 Table 13. The capacity development scorecard for capacity building of the NCCC. ....................................................... 66 List of Figures Figure 1: Adaptation, mitigation and cross-cutting policy directives for Guyana 2020-2030, and associated key reference and source documents, committee, reports and climate finance partners. ................................................... 11 Figure 2: Summary of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the NCCC ........................................ 23 Figure 3: Problem tree analysis of the capacity assessment of the National Climate Change Committee .................... 24 Figure 4: Strategy map of the NCCC objectives and path of support for OCC's operational mandate ........................... 37 Figure 5: Simplified process for in-country processing of direct access applications for GCF accreditation ................... 51 Figure 6: A programmatic approach to mainstreaming climate change considerations into policies, legislations, sector strategies and action plans. .................................................................................................................................. 54 file:///C:/Users/User/Documents/Consultancies/FAO%20NCCC/Deliverables/Strategic%20Plan Capacity%20building%20of%20NCCC FINAL%20revised 10%20June%202020.docx%23 Toc42701778 1 Background The Co-operative Republic of Guyana (commonly referred to as Guyana) land area is 214,969 km2, the territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles from the coastal limit and its exclusive economic zone extends 200 nautical miles into the Atlantic Ocean, making up a marine area of 138,270 km2. Although Guyana is situated on the South American continent, it has been designated a Small Island and Coastal Low Lying Developing State (SIDS), primarily because one of its four natural regions – the Low Coastal Plain – is below mean sea level at high tide, and it is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Some of the impacts - including coastal erosion impacting soil nutrients and coastal crops and livestock - are already being experienced. In response to the threat of climate change, Guyana has initiated action to build resilience and to enhance the capacities of institutions and citizens to adapt. For example, in 2016, Guyana completed the draft Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan (CRSAP) that provides a comprehensive and overarching framework identifying priority areas for adapting and building resilience to climate change impacts. The agricultural sector, a major contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (16.1% in 2018) and one of the largest employers of labour, is one of the prioritised sectors for resilience building, because it has been rated to have high vulnerability to climate change. The key challenge is to support the efforts of Guyana to set the grounds for implementing climate resilience techniques and strategic recommendations for effective adaptation in the agricultural and other priority sectors. The Government of Guyana has received Readiness and Preparatory Support funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to enhance climate resilience of the agriculture sector through institutional strengthening of the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC), under the coordination of the Office of Climate Change (OCC), an agency of the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP). The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), a GCF Accredited Entity, serves as Guyana’s Delivery Partner, and is assisting the OCC to deliver targeted training based on a capacity needs assessment (thematic, institutional, governance), on climate change impacts in agriculture and food security, and adaptation and mitigation options. This strengthened capacity will enable the NCCC to effectively play its role as the consultative body responsible for: (i) implementation of climate readiness work and beyond in relation to the agricultural sector; (ii) addressing synergies and harmonisation with national plans and actions to address degradation and biodiversity loss (in agricultural systems and caused by agriculture); (iii) increasing the efficiency of NCCC members in the planning and administration of fund-related responsibilities; and (iv) guiding the development and implementation of the Country Strategic Framework for the GCF, including facilitating cooperation across concerned sectors, institutions and stakeholders, and knowledge management. 2 Guyana climate change readiness preparation Vulnerability to climate change impacts Observed climate data since 1960 shows that Guyana is already experiencing changes in its climate patterns. For example, mean annual temperatures have increased by 0.3°C corresponding to an average temperature increase of some 0.07°C per decade. Future climate scenarios indicate that: temperatures will continue to increase; average annual precipitation will decrease, the proportion of heavy rainfall events will increase, and sea level will rise at a faster rate than the global average. Guyana is also highly exposed to climate hazards, which have become more frequent and intense. One of the most important climate hazard is flooding, and as such Guyana is classified as a high flood risk country, with the greatest vulnerability experienced within the coastal zone, home to most of the crop agricultural activities. On the other extreme, the drier regions (Rupununi and upper Demerara) are experiencing an increased severity and incidence of drought, causing significant problems for local communities that are highly dependent on subsistence agriculture and groundwater supplies. Modelling exercises indicate that the impact of climate change on agriculture will be massive. (Source: Guyana GCF-RP Project Document, 2017). OCC as climate change coordinator The OCC was established to support work on climate change adaptation, mitigation and related forest conservation and has overall responsibility for coordinating and aligning the efforts of various government agencies around the issue of climate change. OCC provides the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) National Focal Point and serves as the secretariat to the Green Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee (GMSSC). OCC serves as the Secretariat and Focal Point for the National Designated Authority (NDA), in keeping with GCF governance framework for consultation. OCC has reestablished the NCCC to be responsible for the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into relevant policies, strategies and/or plans. The Committee will also provide guidance and support to the implementation of all levels of sectoral initiatives with respect to climate change. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE NCCC In building a strategic plan for the NCCC, the following elements, adopted from the UN, will be reviewed with the OCC and other identified stakeholders, for relevance:  EXTERNAL INPUT GATHERING • to understand and identify the issues, challenges and trends that will shape and affect the NCCC;  INTERNAL INPUT GATHERING • SWOT analysis;  VISION STATEMENT SETTING • to provide focus and long-term alignment;  CREATING OBJECTIVES • The objectives will cover each of the main categories of focus of the NCCC;  STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE MEASURES • to determine how well the NCCC is progressing towards achievement of each objective;  STRATEGIC INITIATIVES • activities that contribute to delivering a strategy;  IDENTIFYING STRATEGIC RISKS • managing risk is a key part of effective strategic planning and can be defined as the identification and mitigation of risks which would hamper the execution of a strategy;  MANAGING A STRATEGY • strategy review meetings can help drive organisational focus, ensure accountability and drive desired results. International commitments National priorities NCCC Consultative Body 3 Guyana’s Green Development The Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) Vision 20403 is a two-volume document that frames Guyana’s 20-year, national development trajectory as: “An inclusive and prosperous Guyana that provides a good quality of life for all its citizens based on sound education and social protection, low-carbon and resilient development, providing new economic opportunities, justice and political empowerment.” The GSDS is the national development strategy that illustrates the sustainable pathways to a better quality of life for all Guyanese derived from the country’s natural wealth – its diversity of people and abundant natural resources (land, water, biodiversity, forests, minerals, aggregates, and hydrocarbons). The vision of the ‘green agenda’ embraces the principles of a green economy defined by sustainable, low-carbon and resilient development that uses its resources efficiently, and sustained over generations. The GSDS development philosophy emphasises the importance of inter-alia the principles of equity and the underlying strength of the country’s human capital. Further, the GSDS includes human capital as part of the country’s total wealth. It goes further to suggest that when considering ‘inclusive’ wealth, “the human dimension of wealth assumes parity with, if not priority over, the other dimensions”. The GSDS recognises the negative impacts of climate change on Guyana’s economy, the need to climate-proof human health, agriculture and fresh water supply, to mainstream education for sustainable development and to pursue the transition to renewable energy as a key climate mitigation activity. The OCC has prepared a draft National Climate Change Policy and Action Plan (NCCPAP) 2020-2030 as the cross-sectoral expression of the GSDS. The finalisation and operationalisation of the NCCPAP will anchor Guyana’s climate change response. 3 https://finance.gov.gy/gsds/ “THE FIRST TRANSFORMATIVE PROCESS INVOLVES THE TRANSITION TOWARDS BECOMING A ‘GREEN STATE’ THAT WILL EMPHASISE THE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE GRADUATION TOWARDS GREATER VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTION.” President David Granger on the launch of the Decade of Development 2020-2029. https://motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07 20-18-49-38/2015-07-20-18-50-14/3943 government-in-action-the-decade-of development https://finance.gov.gy/gsds/ https://motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-49-38/2015-07-20-18-50-14/3943-government-in-action-the-decade-of-development https://motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-49-38/2015-07-20-18-50-14/3943-government-in-action-the-decade-of-development https://motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-49-38/2015-07-20-18-50-14/3943-government-in-action-the-decade-of-development https://motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-49-38/2015-07-20-18-50-14/3943-government-in-action-the-decade-of-development 4 The situation of climate change in Guyana The purpose of this section is to explore the actual and future situation with respect to climate change in Guyana and to provide for the grounding of the climate change strategic plan and capacity building plans within past and ongoing climate change efforts leading to synergies and continuity of effort. Guyana’s climate at baseline According to the Köppen climate classification system4, which was developed based on the empirical relationship between climate and vegetation, Guyana has a humid tropical equatorial climate and high biodiversity value forests that are linked to both Amazonian and Guiana Shield biomes. The classification system has been widely used to map and monitor the geographic distribution of long-term mean climate (using mainly temperature and precipitation data) and associated ecosystem conditions. The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Hydrometeorological Service5 provides online daily and monthly weather data on temperature, rainfall, wind speed and direction, pressure, cloud coverage and sunshine hours. Other sources6,7,8 report on longer-term climate data such as annual precipitation and air temperature data. When taken together, they are capable of describing Guyana’s long-term mean climate: Mean annual precipitation is greater than 2,000 mm.year-1. There are two wet seasons (the long-wet season from April to July and the short-wet season from November to January) and two dry seasons (the short dry season from February to April and the long dry season from July to November). During the long wet season, northern coastal regions receive between 150 mm and 300 mm of rain per month. Guyana’s Rupununi savannahs experience a drier ‘tropical wet-dry’ climate where total precipitation is lower (with a mean of 1400-1800 mm.year-1) and less well distributed throughout the year. Interior savannah areas tend to have one wet season and two dry seasons. Mean annual air temperatures in the upland regions and the interior range from 20-23°C; in the rest of Guyana the corresponding values are 25-27.5°C, reaching as high as 31°C. The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) influences the timing and magnitude of rainfall incident on Guyana. As the ITCZ moves north, a resulting consequence is heavy rainfall between mid-April and mid to end-July. This period is characteristic of the country’s primary rainy season. The extremes of these periods are customarily observed in the month of June. As the ITCZ migrates south of the equator, a resulting secondary rainy season is of consequence. This secondary wet season typically commences 4 http://hanschen.org/koppen/ 5 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1STds2-U834T2VIUlqSDgfeHAhNTwJDtO/view 6 http://country-profiles.geog.ox.ac.uk/ 7 Bovolo, C.I., Pereira, R., Parkin, G., Kilsby, C., Wagner, T. (2011). Fine-scale regional climate patterns in the Guianas, tropical South America, based on observations and reanalysis data International Journal of Climatology, 32 (11), pp. 1665-1689 8 Government of Guyana. (2012). Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Prepared by the Government of Guyana with support from the UNDP and the National Communication Support Programme http://hanschen.org/koppen/ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1STds2-U834T2VIUlqSDgfeHAhNTwJDtO/view http://country-profiles.geog.ox.ac.uk/ 5 between mid-November and lasts towards the end of January (Rao et al., 2012)9. In addition to its geographic location and the ITCZ, Guyana is also influenced by the effects of the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) 10, a recurring climate pattern of warm (El Niño) and cool (La Niña), which can shift back and forth irregularly every two to seven years, and each phase triggers predictable disruptions of temperature, precipitation, and winds. The capacity to interrogate these complex hydrometeorological phenomena and their correlations and to apply them to the Guyana situation, current and future, is of critical importance to the design of mitigation and adaptation solutions for key sectors. For example, to what extent is Guyana able to predict with scientific certainty the seasonal impacts of El Nino, La Nina, sea level rise, and role of the ITCZ and ENSO on standing forests, savannahs and agriculture? What is the best way to translate highly technical data into usable informational guides and knowledge products for land managers? Guyana’s changing climate What is noticeable about recent changes in climate is the increase in mean annual precipitation by 2.7% per decade above the 1960s baseline, and the increase in air temperature for the corresponding period by 0.07°C per decade. Climate models predict even greater increases throughout the 21st century. The projected changes in climate variables - temperature, precipitation and sea level rise - in Guyana for the remainder of the 21st century, is shown in Table 1. These climate change worse case scenarios for Guyana predict that: • air temperature is projected to increase up to a maximum of 50C by 2100 on average; • annual precipitation is projected to increase by 20% by 2100 on average; • 12% of total rainfall may fall in heavy events by 2100 on average; • the sea may rise by one-half of a metre (0.5m) by 2100 on average, but when adjusted for storm surges, the rise will be over 6 metres for the same time period. A look at the predictions for changes in climate variables by 2030s, a time-period that corresponds to the time-period for this present 10-year Strategic plan and 10-year Capacity Building Plan (2020-2030) and the Decade of Development (2020-2029), is instructive. The increase in average air temperature is projected to range from 0.4-2.0 0C; average annual precipitation from a loss of 29% to a gain of 14%; sea level rise from 0.4-0.26m and when adjusted for storm surges, the increase in sea level rise is expected to range from 2.94-5.94m. There is a suggestion that increases in air temperature may explain the increases in evapotranspiration, which when combined with decreases in rainfall could result in water deficits (Bovolo et al. 2018)11. Further, both spatial and temporal changes in rainfall patterns with water deficits in October and November are likely, and the impact is expected to be more rapid in the 9 Rama Rao, Y.V., Alves, L., Seulall, B. et al. Evaluation of the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model over Guyana. Nat Hazards 61, 1243–1261 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-011-9977-3 10 https://www.climate.gov/enso/what-enso 11 http://dro.dur.ac.uk/25396/2/25396.pdf https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-011-9977-3 https://www.climate.gov/enso/what-enso http://dro.dur.ac.uk/25396/2/25396.pdf 6 southern interior regions of the country than in the northern, coastal areas. In turn, shortages of water will threaten agricultural, domestic and industrial activities.12 Table 1. Summary of climate change scenarios for Guyana’s temperature, precipitation and sea level rise for the period 2030’s-2100. 13 Climate variable 2030’s 2040’s – 2070’s 2070’s - 2100 Average annual temperature (°C) ↑ 0.4°C to 2.0°C ↑ 0.9°C to 3.3°C ↑ 1.4°C to 5.0°C Average annual precipitation (% change) Median: 0% to -4% Min-max: -29% to +14% Median: -4% to -8% Min-max: -41% to +13% Median: -4% to -5% Min-max: -63% to +20% Proportion of total rainfall that falls in heavy events No data Median: ↑ 1-2% Min-max: -3% to +10% Median: ↑ 2-3% Min-max: -8% to +12% Sea level rise (m) ↑0.14 m to 0.26 m ↑ 0.21 m to 0.43 m ↑ 0.25 m to 0.51 m Sea level rise + storm surge (m) ↑ 2.94 m to 5.94 m No data ↑ 2.93 m to 6.19 m All of the Government of Guyana documents reviewed for this section (Second National Communication to the UNFCCC 2012, draft Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan 2016 (CRSAP), and the draft Guyana Climate Change Policy and Action Plan 2020-2030) carry a caveat on the uncertainty of the values of the climate change variables. For the purpose of this present assignment, the climate data are being treated as the best available estimates of climate change predictions for Guyana. The global climate change context - in brief Atmospheric temperature increases correspondingly lead to a warming of the atmosphere, which forces changes in climate. To underscore the gravity of the existential crisis, signatories to the Paris Agreement committed to the strengthening of the global response to the threat of climate change by “keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius”. This commitment was further reinforced in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report “Global Warming of 1.50C” (SR15 Report) in October 201814. The key finding was that “….limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society. With clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems, the report found that limiting global 12 Op cit. 13 Results presented are minimum to maximum values across a range of General Circulation Models (GCMs) and scenarios (A2, A1B, B1). Source: McSweeney et al., 2010. 14 https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ 7 warming to 1.5°C compared to 2°C could go hand in hand with ensuring a more sustainable and equitable society. While previous estimates focused on estimating the damage if average temperatures were to rise by 2°C, this report shows that many of the adverse impacts of climate change will come at the 1.5°C mark”, including global sea level rise. This present assignment is about the preparation of a strategic plan to build the capacity of the NCCC to capably carry out its mandate. What then is there in the SR15 Report that might be of relevance to the instant effort? The SR 15 Report identified the following knowledge gaps in institutions across the globe: • Lack of 1.5°C-specific literature; • Role of regulatory financial institutions and their capacity to guarantee financial stability of economies when investments potentially face risks, both because of climate impacts and because of the systems transitions if lower temperature scenarios are pursued; • Knowledge gaps on how to build capabilities across all countries and regions globally to implement, maintain, manage, govern and further develop mitigation options for 1.5°C; • While importance of indigenous and local knowledge is recognized, the ability to scale up beyond the local remains challenging and little examined; • There is a lack of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of adaptation measures, with most studies enumerating M&E challenges and emphasising the importance of context and social learning. Very few studies evaluate whether and why an adaptation initiative has been effective. One of the challenges of M&E for both mitigation and adaptation is a lack of high-quality information for modelling. Adaptation M&E is additionally challenged by limited understanding of what indicators to measure and how to attribute altered vulnerability to adaptation actions. This Strategic plan examines these globally determined climate change knowledge gaps against the results of the nationally determined baseline capacity assessment in order to identify links between national and international capacity needs that may strengthen the case for financing for capacity development. Vulnerability to climate change: In the foregoing examination of Guyana as a member of the global community in the fight against climate change, and as a member state occupying the green equatorial belt that may be more greatly impacted by climate change than those further away, it is important to examine just how vulnerable is Guyana to climate change. The draft CRSAP includes a definition for ‘vulnerability’ taken from the IPCC literature. It is “the degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes”. 8 According to Guyana’s First Voluntary National Review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the climate change vulnerability index ranks Guyana as high risk; and coastal Regions 4 (Demerara Mahaica) and 5 (Mahaica-Berbice), in particular, are ranked as being extremely vulnerable15. Other indices such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Disaster Exposure Index (DEI)16 ranks Guyana (DEI = 0.6) as the fourth most exposed country to natural disasters in the Latin American and Caribbean region. This vulnerability is thought to be the result of Guyana’s high exposure to changing climate that causes floods (climate variables precipitation and sea level rise) and droughts (climate variable temperature). In order of importance, flooding ranks as the greatest impact of climate change on Guyana and with the highest economic cost. The 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction17 shows that 99.9% of the expected losses per annum is associated with small, moderate and extreme flood events. The Low Coastal Plain natural region has the highest vulnerability compared with the other three natural regions. Most of Guyana’s population and built capital are located on the coastal zone. The knock-on effect of cumulative annual flood-related losses totalling US$150 million by 2030, has been predicted. The Guyana Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Report 2019 provides a more complete picture of Guyana’s climate vulnerability and likely impacts on 15 other economic and social sectors. The draft CRSAP makes a connection between Guyana’s vulnerability to climate-related impacts and the presence of aging and inadequately maintained critical infrastructure, and limited access to the latest knowledge and technology, among others. A 2014 survey by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the condition of the sea defence infrastructure revealed that 103 Km (44.4%) of sea defence was in fair condition or worse and that Regions 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam), 4, and 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne) had the weakest points. It is projected that a 1 m rise in sea level is likely to increase the risk of inundation across all coastal administrative regions; with Regions 4 and 6 having the highest expected exposure18. Changes in sea level of this magnitude coupled with inadequate infrastructure will cause significant increases in overtopping discharges for sea defences, increased flood volumes and frequency, and enhanced coastal erosion. National response to climate change: There are two global responses to climate change: adaptation and mitigation. 15 Guyana First Voluntary National Review of the SDGs to the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, 2019. 16 https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Climate-Change-and-Extreme-Weather-Events-in-Latin America-An-Exposure-Index.pdf 17 https://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/gar/2015/en/home/data.php?iso=GUY 18 https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/38582-assessment-economic-impact-climate-change-coastal-and-human settlements-sector https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Climate-Change-and-Extreme-Weather-Events-in-Latin-America-An-Exposure-Index.pdf https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Climate-Change-and-Extreme-Weather-Events-in-Latin-America-An-Exposure-Index.pdf https://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/gar/2015/en/home/data.php?iso=GUY https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/38582-assessment-economic-impact-climate-change-coastal-and-human-settlements-sector https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/38582-assessment-economic-impact-climate-change-coastal-and-human-settlements-sector 9 Adaptation refers to activities and processes that cause an adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In some natural systems, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects. Conversely, mitigation measures are achieved by limiting or preventing GHG emissions and by enhancing activities that remove these gases from the atmosphere. These include energy, transport, buildings, industry, waste management, agriculture, forestry, and other forms of land management. In tandem with the global community of nations to pursue the two climate change processes, Guyana has endorsed a number of international climate change instruments and is implementing their obligations, principal amongst which is the UNFCCC. In 1994, Guyana ratified the UNFCCC, and later submitted two National Communications (NC) - the initial NC in 2002 and the second NC in 2012 - to the UNFCCC Secretariat. These National Communications, among other things, highlight Guyana’s particular vulnerability to climate change as well as the efforts to plan adaptation and build resilience to climate change (see box 1). The third National Communication to the UNFCCC, is in preparation. Guyana has been steadfastly creating the enabling environment at the national level to build resilience to climate change. National policies, and sector strategies and action plans for the key economic and environmental sectors of minerals, forestry, energy, agriculture and environment have been reformed in line with a low carbon and green development trajectory. New policy and regulatory frameworks range from: • climate change mitigation in the forestry and energy sectors (LCDS, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) Readiness Proposal (R-PP), NDC; • climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector (National Strategy for Agriculture in Guyana 2013 – 2020; National Adaptation Strategy to address Climate Change in the Agriculture Sector 2009-2018); • to other key sectoral alignments as shown in the National Mineral Sector Policy Framework and Actions 2019-2029 (draft); Sea and River Defences Policy 2015; National Land Use Plan 2013; and, the National Integrated Risk Management Strategy 2013-2023. The revised NDC (2016) will be further revised to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement and its enhanced transparency framework. In addition, the mitigation commitment to the agricultural sector will be added. 10 At the Caribbean regional level, and to emphasise solidarity with other SIDS, Guyana is a signatory to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Liliendaal Declaration (2009), the Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change (2009) and its Implementation Plan (2012). In terms of the hierarchy of documents that articulate the national response to climate change, the NCCPAP 2020-2030 (draft) is the overarching framework that will contribute, among other purposes, to elevate climate change considerations in national development planning, decision-making and investments. The NCCPAP is the expression of the climate change measures in the GSDS Vision 2040, and Guyana’s commitments to international and regional climate change processes. It consists of nineteen Policy Objectives addressing adaptation, mitigation, resilience-building and risk reduction. The 19 objectives are organised into three policy directives geared to climate change adaptation and two to climate change mitigation. Four policy directives cater to cross-cutting issues (Figure 1). The NCCPAP draws on all previous climate change actions beginning with the First National Communication to the UNFCCC in 2002 and ending with the National Mineral Sector Policy Framework and Actions (draft), National Adaptation Plan (draft) and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (draft, NAMAs), all prepared in 2019. The NCCPAP prioritises five sectors, for which risks and resiliency actions have been assessed, as follows: • Agriculture (including fisheries) – 27 risks (22 serious or high) and 66 resiliency actions; BOX 1: BUILDING RESILIENCE International climate treaties 29 August 1994: Ratification of the UNFCCC 5 August 2003: Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol 20 May 2016: Ratification of the Paris Agreement UNFCCC Reports: 2015: - Nationally Determined Contributions 2012: Second National Communication 2002: Initial National Communication National Development Strategies 2017: Green State Development Strategy Vision 2040 2009/2013: Low Carbon Development Strategy Sectoral Strategies/Plans 2019: Draft National Climate Change Policy and Action Plan 2019: National Mineral Sector Policy Framework and Actions 2019: National Mineral Sector Policy Framework and Actions 2019-2029 (draft) 2018: National Forest Policy Statement and National Forest Policy Action Plan 2015: Sea and River Defence Sector Policy 2013: National Integrated Disaster Risk Management Plan 2009: National Adaptation Strategy for the Agricultural Sector of Guyana 11 • Forestry – 7 risks (5 serious or high) and 25 resiliency actions; • Water resources – 6 risks (6 serious or high) and 13 resiliency actions • Energy – 7 risks (3 serious or high) and 13 resiliency actions, and • Transportation – 9 risks (8 serious or high) and 7 resiliency actions. The 10-year Strategic plan and Capacity Building Plan for the NCCC described below focuses on all five sectors, while the 12-month Capacity Building Plan for the NCCC focuses on the agriculture sector only. National Adaptation Plan 2019 REDD+ Strategy 2019 National Climate Change Committee Training Needs and Capacity Development Plan 2019 Nationally Determined Contributions 2016 National Communications to the UNFCCC Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan 2016 Technology Needs Assessment – Mitigation 2016 Green Climate Fund Government of Norway Figure 1: Adaptation, mitigation and cross-cutting policy directives for Guyana 2020-2030, and associated key reference and source documents, committee, reports and climate finance partners. Adaptation • Resilience based physical • Mainstreaming social sectors • Resilience based natural resources management Mitigation • Reduce green house gas emissions • Technology based climate change solutions Cross-Cutting • Engagement and accountability • Evidence-based decision making • Climate finance • Partnerships 12 The Climate Change Capacity Needs The purpose of this section is to set out the climate change capacity needs to underpin the strategic plan and capacity building plans for the NCCC. Institutional and human capacity constraints occur at all levels of organisation when it comes to climate change processes. The UNFCCC SR15 Report identified the key knowledge gap areas. Guyana has undertaken an assessment of training needs and capacity development for the NAP (draft) across many sectors, including the five priority sectors in this report, as well as a baseline capacity assessment of the NCCC. The section ends with a SWOT analysis and problem tree analysis of the NCCC. Climate change adaptive capacities: The CRSAP (2016) has identified a range of capacities to support the national response to the impacts of climate change. They are reproduced below in summary form for emphasis. Adaptive capacity is a pre-condition for the design and implementation of effective adaptation strategies, and in turn for national adaptation planning and resilience building. The CRSAP has adopted five broad criteria established by the IPCC19 (informational, human, institutional, financial capacity and the policy/regulatory environment) and seven measures of success for national adaptation planning (climate information, human and institutional capacities, long-term vision and mandate, implementation, mainstreaming, participation, and monitoring and evaluation) proposed by the GIZ20. Overall, Guyana can be considered in the early stages of development in terms of building adaptive capacity to address climate variability and change. Given that Guyana has a highly evolved policy/regulatory environment for climate change, four of the five IPCC criteria for the building of adaptive capacity are mentioned below: 1. Informational capacity needs: Currently, there is no institution responsible for generating/collating and providing climate projections and a comprehensive suite of vulnerability, risk and adaptation assessments to end-users. Due to resource constraints, such assessments are conducted only when Guyana prepares its National Communications to the UNFCCC (first in 2002; second in 2012; and the third is ongoing). Limited resources also constrain the establishment of effective monitoring and evaluation systems. 2. Institutional capacity needs: The mainstreaming of climate change into national and sectoral policies, programmes and projects remain a capacity gap. There should be better harmonisation of policies to account for adaptation without overlaps. Stakeholder participation in adaptation planning through institutional and governance structures should also be improved including with greater emphasis on gender responsiveness. 19 https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WGIIAR5-Chap15 FINAL.pdf 20 https://www.adaptationcommunity.net/?wpfb dl=362 https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WGIIAR5-Chap15 FINAL.pdf https://www.adaptationcommunity.net/?wpfb dl=362 13 3. Human capacity needs: Trained and skilled personnel is required for climate change management, including the implementation of adaptation actions. Specifically, human capacity is needed to: (i) undertake and interpret regional climate change projections; (ii) conduct research on the vulnerability of key sectors and regions to the impacts of climate change; (iii) implement and maintain the technologies and equipment necessary to monitor climate and climate-related impacts; and (iv) develop technologies, such as sea defences, irrigation systems and early warning systems, which are critical to successful adaptation. 4. Financial capacity needs: Given its limited resources, Guyana will continue basic work on water management infrastructure; sea defences rehabilitation; improving water supply and sanitation; introduction of new agricultural techniques; and the inclusion of climate change considerations in sectoral planning documents (NDC 2015). Significant resources will be required to build resilience in Guyana including through the implementation of the CRSAP - up to US$ 1.6 billion in the period to 2025 for adaptation and resilience building. Building capacity for national adaptation planning The Guyana NAP 2019 (draft) reviewed and updated the CRSAP 2016 (draft) document with information from the NAP Stocktaking and Gap Assessment (Integrated Sustainability 2018) and input provided by the NAP Stakeholder Workshop in October 2018. The key priorities are as follows: 1. Develop and enhance enabling institutional and technical capacity for the formulation of the NAP. 2. Identify and enhance awareness of potential opportunities for integrating climate change adaptation into development planning at different levels. 3. Design and implement programmes on climate change communication, public awareness and education. Modalities for such activities are likely to include: • Financial and human resources. • Developing the required technical skills through training and long-term technical education. This should include technical certifications and graduate training in various disciplines that contribute to adaptation planning. These capacity-building efforts would be carried out on a continuing basis. Identifying targets in capacity building within subsequent years and working towards them, while using short-term training only as a stop-gap measure. • Updating or creating new policies to facilitate work on adaptation. There are two types of capacity building and training that, over time, should be addressed: i) institutional, and ii) individual. A more complete micro-analysis of both institutional and individual needs be addressed by stakeholders filling out questionnaires provided in the appendices either by email or by briefing meetings with key stakeholders. 14 Climate change mitigation considerations According to the UNFCCC21, mitigation involves human interventions to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, either by addressing the source of emissions (such as vehicle exhaust fumes, industrial pollution, and cutting down of forests) or by enhancing their removal from the atmosphere through “sinks” (a sink includes forests, vegetation or soils that can reabsorb carbon dioxide). Some examples of key mitigation actions include: switching from fossil fuel based sources of energy to cleaner ones and renewable energy systems; energy efficiency activities; carbon sequestration projects; improved land use management; avoided deforestation; forest conservation; and sustainable forest management. Nationally Determined Contributions Guyana’s revised NDC (2016) to the UNFCCC is a contribution to the global effort to combat climate change. Guyana’s NDCs main sectoral focus is on the forest and energy sectors, the main sources of current and historic carbon dioxide emissions. The agricultural sector is a considerable source of non carbon dioxide GHG emissions (methane and nitrous oxide), but due to the critical importance of domestic agriculture to Guyana’s food security and rural livelihoods, agriculture is included in the NDC as a priority adaptation action. The Government of Guyana is committed to reviewing its NDCs in 2020 and introducing clear, measurable and realistic targets following a baseline assessment as well as mitigation actions.22 Forestry: Guyana agrees to utilise a combination of conservation and sustainable management of its forests in the fight against climate change. This includes participation in green consumer markets at all levels. Guyana’s robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system (MRVS) can ensure the integrity of emission reduction efforts as it engages with carbon-neutral markets as a means of maximising the value of exports and providing internationally attractive, verifiable low carbon products. Energy: Guyana’s goal is to develop a mix of wind, solar, biomass and hydropower to supply 100% by 2025 of the demand of the national grid and the energy requirements for towns and villages in Guyana’s hinterland. Guyana is committed to eliminating the near complete dependence on fossil fuels. Agriculture: Agriculture in Guyana, as elsewhere, is under threat from the adverse effects of climate change, including floods and droughts. Given its small scale, and concentrated as it is along the narrow coastal strip where Guyana’s most productive soils are found, agriculture is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and other adverse effects of climate change. Guyana’s contributions are therefore focused entirely on carbon dioxide emissions and Guyana's agriculture is treated purely as an adaptation issue in the NDC. 21 https://unfccc.int/files/press/backgrounders/application/pdf/press factsh mitigation.pdf 22 https://www.minfor.gov.gy/featured/guyana-commits-to-joining-global-effort-to-combat-climate-change/ https://unfccc.int/files/press/backgrounders/application/pdf/press factsh mitigation.pdf https://www.minfor.gov.gy/featured/guyana-commits-to-joining-global-effort-to-combat-climate-change/ 15 Domestic policies The 2018 National Forest Policy Statement promotes the generation and application of knowledge, technology and capacity building for effective forest management in Guyana. It identifies research, training, application of learning, technological development, information management and education as critical for the sector. The dissemination of this knowledge and information must be done using the appropriate language, communication tools and messages, and be tailored to different audiences. Identified measures to address limited technical capacity include: conducting a 10-year forecasting study of projected investments and support skills requirements, and implement capacity-building programmes with key stakeholders; sustained strategic public awareness and education campaigns, including disseminating information on skill-set requirements; and improved/robust/clear updated policy and regulatory framework with local content requirements. There is legislation to remove import duty and tax barriers for the importation of renewable energy equipment, compact fluorescent lamps and light-emitting diodes (LED) lamps to incentivise and motivate energy efficient behaviour. In 2012, Government of Guyana Zero-rated the VAT and made fully exempt from Import Duties, the following: • Machinery and equipment for obtaining, generating, and utilising energy from renewable energy sources, including Solar panels, Solar Lamps, Deep-Cycle Batteries, Solar Generators, Solar Water heaters, Solar Cookers, DC Solar Refrigerators, DC Solar Freezers, DC Solar Air Conditioners, Wind Turbines, Water Turbines, Power Inverters, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) Lamps. Other fiscal incentives: • One-off tax holiday of two years for corporation tax to importers of items for wind and solar energy investments. • Excise tax exemption on hybrid and electric vehicles: ➢ At this time, electric vehicles less than 4 years old (0% Duty, 0% Excise Tax, 14% VAT only), 4 to 8 years old (0% Duty, 0% Excise Tax, 0% VAT) ➢ Electric scooters (20%, 10%, 14%), hybrid vehicles (45% and 14%). • Granting of tax exemptions to set up electric vehicle charging stations. • Zero-rating the excise tax on biofuel. Guyana will continue to conduct energy audits and replace inefficient lighting at public, residential and commercial buildings to reduce energy consumption. Public education and awareness programmes will continue to play a major role in providing consumers with information and tools to reduce energy consumption and expenditure. Guyana will implement other policies to encourage energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, including building codes and net-metering of residential renewable power. Capacity-building needs The capacity development needs for the implementation of the Technology Action Plan (TAP) for Mitigation (2018) actions and activities and the strengthening of the enabling framework for the energy 16 sector’s technologies include project management, financial management, investment and trade, and market development, among others. For the agricultural sector, the technology focus is freshwater harvesting, and agrometeorology for forecasting and early warning. One of the non-financial critical barriers identified was limited technical capacity. Identified measures include: 10-year forecasting study of projected investments and support skills requirements, sustained strategic public awareness and education campaign and improved/robust/clear updated policy and regulatory framework with local content requirements. The National Climate Change Committee Circa 1998, the first multi-stakeholder National Climate Committee (NCC) was convened within the Ministry of Agriculture to provide climate advisory services to the Government of Guyana. The Chief Hydro-meteorological Officer was the chair of that committee. The OCC was first formed in 2009 to coincide with Guyana’s commitment to a low-carbon development focus of the economy. At that time, the NCC was reorganised into the NCCC. In recognition of the global climate crisis and the need to optimise the efficiency of its climate governance, Guyana relaunched the NCCC in August 2018 to serve as the consultative body in support of the OCC´s operational mandate.23 At the relaunched forum, Mrs. Janelle Christian, Head of OCCC, said24: “We are known as a country that has always positioned climate change at the highest level… This has to be complimented (sic) by a structure or a system that will support Government agencies as they set policies and establish national priorities. [The NCCC] will… involve those who are responsible for negotiation at the international level… It involves those who are responsible for national planning and [the] national budget… It involves academia for research. It involves those who are responsible for key economic sectors… It is time that the Office of Climate Change [re-establishes] the mechanism that is critical to setting the priorities from the start and also advancing [the] implementation of actions across sectors.” Terms of reference Draft terms of reference (ToR) have been developed for the NCCC (Annex 1). They show the main objective of the NCCC is to be responsible for the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into relevant policies, strategies and/or plans. The Committee will also provide guidance and support to the implementation of all levels of sectoral initiatives with respect to climate change. The anticipated specific functions are as follows: • To provide guidance, technical and/or scientific advice particularly in the formulation and implementation of sector strategies, action plans and awareness raising programmes; 23 https://motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-53-36/3125-occ-re-launches-national-climate-change-committee 24 Ibid. https://motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-53-36/3125-occ-re-launches-national-climate-change-committee 17 • To coordinate and monitor the development and/or implementation of their sectoral adaptation and mitigation strategies and action plans, with technical and financial support to be provided through the Office of Climate Change, where applicable; • To mainstream and integrate climate change considerations, inter alia, in legislations, regulations, policies, national strategies, sector plans; • To participate in the development of annual workplan and formulate activities for implementation of relevant sections of the National Climate Change Policy of Guyana including creating awareness of such activities; • Members of the NCCC to prepare and submit periodic monitoring reports on their sector strategies and action plans; • To coordinate information sharing on national, bilateral and/or multilateral initiatives of their respective ministry, department/agency. This will support the cohesiveness of plans and activities between the various sectors; • To establish Task Forces to address issues/activities that are critical to the implementation of climate related initiatives within sector agencies; • To participate in national pre-Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings to guide Guyana´s participation at the Intersessional and Annual Meetings of UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement: o To establish a sub-committee within the NCCC to serve as the Task Force for Climate Finance. The Task Force shall: Identify national funding priorities for engagement with the climate finance fund sources; o Review project concepts/proposals and issue recommendations to the NDA for their consideration for no-objection and submission to the GCF for financing; o Review applications and issue recommendation to the NDA in consideration of prospective direct access entity seeking accreditation to the GCF. Membership The NCCC has an indicative list of 32 members distributed into the following four categories: government, including academia (26), non-governmental organisations (4), indigenous peoples’ constitutional representative (1), private sector (1). The members of the NCCC are the Heads of the relevant ministries, selected departments and agencies or nominated by the Heads as the Focal Points. According to the draft ToR, the “Focal Point shall be an individual in senior position, preferably at the managerial level or higher with decision-making authority. It is expected that the Focal Points’ selection will be based on their knowledge and experience on matters relating to policy formulation and/or institutional planning of their respective Ministry, Department and/or Agency. The incumbent will be supported to formulate activities to implement the relevant sections of the National Climate Change Policy of Guyana including creating awareness of such activities”. Each relevant ministry, department and agency will also nominate an alternate NCCC member. The ToR infers, and this Strategic plan emphasises, that the acceptance of nominees to the NCCC lies with the OCC, Chair of the NCCC. In that way, the OCC will meet the expectation that those who sit on 18 the committee have relevant experience and influence in their respective agency and bring that to the table. Such representation should result in greater to the review process for documents such as NDCs, GHG inventories, and national communications, than what presently obtains. The NCCC shall retain the right, exercised through the OCC, to co-opt technical expertise from time to time. Meetings It is anticipated that meetings will be held at least once per quarter, and convened by the Minister with responsibility for climate change. The NCCC will have the power of convening additional meetings based on needs and availability of resources. Members of the NCCC are expected to prepare and submit periodic monitoring reports on their sector strategies and action plans prior to meeting; clearly outlining the achievements, challenges and recommendations. Of the five areas of support expected from the OCC to the NCCC is to assist, with the support of development partners, in identifying and/or organising and implementing training initiatives to support the development of the skills and competencies that will enable the NCCC to effectively carry out its functions. Baseline capacity assessment of the NCCC Under the present GCF Readiness Project, a baseline capacity needs assessment of the NCCC, using a survey instrument, was conducted in 2019 to enable the strengthening of the capacity of the committee through eventual targeted training. The assessment was conducted prior to an OCC-facilitated training workshop on the Paris Agreement and revised NDCs. The findings from the survey (25 respondents) can be extrapolated to the wider NCCC (32 members), and summarised as follows: Result area 1: Key bio-data of members of the NCCC As many females (12) as males (13) participated in the survey, and that is an important gender representation (age as a proxy for gender). The age range distribution indicates that the majority (88%) of respondents were over 30 years of age; about one-half (52%) were between 30-40 years old; and one fifth over 50 years of age. This age distribution suggests a very good opportunity for the seniors (over 50 years) to share knowledge and experience with middle managers (typically between ages 30-40 years) to prepare them for leadership especially given the fact that they almost all reported the attainment of a Master’s degree as the highest level of education (84%). An additional opportunity is to guide the junior functionaries (typically below 30 years of age) along the development curve. All of the respondents live on the low coastal plain, which increases the chances of full attendance at NCCC meetings, which are held in Georgetown, but indicates a possible lack of representation from hinterland regions, where climate change vulnerabilities also exist. The hinterland is also the new frontier for agricultural development25 and the development of indigenous peoples26. 25 https://dpi.gov.gy/two-pronged-approach-needed-to-minimize-climate-change-advance-agricultural-development agri-minister/ 26 https://dpi.gov.gy/vision-2040-pushing-development-in-indigenous-communities-min-of-state/ https://dpi.gov.gy/two-pronged-approach-needed-to-minimize-climate-change-advance-agricultural-development-agri-minister/ https://dpi.gov.gy/two-pronged-approach-needed-to-minimize-climate-change-advance-agricultural-development-agri-minister/ https://dpi.gov.gy/vision-2040-pushing-development-in-indigenous-communities-min-of-state/ 19 Result area 2: Professional competence of members of the NCCC As a baseline, respondents indicated they have knowledge of, and experience, with the following: • donor-funded projects; • revision of project proposals; • making recommendations on project proposals to the NDA; and • procurement. Both National Communications submitted to the UNFCCC reported the role of the NCCC However, there is a lack of expertise in the following areas: • GCF accreditation requirements. Respondents felt that they were not positioned to review applications and issue recommendations to the NDA for prospective direct access entities seeking accreditation to the GCF; • The UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement to guide Guyana´s participation at the intersessional and annual meetings; • Risk analysis, climate modelling, GHG inventory; climate scenarios, and climate vulnerability assessments; • National Determined Contributions; • Climate finance, risk analysis. Respondents mostly access information regarding climate change on the internet, are open to receiving information from all sources including e-mail, short message service (SMS) and WhatsApp, however, there is a preference for workshops, trainings or conferences on the capacity building topics mentioned above. Other areas that were suggested for training were: climate vulnerability, gender inclusion in climate change, communications strategy, donor requirements for preparation of proposals, negotiation and international relations and M&E. Result area 3: Enabling environment for the work of the NCCC A majority of the respondents (80%) agreed that the draft TOR clearly outlines the role of the NCCC, and that it should be given a legal mandate to provide guidance, technical and/or scientific advice particularly in the formulation and implementation of sector strategies, action plans and awareness raising (70%). Respondents felt that a legal mandate would better position the NCCC to be effective and efficient. “In the absence of a legal mandate much work may be done but not implemented by the relevant sectors. There must be a tool to make policy become active” said one respondent. Another said “It gives the body a legal basis for all its work and also gives it life beyond political transitions/changes”. Those respondents in the minority, who did not support a legal mandate for the NCCC, indicated the legal mandate should remain with the OCC with some devolution of authority to the NCCC, which should continue its role as an advisory body. Respondents concurred that the main role and responsibilities of the NCCC are to guide the formulation and implementation of sector strategies and action plans and to mainstream climate change 20 considerations in legislation, regulations, policies, national strategies and sector plans. However, the NCCC terms of reference should be subject to continuous or periodic review to ensure the objectives are met, and to make adjustments when necessary. A few respondents felt that the terms of reference should be tightened to make the roles clearer. For example, regarding the third objective, should the NCCC be responsible for mainstreaming climate change considerations or simply provide advice on how that might be done? Respondents were open to receiving information from all sources with a preference for workshops, trainings or conferences. There was division among respondents on the availability and management of financial resources for climate related initiatives within agencies. While most respondents indicated the availability of such funds, many felt that the amounts were either too inadequate, tended to be exclusively from donor agencies and used primarily for education and awareness. Slightly more respondents (56%) did not support the view that there was adequate thematic specialisation in government Ministries/Departments/Units to support the implementation of sector strategies and action plans compared to those who did (44%). When asked whether there was adequate thematic specialisation in government Ministries/Departments/Units to perform M&E of sector strategies and action plans, just over three-quarters (76%) of respondents said no. A similar level of response was offered for the question on whether existing M&E systems to monitor the development and/or implementation of sectoral adaptation and mitigation strategies and action plans were adequate. Existing institutional arrangements do support information sharing on national, bilateral and/or multilateral initiatives of the agencies but there is room for improvement. SWOT analysis of the NCCC A previous section established the expected changes in Guyana’s climate throughout the 21st century. Coordinating an effective national response to climate change threats requires strong coordination frameworks to deliver climate governance and allow Guyana to develop along a green path. A SWOT analysis (Box 2) of the NCCC was carried out based on the baseline capacity assessment survey results and other information contained in sectoral documents. The results are itemised below and also summarised graphically in Figure 2. Strengths: • There is a good mix of highly qualified and gender-balanced senior, middle-management and junior functionaries represented on the NCCC that allows for succession building, equity and execution; • NCCC members live on the low coastal plain natural region and understand its vulnerability to climate change; • NCCC membership spread brings together representatives from key sector agencies that allows for an integrated diagnosis (e.g. vulnerability and technology-needs-assessment), design (e.g. NAP) and response (e.g. NCCPAP, NDC) to climate change; 21 • The NCCC benefits from a highly evolved national system of policy, laws, and institutional responses to climate change processes; • The OCC is appropriately placed in government to act as a vehicle to anchor the policy, legal, administrative, technical remit of the NCCC; • There is broad agreement among NCCC members on the main role of the NCCC, which is to provide guidance in the formulation and implementation of sector strategies and action plans and to mainstream climate change considerations in legislation, regulations, policies, national strategies and sector plans; • The NCCC members have experience working with and managing donor-funded projects, and are capable of revising externally funded project proposals and making recommendations on the said proposals to the NDA; • Existing institutional arrangements do support information sharing on national, bilateral and/or multilateral initiatives of the agencies. Weaknesses: • Although highly qualified and experienced in their own professional areas, NCCC members lack competence on GCF accreditation requirements, and therefore are unable to review applications and issue recommendations to the NDA for prospective direct access entities seeking accreditation to the GCF. They also lack knowledge of how to access other climate funds; • NCCC members are not well-grounded in the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement to allow them to effectively participate in the intersessional and annual meetings of the convention; • NCCC members have limited knowledge of risk analysis, climate modelling and GHG inventory, and therefore rely on the expertise of consulting experts at great opportunity costs; • There is a systemic lack of climate change thematic specialisation in government institutional architecture to support implementation of sector strategies and action plans coherently; • M&E systems to monitor the development and/or implementation of sectoral adaptation and mitigation strategies and action plans are inadequate, and this has a negative impact on engagement and accountability; • As a collective, the NCCC is ill-equipped to support evidence-based decision making at national and sub-national levels; • The absence of a legal mandate to the NCCC impacts negatively the continuity of full-time membership, coordinated delivery and Box 2: SWOT & Problem Tree Analyses SWOT SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and is a framework used to evaluate an entity and to develop strategic planning. Problem tree analysis A problem tree analysis maps out the causes and effects around an issue so that the central issue might be broken down into manageable and definable areas. It is usually a participatory process but may be attempted by an individual based on adequate existing data and information, and then validated with knowledgeable persons within the sector. The problem tree analysis is used to build the objective tree analysis, which proposes solutions to the core and contributory issues that are being addressed. While the baseline capacity assessment of the NCCC was the main document consulted for the SWOT analysis, other documents provided contextual and background information such as the NCCPAP, CRSAP, NAP, TNA and TAP. 22 uptake of technical advisory services, visibility and representation at international fora. In short, there are serious reputational risks. Opportunities: • The strong commitment of central government to the creation of a green state and to international agreements on climate change and sustainable development offers an enabling policy environment for the work of the NCCC; • The institutional hosting of the OCC within the Ministry of the Presidency and the relaunch of the NCCC in 2018 sends a strong signal of the seriousness of the government’s national approach to climate governance; • A focus on the hinterland as the new frontier for agricultural development and indigenous peoples’ development both signals an understanding of the vulnerability of the low coastal plain to the impacts of climate change and the opportunities that inhere in the hinterland for food security and sustainable land use practices, and provides opportunity for increase in hinterland representation on the NCCC; • Ongoing and continuing efforts to build effective partnerships with climate funds (e.g. GCF, GEF, AF) and international development partners (e.g. FAO) increase the likelihood of financing for national level technical and administrative competence in the field of climate change; • The flexibility of NCCC members to receive climate change capacity building information from all sources including e-mail, SMS, social media and instructional content via workshops, trainings or conferences increases the ease with which capacity building might be delivered; • The availability of a wide range of design options and delivery mechanisms for capacity building in climate change, increases the likelihood of overcoming the main capacity barriers to the NCCC’s effectiveness. Threats • Failure to provide a legal mandate to the NCCC may impair its ability to functions as a national consultative body on climate change and damage OCC’s capacity to effectively deliver coordinated climate governance; • Maintenance of systemic barriers to the mainstreaming of climate change considerations in legislation, regulations, policies, national strategies and sector plans will continue to defeat coordinated annual national programme development and budgeting exercises that prioritise climate change and therefore replace or better complement episodal activities driven by externally funded programmes and projects; • The absence of a national agricultural sector policy in line with the GSDS and CARICOM’s common agricultural policy may threaten the effectiveness of OCC’s coordinated response to climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector; • Lack of harmonisation of policies, laws, institutional arrangements, strategies and plans across the key climate change sectors of agriculture, forestry, water resources, energy and transportation may negatively impact the ability of OCC and NCCC to deliver climate governance. 23 Figure 2: Summary of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the NCCC •Enabling national policy framework •Focus on hinterland development •Flexibility on capacity building platforms •Lack of legal mandate •Systemic barriers to mainstreaming of climate change •Lack of harminisation of policies, laws and strategies •Lack of competence in key areas GCF, UNFCCC •No climate change specialisation in government service •No M&E system for climate change •Highly evolved enabling environment •Competent professional NCCC members •Agreement on main role of the NCCC •Institutional arrangeemnts support data sharing. Strengths Weaknesses OpportunitiesThreats Problem tree analysis of the NCCC Effect 2: Fragmented implementation of climate change sector strategies & action plans Effect 3: Climate change considerations are not mainstreamed/integrated into strategies and plans Problem Statement: NCCC has low capacity as a consultative body on climate change Cause 1.b: Inadequate systems to monitor development and/or implementation of sectoral adaptation & mitigation strategies and action plans Effect 1: Limited direct access to climate finance to support climate change processes Effect 4: No lead technical role in the preparation/ interrogation of climate change reports Cause 1: Weak structural and functional support to implementation of sector strategies and action plans Cause 3: Insufficient capacity for evidence-based decision making at national and sub-national levels Cause 2.a: Lack of legal mandate of the NCCC Cause 2: No legal certainty to mainstream & integrate climate change considerations into strategies and plans Cause 1.a: Lack of climate change thematic specialisation in government institutions Cause 3.a: Limited knowledge of climate modelling and GHG inventory Cause 3.c: Limited knowledge of GCF accreditation requirements Cause 3.b: Limited knowledge of risk analysis Cause 2.b: Insufficient knowledge of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement Figure 3: Problem tree analysis of the capacity assessment of the National Climate Change Committee Links to UNFCCC processes Decision 2/CP.10 Capacity building for developing countries (non-Annex I Parties), included the need “to strengthen institutional arrangements at the national level to coordinate implementation consistent with decision 2/CP.7 (capacity building framework) as a way of promoting integration of climate change issues into the national planning processes so as to increase effectiveness and sustainability of outcomes”. Since then, the COP to the UNFCCC requested the UNFCCC Secretariat to produce annually a synthesis report on activities undertaken to implement the framework for capacity building in developing countries established under the capacity-building framework. The COP also requested the secretariat to make the report available to the Subsidiary Body for Implementation at its sessions coinciding with the annual Durban Forum on capacity-building to facilitate discussions. In addition, it decided that the report will serve as input to the Paris Committee on Capacity-building. The key findings from the NCCC baseline capacity assessment can be linked to the 2018 UNFCCC synthesis report on implementation of the framework for capacity building in developing countries (Table 2). A major gap in capacity building is the need for additional expertise and technical training at the various levels in subjects ranging from data management to risk analysis and climate modelling. Specific to global temperature concerns, such expertise will assist developing countries like Guyana to implement, maintain, manage, govern and further develop mitigation options to help limit global warming to 1.5°C. While more national policies and dedicated government entities for climate change are in place in developing countries, including Guyana, the presence of systemic barriers in sector institutions do not allow for thematic specialisations for implementation and monitoring of climate change strategies and plans. In terms of increasing access to climate finance - not an area covered in the capacity building framework Guyana, like other developing countries, is pursuing financing for projects that aim to improve developing countries’ capacity to access existing climate funds. However, the second type of access for projects that aim to secure additional climate finance sources, usually by attempting to increase investments from the private sector or by helping to direct local investments into small and medium enterprises, is still unrealised in Guyana. The impact of climate change on the financial stability of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas economy is recognised in the GSDS. Guyana has developed an excellent MRVS for REDD+, driven by the needs of the bilateral forest carbon agreement with the Kingdom of Norway. The MRVS and other REDD+ readiness architecture enable Guyana to effectively demonstrate that REDD+ can work under specific conditions. With this opportunity cost gained, Guyana can now focus some attention on emerging areas such as gender mainstreaming in climate change, renewable energy transition, and building capacity for climate change negotiations. It is anticipated that lessons learned from establishing the MRVS for forest monitoring will be used to guide similar change processes for energy (power generation), transport and agriculture. Table 2. Comparison between findings by the UNFCCC on the Implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries (2018)27, the SR15 Report on knowledge gaps and the Guyana baseline assessment of the NCCC. Summary of UNFCCC findings Related SR15 knowledge gaps Related Guyana capacity baseline assessment of NCCC The use of the data collected for national reports beyond their inclusion in the reports needs to be assessed. Some developing countries see the preparation of NCs and BURs (Biennial Update Reports) as a capacity-building opportunity and actively use the collected data for other purposes, including tracking and monitoring performance, after the submission of the national reports. However, in other countries the information contained in the NCs and BURs is scarcely used after the submission of the reports. Lack of 1.5°C-specific literature There is a lack of monitoring and evaluation of adaptation measures, with most studies enumerating M&E challenges and emphasising the importance of context and social learning. Very few studies evaluate whether and why an adaptation initiative has been effective. The lack of thematic specialisation in sector agencies, lack of M&E expertise and inadequate financing to support implementation of sector strategies and action plans may disincentivise use of data collected for national reports such as the INC and SNC. Progress has been made with respect to capacity building at the institutional, systemic and individual level. More national policies and dedicated government entities for climate change are in place, various awareness-raising and educational activities are being undertaken and climate change is increasingly being integrated in school curricula. While importance of indigenous and local knowledge is recognised, the ability to scale up beyond the local remains challenging and little examined. There is highly evolved national system of policy, laws, and institutional responses to climate change processes. However, systemic barriers exist in sector institutions. Many developing countries still express a need for additional expertise and technical training at the local, subnational and national level. Systematic data collection, database management, data analysis and consistent integration of climate change issues into policies constitute major challenges for some countries. Better data collection may also be used to develop more accurate risk models and early warning systems. Knowledge gaps on how to build capabilities across all countries and regions globally to implement, maintain, manage, govern and further develop mitigation options for 1.5°C NCCC members lack expertise in risk analysis, climate modelling, greenhouse gas inventory, GCF accreditation requirements, UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. 27 https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2018/sbi/eng/05.pdf https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2018/sbi/eng/05.pdf 27 Some of the emerging or new areas for capacity building identified in the national reports are the MRV of mitigation actions, readiness for and access to climate finance, and NDCs. Emerging areas are: gender, climate vulnerability, communications, donor requirements for proposals, negotiation and M&E. Despite the progress made, MRV is still widely cited as an area where capacity needs to be strengthened in terms of both expertise and supporting measurement tools. Guyana has a world class MRVS that supports payment for forest carbon services. Further capacity-building is needed to make better use of the websites and platforms and to strengthen cooperation among stakeholder groups. At the same time, access to information remains an issue for some developing countries – especially their rural populations, whose access to the Internet or educational facilities may be limited. Climate change information is readily accessible from online sources, but there is no common platform to strengthen cooperation. However, there is a preference for workshops, trainings or conferences. Clearer reporting standards on capacity-building support provided may be required so that reporting is done in a more consistent manner, enabling a better compilation and aggregation of the data for tracking and monitoring. An emerging need of developing countries is the translation of their NDCs into concrete, sector specific plans of action. More generally, some countries expressed their need for a systematic identification of their capacity-building needs and more financial support opportunities to address them. Financial support is required and is being sought from donors such as the GCF and IDB to finance policy reforms and capacity building of the agricultural and energy sectors. Two types of support were identified to increase access to climate finance. The first type is for projects that aim to improve developing countries’ capacity to access existing climate funds, which may involve technical assistance and/or support for relevant reporting activities. The second type is for projects that aim to secure additional climate finance sources, usually by attempting to increase investments from the private sector or by helping to Role of regulatory financial institutions and their capacity to guarantee financial stability of economies when investments potentially face risks, both because of climate impacts and because of the systems transitions if lower temperature scenarios are pursued. While climate finance funding is available, it remains inadequate, tends to be exclusively from donor agencies and is used primarily for education and awareness. In addition, there is lack of skills (and in some cases data and information) needed to develop proposals to access climate funds such as the GCF and the Adaptation Fund (AF). 28 direct local investments into small and medium enterprises. Additional capacity-building, including more research, is needed to increase knowledge about the linkages between gender and climate change and to mainstream the inclusion of gender perspectives in climate change policy and action. Gender and climate change is an emerging area for capacity building. Essequibo River discharges into the Atlantic Ocean (mapas.owje.com) Climate finance The NCCC baseline capacity assessment revealed that while climate finance funding is available, it remains inadequate. This section provides information on existing sources of climate financing. Some developing countries like Guyana have expressed their need for a systematic identification of their capacity-building needs and more financial support opportunities to address them. The UNFCCC findings contained in the SR 15 Report identified two types of support to increase access to climate finance: • The first type is for projects that aim to improve developing countries’ capacity to access existing climate funds, which may involve technical assistance and/or support for relevant reporting activities. • The second type is for projects that aim to secure additional climate finance sources, usually by attempting to increase investments from the private sector or by helping to direct local investments into small and medium enterprises. Bilateral climate financing Developing countries received annually in 2015 and 2016, US$31.7 billion from developed countries, while climate related overseas development assistance (ODA) contributed US$430.3 billion. 28 Table 3 shows the sources, amounts and priorities of the bilateral funding. Table 3. Bilateral sources of climate funds to developing countries as overseas development assistance. County / Institution ODA (US$ billion) Priorities Other information Germany International Climate Initiative (IKI)29 2.6 500 mitigation, adaptation and REDD+ projects since 2008 Together with UK and Denmark, supports the Global Climate Partnership Fund (GCPF)30; Together with the UK, supports the REDD+ Early Movers Program (REM) UK International Climate Finance (ICF)31 12.7 committed through 2021 CIF and GCF priorities Together with Germany, Denmark and the EU, contributes to the NAMA Facility. Norway International Forest Climate Initiative NIFCI)32 0.35 each year since 2008 REDD+ activities in Brazil, Guyana, Indonesia and Tanzania, among others. 28 https://unfccc.int/topics/climate-finance/resources/biennial-assessment-of-climate-finance 29 https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/ 30 https://www.gcpf.lu/investing-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency.html# 31 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-climate-finance 32 https://norad.no/en/front/thematic-areas/climate-change-and-environment/norways-international-climate-and-forest initiative-nicfi/ https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/ https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/ https://www.gcpf.lu/investing-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency.html https://www.gcpf.lu/investing-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency.html https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-climate-finance https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-climate-finance https://norad.no/en/front/thematic-areas/climate-change-and-environment/norways-international-climate-and-forest-initiative-nicfi/ https://norad.no/en/front/thematic-areas/climate-change-and-environment/norways-international-climate-and-forest-initiative-nicfi/ https://norad.no/en/front/thematic-areas/climate-change-and-environment/norways-international-climate-and-forest-initiative-nicfi/ https://unfccc.int/topics/climate-finance/resources/biennial-assessment-of-climate-finance https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/ https://www.gcpf.lu/investing-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency.html https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-climate-finance https://norad.no/en/front/thematic-areas/climate-change-and-environment/norways-international-climate-and-forest-initiative-nicfi/ https://norad.no/en/front/thematic-areas/climate-change-and-environment/norways-international-climate-and-forest-initiative-nicfi/ 30 Four forested developed countries have shown support for HFLD countries like Guyana: Canada, Finland, France and Norway33. While these countries have all signed agreements for substantive disbursements to the GCF - Canada (US$102 million), Finland (US$107 million), France (US$1 billion) and Norway (US$272 million), they have separately developed and financed innovative mechanisms around forests: • Canadian Government’s annual disbursements to bilateral projects linked to forests totalled CAD$2.33 million in 2015-16 and CAD$1.83 million in 2016-2017. Canada developed a model forest concept in 1990 to promote sustainable management of forests and the larger landscapes that surround them, including forests, farms, protected areas, rivers and towns. Today, the International Model Forest Network accounts for 61 model forests, 37 countries and 65 million hectares of forests. • Arguably, Finland has the largest forest-based bioeconomy in the world. The Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation (Finnfund) is 94% owned by the Government of Finland and is a member of the European Development Finance Institutions. At the end of 2018, Finnfund had made Euros 800 million worth of investments across 45 developing countries through a Finnpartnership program led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Annual financing is worth Euros 150-200 million. • The French Global Environment Facility (FFEM) supports States in the forestry sector to increase the storage capacities of forests, and to ensure that forest products harvesting practices are compatible with the conservation of biodiversity, the well-being of local communities and the maintenance of the carbon stock. FFEM is one of the main funders of CIFOR and funds innovations in the field of climate change (FISP-Climat). Grants amount to Euros 5 million per year. • The Government of Norway has established bilateral REDD+ partnerships with HFLDs such as Guyana and Democratic Republic of Congo through its International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI). Norway is the single largest donor of REDD+ initiatives, globally, and funds developing countries actions in all three phases of REDD+. Multilateral climate financing Multilateral funding sources offer the biggest opportunity to scale up climate finance in orders of magnitude than can deliver long-term and transformational results for developing countries. The World Bank group, one of the six largest multilateral development banks34 operates the US$8.08 billion Climate Investment Fund (CIF), of which one-third (US$2.63 billion) is used for a Strategic Climate Fund (SCF). A key programme of the SCF is Forest Investment Programme (FIP), which supports developing countries’ REDD efforts and promote SFM (see Table 4). A quarter of the capital can be used for grant payments. What is attractive about the FIP is that it is intended to be country-led and country-owned and a dedicated initiative for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) is part of its design. A key criterion for FIP investment strategies is climate change mitigation potential. Although the FIP is 33 https://www.hfldclimatefinance.com/page/1382599/results 34 http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/06/13/mdb-climate-finance-hit-record-high-of-us352-billion-in 2017 https://www.hfldclimatefinance.com/page/1382599/results http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/06/13/mdb-climate-finance-hit-record-high-of-us352-billion-in-2017 http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/06/13/mdb-climate-finance-hit-record-high-of-us352-billion-in-2017 31 subject to the CIF’s sunset clause and may not be available when the GCF is fully set up, developing countries could develop a strategy to have these funds support priority activities. The World Bank has also established the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)35, Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR)36 and the Bio Carbon Fund37 in collaboration with other partners that offer other opportunities to developing countries. Guyana is participant to the FCPF process and has received disbursements from the World Bank through IDB as delivery partner for REDD+ readiness activities. As FCPF participant countries develop and implement their REDD+ strategies, they have opportunity to leverage several sources of funds including the Bio Carbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL). Zambia offers a good country example where the ISFL operates. Other MDBs are from the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank Group. In October 2017 the Islamic Development Bank joined the MDB climate finance tracking groups, and its climate finance figures will be included in joint reports from 2018 onwards. UN agencies serve as intermediaries of climate finance. The UN-REDD Programme (2008) is administered by UNDP, UNEP and FAO. The UN-REDD governance structure gives voice and participation to civil society and indigenous peoples. Other relevant information: ● The IFC estimates that the NDCs of 21 emerging market economies alone represent $23 trillion by 2030 in investment opportunities. ● Overall, a shift to low-carbon, resilient economies could translate into $26 trillion in global economic benefits through to 2030. ● Climate financing by the six MDBs rose to a seven-year high of $35.2 billion in 2017, up 28 per cent in 2016. $27.9 billion, or 79 per cent of the 2017 total, was devoted to climate mitigation projects that aim to reduce harmful emissions and slow down global warming. The remaining 21 per cent, or $7.4 billion, of financing for emerging and developing nations was invested in climate adaptation projects that help economies deal with the effects of climate change such as unusual levels of rain, worsening droughts and extreme weather events. ● The MDBs are continuing to align their financial flows with the Paris Agreement, supporting the implementation of the NDCs and facilitating activities that transition development towards low GHG emissions and climate resilient development. ● The World Bank Group (WBG), in partnership with the UN has announced a new platform for climate action, Invest4Climate38, designed to bring together national governments, financial institutions, 35 https://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/ 36 https://www.thepmr.org/ 37 https://www.biocarbonfund-isfl.org/ 38 https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange/brief/mobilizing-finance-for-climate-action-through-the invest4climate-platform https://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/ https://www.thepmr.org/ https://www.thepmr.org/ https://www.biocarbonfund-isfl.org/ http://www.afdb.org/en/ http://www.adb.org/ http://www.ebrd.com/home http://www.ebrd.com/home http://www.eib.org/ http://www.iadb.org/en/inter-american-development-bank,2837.html http://www.iadb.org/en/inter-american-development-bank,2837.html https://www.un-redd.org/ http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/news ext content/ifc external corporate site/news+and+events/news/new+ifc+report+points+to+%2423+trillion+of+climate-smart+investment+opportunities+in+emerging+markets+by+2030 http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/news ext content/ifc external corporate site/news+and+events/news/new+ifc+report+points+to+%2423+trillion+of+climate-smart+investment+opportunities+in+emerging+markets+by+2030 https://newclimateeconomy.report/2018/ https://newclimateeconomy.report/2018/ http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange/brief/mobilizing-finance-for-climate-action-through-the-invest4climate-platform https://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/ https://www.thepmr.org/ https://www.biocarbonfund-isfl.org/ https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange/brief/mobilizing-finance-for-climate-action-through-the-invest4climate-platform https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange/brief/mobilizing-finance-for-climate-action-through-the-invest4climate-platform 32 investors, philanthropies, and multilateral banks to support transformational climate investments in developing countries. ● The WBG Forest Action Plan39 identifies two focus areas for WBG engagement during 2016-2020: (i) sustainable forestry, where the WBG aims to have investments contributing to sustainable management of forests and value chains, and (ii) forest-smart interventions, where the WBG aims to have interventions in other sectors not come at the expense of forest capital. In December 2018, the WBG announced a new set of climate targets for 2021-2025, doubling its current 5-year investments to around $200 billion in support for countries to take ambitious climate action. Climate Funds The main climate funds40 are: (i) the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), (ii) the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund, (iii) the Adaptation Fund (AF), (iv) the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF), (v) the European Union’s funds for Climate Action, and (vi) the GCF. These funds and others supplement MDB climate finance (Table 4). In 2017, the same adaptation and mitigation projects that received $35.2 billion of multilateral development finance also attracted an additional $51.7 billion from other sources of financing.41 Table 4. Main climate funds, pledges, and priorities. Climate Fund Total Pledge Priorities Other information Climate Investment Fund Est. in 2008 Administered by the World Bank US$8.08 billion Clean Technology Fund: 5.44 billion Strategic Climate Fund: 2.63 billion Accelerates climate action by empowering transformations in clean technology, energy access, climate resilience, and sustainable forests in developing and MICS. Operation of fund to cease in 2019 due to establishment of the GCF. Global Environment Facility Trust Fund Est. in 1991 Operating entity of the Financial Mechanism of the UNFCCC. GEF-7: US$4.1 billion Five focal areas but with reduced envelope for climate change (US$900 million) compared to US$1.26 billion in the GEF-6 cycle. New Impact Programmes on Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration; Sustainable Forest Management; and Sustainable Cities. Adaptation Fund Project pipeline US$250 million. Received US$129 million in new pledges. Climate change adaptation and resilience projects and programmes for the most vulnerable communities of developing countries See AF 5-year Medium Term Strategy 2018-202242. Inclusive country-driven priorities and pr0cesses. One of the four cross-cutting themes 39 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/24451/K8860.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y 40 https://climatefundsupdate.org/about-climate-finance/ 41 http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/06/13/mdb-climate-finance-hit-record-high-of-us352-billion-in 2017 42 https://www.adaptation-fund.org/document/medium-term-strategy-2018-2022/ https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/12/03/world-bank-group-announces-200-billion-over-five-years-for-climate-action http://www-cif.climateinvestmentfunds.org/ https://www.thegef.org/ https://www.adaptation-fund.org/ http://geeref.com/ https://ec.europa.eu/clima/index en https://www.greenclimate.fund/home https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/24451/K8860.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y https://climatefundsupdate.org/about-climate-finance/ http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/06/13/mdb-climate-finance-hit-record-high-of-us352-billion-in-2017 http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/06/13/mdb-climate-finance-hit-record-high-of-us352-billion-in-2017 https://www.adaptation-fund.org/document/medium-term-strategy-2018-2022/ 33 Est. 2001 under the Kyoto Protocol Operated by the UNFCCC and finance with proceeds from the CDM. is: “strengthening long-term institutional and technical capacity for effective adaptation”. Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund Est. 2008 European Investment Bank Small projects less than EUR10 million Specialize in financing small and medium-sized project developers and enterprises (SMEs) to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in developing countries and economies in transition. Green Climate Fund Est. 2015 Operating entity of the Financial Mechanism of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement US$10.3 billion Supports the efforts of developing countries to respond to the challenge of climate change. Portfolio is divided equally between mitigation and adaptation actions. GCF is expected to become the primary channel for international public financial flows. A dashboard with Climate Funds Update is available here.43 Regional funds include the following: ● Amazon Fund44 ● Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility45 43 https://climatefundsupdate.org/data-dashboard/#1541245664327-538690dc-b9a8 44 http://www.amazonfund.gov.br/en/home/ 45 https://www.ccrif.org/ https://climatefundsupdate.org/data-dashboard/#1541245664327-538690dc-b9a8 http://www.amazonfund.gov.br/en/home/ https://www.ccrif.org/ https://climatefundsupdate.org/data-dashboard/#1541245664327-538690dc-b9a8 http://www.amazonfund.gov.br/en/home/ https://www.ccrif.org/ 34 Strategic plan for the NCCC This section sets the vision for long-term alignment of the NCCC to the GSDS, Paris Agreement and SDGs; it rearranges the draft objectives of the NCCC, articulates strategic performance measures and identifies strategic initiatives that contribute to delivering the strategy. Finally, in this section the strategic risks are identified and suggestions on how to manage the strategy are explored. Strategic planning is a process of looking into the future and identifying trends and issues against which to align organisational priorities of the NCCC as a creature of the OCC46. It is important that the strategic plan for the NCCC drives its focus, accountability and results. The Strategic plan and Capacity Building Plans received review comments the NCCC at a virtual stakeholder workshop held on 19 May 202o (see Annex 2). Name change The National Climate Change Committee shall be renamed the National Climate Change Advisory Committee (NCCAC) of Guyana – the long name. The short or working name shall remain National Climate Change Committee. Vision statement (proposed) A working version of a vision statement for the NCCC is presented below. It is recommended that the members of the NCCC have a detailed discussion about it, as it is very important that the proposed vision fits the majority view within the group and that it is acceptable to the OCC. By 2025, the National Climate Change Committee operates as the premier consultative body that coordinates effective and sustained national support for the Office of Climate Change’s mandate to build Guyana’s climate change resilience. Mission statement (proposed) A working version of a mission statement for the NCCC is presented below. It is recommended that the members of the NCCC have a detailed discussion about it, as it is very important that the proposed mission 46 www.strategymanagementinstitute.com Box 3: Vision statement setting An organisation's vision describes how it will appear when it reaches its full potential. Successful vision statements have three key ingredients – time horizon, measurability and a unique approach. When defining a vision it would be useful to take the three questions listed below into consideration. • In what way would you like NCCC to improve the situation within the sectors in the next 10 years? • What kind of role would the members of the NCCC and the NCCC have in the realisation of this vision, what resources are necessary and what requirements have to be met in order to do so? • What would success look like? The vision should not be composed of more than one or two sentences and should be the result of a joint effort by NCCC members and the OCC. http://www.strategymanagementinstitute.com/ http://www.undp.org/content/dam/bosnia and herzegovina/docs/Research&Publications/Democratic%20Governance/Handbook%20for%20Strategic%20Planning%20and%20a%20Handbook%20for%20Policy%20Development/Strategic%20Planning%20Manual.pdf http://www.undp.org/content/dam/bosnia and herzegovina/docs/Research&Publications/Democratic%20Governance/Handbook%20for%20Strategic%20Planning%20and%20a%20Handbook%20for%20Policy%20Development/Strategic%20Planning%20Manual.pdf http://www.undp.org/content/dam/bosnia and herzegovina/docs/Research&Publications/Democratic%20Governance/Handbook%20for%20Strategic%20Planning%20and%20a%20Handbook%20for%20Policy%20Development/Strategic%20Planning%20Manual.pdf 35 statement is aligned with the proposed vision, that it fits the majority view within the group, and that it is acceptable to the OCC. To advise on and to develop operational procedures and coordinated delivery of scientific, technical and community of practice support for the effective and efficient management of Guyana’s climate change processes. Realigned objectives of the NCCC The main objective has been adjusted and the eight specific objectives of the draft ToR for the NCCC have been reduced to five compact objectives in keeping with the main categories of focus of the NCCC, and in line with the proposed vision and mission statements. Main objective of the NCCC The NCCC will be the premier consultative body on climate change for the provision of scientific, technical and institutional guidance and support on international, regional, national and sub-national climate change processes to the OCC. Specific objectives of the NCCC 1. To provide a forum for consultation on climate change processes, including but not limited to providing advisory services to the NDA on direct access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF and other climate funds47; 2. To coordinate the provision of scientific and technical advice on the management and monitoring of climate change processes, including the development and implementation of sector strategies, action plans and information sharing initiatives; 3. To be an effective platform for the mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter-alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, policies, sector strategies and plans; 4. To develop and sustain a mechanism for determining national funding priorities, review of project concepts and proposals, to inform engagements with the NDA, Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the GCF and other MDB and climate finance governance bodies; 5. To perform any other task that may be requested by the OCC from time to time. These objectives are further visualised in the strategy map presented in Figure 4. It is very important for the legal character of the NCCC to be settled as quickly as possible to imbue legal certainty and continuity of effort. The present membership of the NCCC have recognised this imperative, and have even warned that by imbuing certainty in the legal character of the NCCC will allow for continuity across electoral cycles and changes in political administration as well as changes in personnel. In fact, some 47 The main climate funds are: (i) the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), (ii) the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund, (iii) the Adaptation Fund (AF), (iv) the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF), (v) the European Union’s funds for Climate Action, and (vi) the Green Climate Fund (GCF). These funds and others supplement Multilateral Development Banks (MDB) climate finance. 36 NCCC members even suggested that it is a requirement for the NCCC to be ‘taken seriously’ and to superintend follow-up actions in the target sector agencies. An important anchor of the GCF Guyana Readiness Proposal is the development of the NCCC as the premier consultative body on climate change in Guyana within the ambit of OCC. All of the objectives presuppose a high level of institutional representation on the NCCC to provide for consultation. As originally envisaged in the draft ToR, members appointed to the NCCC should be the heads or very senior functionaries in the key sector Ministries/Departments/Units, NGOs and private sector bodies. The level of academic readiness to provide technical and other support to the work of the NCCC does not appear to be an issue since the survey results indicate the existence of a highly qualified pool of scientists, practitioners, analysts and managers in the key sectors. Delivery of the anticipated functions of the NCCC, to wit, to develop a mechanism to determine national funding priorities; be an effective platform for mainstreaming and integrating climate change; to coordinate scientific and technical advice and to provide a forum for consultation, require capacity strengthening at the individual and institutional levels. The fifth objective of the NCCC allows for inclusion of additional responsibilities that may become necessary over the life of the strategic plan. The objectives, once implemented through their constituent activities, will contribute to building Guyana’s resilience to climate change, address national mitigation ambitions, and contribute to SDG 13. According to the Ministry of Finance48, the key lessons learned from implementation of SDG 13 in Guyana, include the importance of: i. the institutionalisation of national climate change priorities to address data gaps for evidence-based decision making; ii. stakeholder involvement to ensure continuity and advancement of national priorities, and; iii. climate governance. 48 Ministry of Finance. Guyana’s First Voluntary National Review. https://finance.gov.gy/publications/7498/ https://finance.gov.gy/publications/7498/ 37 Energy Sector Climate Change: Capacity Building Mainstreaming Integration Implementation Monitoring & Evaluation Water Resources Transportation Sector Forestry Sector Agricultural Sector Figure 4: Strategy map of the NCCC objectives and path of support for OCC's operational mandate OCC Mandate NCCC Operational Expression Sector-Specific Alignment Sustaining a Financial Mechanism Platform for Mainstreaming / Integration Forum for Consultation Scientific and Technical Capacity Strategic performance measures: The strategic performance measures will determine how well the NCCC is progressing towards achievement of each specific objective, and will aid the focus of discussions on the effectiveness of the strategic plan. The strategic performance measures include standard operating procedures for two tasks (separate), outcomes, lead responsibilities and clear indicators of success for the NCCC (Table 5). Table 5. Performance measures for the specific objectives articulated for the NCCC strategic plan Outcomes, Specific Objectives & Lead Responsibility Performance Measures Performance Indicators OUTCOME 1: By 2023, the coordinated delivery of high-quality scientific and technical advice from the NCC is contributing to the efficient and effective management of the climate change processes. 1. To coordinate the provision of scientific and technical advice on the management and monitoring of climate change processes, including the development and implementation of sector strategies, action plans and information sharing initiatives. Lead: Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), and assisted by the GFC, Ministry of Communities (MoC) and Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI). 1.1. The NCCC is able to provide high quality scientific and technical advisory services to the OCC on the development and implementation of agricultural sector strategies and action plans that take guidance from the NAP. Baseline: NCCC provides limited scientific and technical advisory services to the OCC (2020); Target: By 2021, the NCCC is capable of coordinating the delivery of high quality scientific and technical advice to the OCC on climate readiness work in relation to the agricultural sector, and address synergies and harmonisation with national agricultural plans and actions to address degradation and biodiversity loss in agricultural systems and caused by agriculture; Indicator: Periodic scientific and technical advisory reports on the agricultural sector. 1.2. The NCCC is able to provide high quality scientific and technical advisory services to the OCC on the development and implementation of strategies and plans for the other key sectors that are related to the NAP, TAP and NDC as appropriate. Baseline: NCCC provides limited scientific and technical advisory services to the OCC (2020); Target: By 2023, the NCCC is capable of coordinating the delivery of high quality scientific and technical advice to the OCC on climate readiness work in relation to other priority sectors (energy, forestry, water and transportation), and address synergies and harmonisation with sector plans and actions to address adaptation and mitigation priorities; 39 Indicator: Periodic scientific and technical advisory reports on the other priority sectors (energy, forestry, water and transportation). 1.3. The priority sectors are able to develop and implement their own sector strategies and action plans in consultation with the NCCC. Baseline: Sector strategies and action plans for the climate change priority sectors do not benefit from scientific and technical advisory services on climate change from the NCCC (2020); Target: By 2023, the climate change priority sectors are capable of developing their own strategies and action plans in coordination with the NCCC; Indicator: Sector strategies and plans for the key priority sectors (agriculture, energy, forestry, water and transportation). OUTCOME 2: By 2025, the NCCC is consolidated as the premier advisory body to the OCC and is contributing to evidence-based decision making. 2. To provide a forum for consultation on climate change processes, including but not limited to providing advisory services to the NDA on direct access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF and other climate funds. Lead: OCC. 2.1. The OCC has budgeted multi-annual secretariat support for the NCCC. Baseline: Target: By 2021, Indicator: Size of the annual budget ($GY) allocated to secretariat support for the NCCC. 2.2. The NCCC has operational rules of procedure on the review process for access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for the GCF. Baseline: NCCC has no operational rules of procedure (2020); Target: By 2022, the NCCC has adopted operational rules; Indicator: The Official Gazette includes a public notice of the legal mandate of the NCCC. 2.3. The NCCC is legally empowered to operate as a climate change consultative body of the OCC. Baseline: NCCC is not a legal entity (2020); Target: By 2022, the NCCC has a legal mandate; Indicator: Legal mandate as a written document. 2.4. The NCCC members have developed capacity to facilitate efficient planning and administration of fund-related responsibilities and guide the development and implementation of the Baseline: NCCC has limited capacity (2020); Target: By 2024. five custom-built capacity building modules delivered to NCCC members; Indicator: # of custom-built capacity building modules delivered; 40 Country Strategic Framework (CSF) for the GCF. Indicator 2: # of certificates of completion; Indicator 3: The extent to which the NCCC is demonstrating capacity to facilitate efficient planning and administration of the CSF tasks. 2.5. The NCCC is a fully- fledged consultative body in the implementation of climate readiness work, including consultations with stakeholders, inter alia, government agencies, donors, multilateral organisations, research institutions, civil society, private sector, and indigenous people. Baseline: NCCC does not operate as a consultative body on climate change processes (2020); Target: By 2025, the NCCC is fully capable of consulting with stakeholders on climate readiness work; Indicator: Periodic performance reports. OUTCOME 3: By 2026, financial planning and accessing finance for the effective management of climate change processes are developed and sustained. 3. To develop and sustain a mechanism for determining national funding priorities, review of project concepts and proposals, to inform engagements with the NDA, Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the GCF, AF, GEF. Lead: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). 3.1. The NCCC members are well grounded in the procedures and operations of the UNFCCC and GCF, AF, GEF. Baseline: NCCC members have limited knowledge of UNFCCC and GCF, AF, GEF; Target: By 2023, NCCC members have completed introductory and advance courses on UNFCCC and GCF; Indicator: Certificates of completion. 3.2. The NCCC is able to review concepts and proposals and competently advise the NDA,OCC on eligibility for climate financing Baseline: NCCC members lack capacity to review concepts and proposals for GCF, AF and GEF funding; Target: By 2024, NCCC members have fully developed capabilities to review concepts and proposals and advise the NDA for GCF, AF and GEF funding; Indicator: (i) # of NCCC members with fully developed capabilities to review concepts and proposals for climate financing; (ii) # of concepts and proposals for GCF, AF and GEF funding reviewed by NCCC. 3.3. The NCCC is able to assess needs and priorities and identify barriers to investment in climate change responses. Baseline: The NCCC has limited capacity to assess needs and priorities for climate funding; Target: By 2026, the NCCC has fully developed capabilities to assess needs and priorities and can identify barriers to climate investments. 41 Indicator: (i) The extent to which NCCC can assess needs and priorities and can identify barriers to climate investments; (ii) # of periodic reports to the NDA, OCC. OUTCOME 4: Key policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans have been climate-proofed and are safeguarding Guyana’s green development. 4. To be an effective platform for the mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter-alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. Lead: Ministry of Finance (MoF). 4.1. Ministries/Department/ Units of key sector agencies accept the NCCC as the operational expression of the consultative role of the OCC. Baseline: Ministries/Department/Units of key climate change sector agencies do not officially recognise the NCCC as the operational expression of the OCC (2020); Target: By 2022, the NCCC is officially recognised by Ministries/ Departments/Units as the operational expression of the consultative role of the OCC; Indicator: Letters of agreement. 4.2 The NCCC members have benefited from targeted capacity building in specialised areas such as: the economics of adaptation and mitigation; climate expenditure and institutional reviews; and climate information. Baseline: NCCC members have not benefited from target capacity building (2020); Target: By 2026, the NCCC members have acquired knowledge and skills to support a “whole of government” approach to mainstream climate change considerations into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans; Indicator: Certificates of completion. 4.3. The NCCC has adopted and is utilising a “whole of government” approach49 that supports iterative planning and budgeting that takes climate change into account. Baseline: Ministries/Department/Units do not mainstream and integrate climate change considerations into planning and budgeting (2020); Target: By 2029, Ministries/Department/Units are easily mainstreaming and integrating climate change considerations into planning and budgeting at national and sub-national levels; Indicator: Sector policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. 49 See UNFCCC COP Decision 5/CP.17, paragraph 1. 42 Strategic initiatives: The strategic initiatives are activities that contribute to delivering a strategic plan (Table 6). The initiatives must be able to produce clear and measurable impact on the objectives to which they are aligned. Table 6. Strategic initiatives for delivering the strategy for the strengthening of the National Climate Change Committee at the governance, institutional and thematic levels. Category Specific Objectives Performance Measure Strategic Initiatives Thematic 1. To coordinate the provision of scientific and technical advice on the management and monitoring of climate change processes, including the development and implementation of sector strategies, action plans and information sharing initiatives 1.1. The NCCC is able to provide high-quality scientific and technical advisory services to the OCC on the development and implementation of agricultural sector strategies and action plans that take guidance from the NAP. 1.1.1. NCCC members have briefing notes on the NAP for agriculture from the OCC; 1.1.2. NCCC set up a scientific and technical task force on climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector; 1.1.3. The development and implementation of agricultural sector strategies and action plans receive inputs from the scientific and technical task force. Thematic 1.2. By 2022, NCCC is able to provide high-quality scientific and technical advisory services to the OCC on the development and implementation of strategies and plans for the other key sectors that are related to the NAP, TAP and NDC as appropriate. 1.2.1. NCCC members have briefing notes on the NAP, NDC and TNA for all key sectors from the OCC; 1.2.2. NCCC set up sector-specific scientific and technical task force on climate change adaptation and mitigation; 1.2.3. The development and implementation of sector strategies and action plans for the energy, forestry, water and transportation receive inputs from the sector-specific scientific and technical task force. Institutional and Thematic 1.3. The priority sectors are able to develop and implement their own sector strategies and action plans in consultation with the NCCC. 1.3.1. Priority sector agencies have updated the job descriptions of staff to reflect competences related developing and implementing sector strategies that reflect adaptation/ mitigation processes; 1.3.2. Priority sector agencies are able to maintain a critical mass of skills in the area of climate change. Institutional 2. To provide a forum for consultation on climate change processes, including but not limited to providing advisory services to the 2.1. The OCC has budgeted multi annual secretariat support for the NCCC. 2.1.1. The secretariat support needs of the NCCC have been identified and cost-assessed; 2.1.2. OCC includes allocation(s) for secretariat support to the NCCC in the annual budgeting exercise. 43 Governance NDA on direct access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF and other climate funds. 2.2. The NCCC is legally empowered to operate as a climate change consultative body of the OCC. 2.2.1. Legal advice on modalities for the legally empowering the NCCC is sought and applied; 2.2.2. Same legal advice obtained at 1.2.1 is communicated to the relevant Ministries/ Departments/Units for information and action. Thematic and Governance 2.3. The NCCC members have developed capacity to facilitate efficient planning and administration of fund-related responsibilities and guide the development and implementation of the CSF for the GCF. 2.3.1. The OCC and its partners convene a training programme with the NCCC on the CSF for the GCF; 2.3.2. NCCC has incorporated the newly acquired knowledge into its standard operating procedures (SOP) to facilitate planning and administration of fund-related responsibilities; 2.3.3. NCCC has developed operational guidance for the development and implementation of the CSF. Governance 2.4. The NCCC has operational rules of procedure on the review process for access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for the GCF. 2.4.1. NCCC has developed operational rules of procedure on the review process for access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF funding; 2.4.2. NCCC has incorporated the operational rules into its SOP. Thematic 2.5. The NCCC is a fully- fledged consultative body in the implementation of climate readiness work, including consultations with stakeholders, inter alia, government agencies, donors, multilateral organisations, research institutions, civil society, private sector, and indigenous people. 2.5.1. The legal mandate for the NCCC establishes the scope of its functions, primary amongst which is that of a national consultative body on climate change processes; 2.5.2. NCCC has developed a register of stakeholders, inter alia, government agencies, donors, multilateral organisations, research institutions, civil society, private sector, and indigenous people, and a stakeholder engagement strategy; 2.5.3. NCCC has established a mechanism for sharing information with stakeholders at national and sub-national levels. Thematic 3. To develop and sustain a mechanism for determining national funding priorities, review of project concepts and proposals, to inform engagements with the NDA, Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the GCF. 3.1. The NCCC members are well grounded in the procedures and operations of the UNFCCC, GCF, AF and GEF. 3.1.1. NCCC members enroll in introductory and advance courses on the UNFCCC, GCF, AF and GEF with an emphasis on procedures, operations and negotiations; 3.1.2. NCCC members form a Community of Practice on climate change; Institution 3.2. The NCCC is able to review concepts and proposals and 3.2.1. NCCC members develop and apply a checklist to the review of concepts and proposals; 44 competently advise the NDA on eligibility for climate financing 3.2.2. NCCC advises the NDA on eligibility of project concepts and proposals for submission to the GCF. Institution 3.3. The NCCC is able to assess needs and priorities and identify barriers to investment in climate change responses. 3.3.1. NCCC has established criteria to assess needs and priorities for climate investment across sectors; 3.3.2. NCCC makes recommendations for the removal of barriers to investments in climate change actions. Governance 4. To be an effective platform for the mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter-alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. 4.1. Ministries/Department/ Units of key sector agencies accept the NCCC as the operational expression of the consultative role of the OCC. 4.1.1. OCC shares legal document with NCCC member institutions and request letters of commitment; 4.1.2. NCCC member institutions issue letters of commitment to the OCC. Thematic 4.2 The NCCC members have benefited from targeted capacity building in specialised areas such as: the economics of adaptation and mitigation; climate expenditure and institutional reviews; and climate information. 4.2.1. OCC facilitates targeted capacity building for NCCC members in a number of specialised areas; 4.2.2. NCCC members participate in and complete the capacity building programmes; 4.2.3. NCCC members demonstrate ability to apply new knowledge and skills. Institutional 4.3. The NCCC, through the OCC, has successfully negotiated with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for the adoption and use of a “whole of government” approach50 that supports iterative planning and budgeting that takes climate change into account. 4.3.1. OCC successfully negotiates with MoF for authorisation to use the whole of government approach; 4.3.2. OCC involves the NCCC in programme planning and budgeting; 4.3.3. NCCC assists OCC to prepare operational manuals on planning and budgeting for climate change adaptation and mitigation; 3.3.4. NCCC members apply their knowledge and skills to statutory actions by central and regional governments based on MoF delegation of authority to OCC; 50 See UNFCCC COP Decision 5/CP.17, paragraph 1. Identifying strategic risks: Managing risk is a key part of effective strategic planning and can be defined as the identification and mitigation of risks, which would hamper the execution of a strategy. For the Strategic plan for the NCCC, the following strategic risks have been identified and risk mitigation measures proposed (Table 7). Table 7. Strategic risks and proposed risk mitigation measures for the NCCC Strategic plan. Category of Risks Description of Risk Likelihood of Risk Occurring Risk Mitigation Measure High Medium Low Political Change in political administration disrupts the functioning of the NCCC. x Ensure that the NCCC receives a legal mandate to operate as the operational expression of the OCC. An asymmetrical focus on oil and gas economy may reduce the relevance of climate change to other key sectors. x The Minister of Environment to ensure balance development in keeping with the GSDS and that climate change actions are results based & sustainable. Financial Key climate change sector agencies do not agree to be part of a “whole of government” approach to planning and budgeting. x Pursue a cabinet-level decision on the “whole of government approach” to planning and budgeting. Adequate resources are not available to meet the costs of capacity building for the NCCC. x Ensure the financial resources available through the GCF RP are utilised to train the right people who remain with the public service. Environmental Extreme weather events or pandemic prevent the assembling of NCCC members. x Design and implement a business continuity plan for the NCCC. Social Gender balance is not maintained in the composition of the NCCC. x Ensure gender parity is catered to in the SOP for the NCCC. NCCC membership continue to under represent the hinterland. x Ensure inclusion of representatives residing in the hinterland is catered to in the SOP for the NCCC. 46 Managing the strategy: It is recommended that strategy review meetings be held at least twice per year to help drive organisational focus, ensure accountability and drive desired results. It is recommended that a schedule of meetings a year into the future is done to allow OCC and involved staff to schedule around the sessions. Effective review meetings last between 2 to 4 hours. Selection criteria for setting the agenda is based on which strategic objectives are to be discussed; specifically, which of the objectives may be underperforming, recently achieved significant milestones, that are timely due to external timelines (e.g. budgeting cycle), or that relate to higher-level management entities (e.g. Ministerial interest). The leads for each strategic objective (MoA, OCC, MoFA, MoF) are the primary speakers with questions and views from the rest of the membership. Each lead is expected to: • Prepare the needed information to ensure consistency in the meeting, a focus on the strategy, and a view toward driving action. • Update the following prior to each strategic review meeting: o Overall status of the strategic objective o Latest data for the related performance measures (displayed in a trend chart) o Status of ongoing strategic initiatives, including timelines, milestones, expenditures, and expected quality of the deliverables. o Recommendations for decision-making. Standard operating procedures These standard operating procedures (SOPs) describe inter-alia the mandate, roles and responsibilities of the NCCC and decision making procedures for two priority tasks: 3. Priority task 1: The provision of advisory services to the NDA on direct access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF and other climate funds. 4. Priority task 2: The mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter-alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. The purpose of developing the SOPs51 are to: • Provide guidelines for administration, governance, and alignment with climate change priorities; • Achieve an acceptable quality system as the NCCC provides the OCC with specific guidance and decision support on climate change; • Increase consistency in the quality and integrity of climate change decision making; • Describe in detail both technical, administrative and operational elements of the NCCC. 51https://www.academia.edu/6987862/Climate Change Trust Fund Standard Operating Procedures. Miguel Fredes e ditor https://www.academia.edu/6987862/Climate Change Trust Fund Standard Operating Procedures. Miguel Fredes editor https://www.academia.edu/6987862/Climate Change Trust Fund Standard Operating Procedures. Miguel Fredes editor 47 Governance structure It is proposed that the NCCC will have three sub-committees: Steering sub-Committee, Scientific and Technical sub-Committee and M&E sub-Committee. The Steering sub-Committee Mandate: The proposed Steering sub-Committee shall comprise five NCCC members from the key climate change sector agencies: agriculture, forestry, energy, water resources and transportation, who shall select a chairperson at its first sitting. The sub-Committee provides leadership, strategic guidance, funding prioritisation, decision-making and oversight of the NCCC, and serves as coordinator of forums and platforms. Roles and responsibilities: The proposed Steering sub-Committee shall have responsibility to provide strategic guidance to the overall implementation of the NCCC agenda for action, which shall be adjusted annually. The proposed Steering sub-Committee shall have responsibility for the following decisions: • Approve NCCC operational procedures and its revisions as necessary, annual work plan, budget and annual report (which shall provide inputs for the OCC’s annual report); • Approve the selection process and short-list of direct access entity applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF funding and for accessing other climate funds after consultation with the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee; • Appoint members of the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee after consultation with the OCC; • Appoint members of the M&E sub-Committee based on nominations from a plenary NCCC meeting; • Promote cooperation of NCCC activities with other national and sub-national climate resilience initiatives to ensure alignment with climate change goals and targets. Meeting procedures and decision-making processes: Those elements must be adopted for decision making processes by a plenary meeting of the NCCC. 1. NCCC plenary meetings shall be held at least quarterly; meetings of the Steering sub-Committee shall be held bi-monthly depending on the requirements of the OCC; 2. The Chairperson of the Steering sub-Committee shall preside over meetings of the plenary NCCC and the Steering sub-Committee; 3. A minimum of two weeks’ notice must be given to all members of the NCCC plenary, and one weeks’ notice to all members of the Steering sub-Committee; 4. All decisions shall be by consensus. However, minimum participation for decisions is necessary. A quorum consists of a simple majority (fifty percent plus one), one of whom shall be the chairperson; 5. Electronic media, shall be used as appropriate, but at least one meeting a year for each of the plenary NCCC and Steering sub-Committee meetings shall be in person, unless so prohibited by public order, in which case electronic media shall prevail; 6. The draft minutes of meetings shall be circulated to members within five working days of the plenary NCC and Steering sub-Committee meetings. The draft minutes shall be formally adopted at the next 48 plenary NCCC and Steering sub-Committee meetings, whichever applies, and copy shall be transmitted to the OCC. Scientific and Technical sub-Committee The main task of the proposed Scientific and Technical sub-Committee is to advise the Steering sub Committee in all scientific and technical matters of the NCCC, including but not limited to support for elaboration and review of compliance reporting as mandated by UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement and other national documents. Mandate: The proposed Scientific and Technical sub-Committee mandate is to advise on scientific and technical issues, including reviewing direct entity access applications and project concepts/proposals for GCF, AF, GEF and other climate funding, support for compliance and review, as well as to advise on pathways to mainstream and integrate climate change considerations into key policies, legislations, and key sector strategies and action plans. Roles and responsibilities: The composition of the proposed Scientific and Technical sub-Committee shall be determined by the Steering sub-Committee in consultation with the OCC. However, the membership should include a combination of subject-matter specialists and a staff member of OCC as observer. Members of the proposed Scientific and Technical sub-Committee shall select a chairperson at its first sitting. The work of the proposed Scientific and Technical sub-Committee guides the process that relates to adopting decisions and shall consist of the following: 1. The chairperson of the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee shall preside over meetings and may be called upon to make presentations to the Steering sub-Committee meetings or plenary NCCC meetings as requested by the chairperson of the Steering sub-Committee; 2. Regular meetings must be held at the minimum once every two months; 3. The meeting agenda shall be prepared by the secretariat; 4. Decisions made by the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee shall be by consensus. However, minimum participation for decisions is necessary. A quorum consists of a simple majority (fifty percent plus one), one of whom shall be the chairperson; 5. The items discussed in the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee meetings shall be documented by the secretariat and the minutes distributed electronically to all members within five working days; 6. The distributed minutes of each meeting shall be accepted at the next sitting of the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee; 7. In the event of an urgent situation, the chairperson of the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee shall make a decision and send electronically for consultation to all stakeholders involved. This action is required only if the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee is unable to meet and a decision is required; 8. The chairperson of the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee, assisted by the secretariat, shall distribute official letters or emails to all members of the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee regarding the direct access applications and concepts/proposals for GCF, AF and GEF funding for feedback and approval. All members of the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee shall submit their feedback and approvals/disapprovals of the propositions to the chairperson of the Scientific and Technical sub-Committee through the same media. Based on the responses submitted by the Scientific 49 and Technical sub-Committee members, the chairperson shall produce a consolidated decision to the Steering sub-Committee for the OCC; 9. In order to avoid a conflict of interest, a Scientific and Technical sub-Committee member shall not participate in the review process for a proposition submitted by his/her entity. Subject matter specialists: Subject matter specialists are responsible for providing expert opinions and independent voice during the direct access application and project concept/proposal selection processes. On the advice of the NCCC, subject matter specialists in the following indicative areas shall be co-opted by the OCC to support the proposed Scientific and Technical sub-Committee: • Climatology, climate risk analysis, climate modelling; • Renewable energy, and energy security analysis; • Land use, biodiversity conservation, sustainable forest management, and REDD+ analysis; • Climate-smart agriculture; • Hydrology, Watershed management and protection, water use efficiency; • Transportation and emission reduction analysis. M&E sub-Committee The main task of the proposed M&E sub-Committee is to provide quality assurance advisory services to all NCCC processes. Mandate: The M&E sub-Committee mandate is to advise the Steering sub-Committee on progress to implement the NCCC strategic plan, to monitor the implementation of advice and decisions related to the two tasks of these SOPs and any other strategic initiative undertaken by the NCCC, including but not limited to, data for reporting, and tracking: NDC implementation, NAP implementation and climate policy implementation. Roles and responsibilities: The composition of the M&E sub-Committee shall be determined by the members of a plenary NCCC meeting. However, the membership should include a combination of M&E specialists and a staff member of OCC as observer. Members of the M&E sub-Committee shall select a chairperson at its first sitting. The work of the M&E sub-Committee guides the process that relates to quality assurance, and shall consist of the following: 1. The chairperson of the M&E sub-Committee shall preside over meetings and may be called upon to make presentations to the Steering sub-Committee meetings or plenary NCCC meetings as requested by the chairperson of the Steering sub-Committee; 2. Regular meetings must be held at the minimum once every six months; 3. The meeting agenda shall be prepared by the M&E sub-Committee; 4. Decisions made by the M&E sub-Committee shall be by consensus. However, minimum participation for decisions is necessary. A quorum consists of a simple majority (fifty percent plus one), one of whom shall be the chairperson; 5. The items discussed in the M&E sub-Committee meetings shall be documented by the secretariat and the minutes distributed electronically to all members within five working days; 50 6. The distributed minutes of each meeting shall be accepted at the next sitting of the M&E sub-Committee; 7. The chairperson of the M&E sub-Committee, assisted by the secretariat, shall distribute official letters or emails to all members of the M&E sub-Committee regarding the quality assurance matter for feedback and approval. All members of the M&E sub-Committee shall submit their feedback to the chairperson of the M&E sub-Committee through the same media. Based on the responses submitted by the M&E sub Committee members, the chairperson shall produce a consolidated report on the quality assurance matter to the Steering sub-Committee for the OCC; 8. In order to avoid a conflict of interest, no member of the M&E sub-Committee shall subsist as a member of the Steering sub-Committee or Scientific and Technical sub-Committee. All secretariat support shall be provided by the OCC. Priority Task 1: Direct access application process GCF: The GCF provides for developing countries to access financial resources through national entities, meaning that climate finance can be channelled to the country directly. The direct access modality is designed to help developing countries exercise ownership of climate change funding and better integrate it with their national climate action plans52. GCF procedure: NDA nominates regional, national or sub-national institutions for accreditation to GCF. Direct access entities can be public or private sector or non-governmental. The entity has to submit to a vetting process that is supervised by OCC, and implemented by the NCCC through its relevant sub committees (see above). Figure 5 is a simple illustration of the steps to follow in the GCF direct access accreditation process. The GCF advises direct access entities and NDAs to work closely together to develop entity work programmes, project concept notes, full funding proposals, and requests to bolster institutional and project development capacities. The Guyana GCF RP has available resources for technical assistance and capacity-building to help potential direct access entities work through the accreditation process. Once the direct access entity receives GCF Board approval of accreditation and enters relevant legal agreements, it can submit funding proposals for GCF-backed projects and programmes. Additional information on the GCF accreditation process can be found here.53 Focus of eligible project activities (indicative): • Indicates GHG emissions reduction potential; • Promotes technology transfer in low carbon and associated technologies (see TAP report); • Promotes adaptation to agriculture; • Potential to reduce deforestation and forest degradation and increase in carbon sequestration and storage • Watershed management and protection, and sustainable water harvesting and use; 52 https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-brief-direct-access 0.pdf 53 https://www.greenclimate.fund/accreditation/documents https://www.greenclimate.fund/accreditation/documents https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-brief-direct-access 0.pdf https://www.greenclimate.fund/accreditation/documents 51 • Increases resilience of local communities to address climate change. Figure 5: Simplified process for in-country processing of direct access applications for GCF accreditation AF54: To apply for project and programme funding, countries must submit proposals through an accredited institution. There are three categories of accredited institutions: • National Implementing Entities (NIEs) • Regional Implementing Entities (RIEs) • Multilateral Implementing Entities (MIEs) National and regional implementing entities fall under the Adaptation Fund’s Direct Access modality, which enables entities to directly access financing and manage all aspects of climate adaptation and resilience projects, from design through implementation, to monitoring and evaluation. Direct Access allows developing countries to strengthen capacity to adapt to climate change and build on local expertise. Only institutions accredited by the Adaptation Fund may receive funding for adaptation projects. After accreditation, the entity may submit project proposals aligned with national priorities for consideration by the Adaptation Fund Board. The submission deadline for programme and project applications for the 36th Board meeting is August 10, 2020. The Ministry of Finance is seeking accreditation with the AF and has gone through the preparatory process. The Ministry of Agriculture (ASDU) and GFC are the sectoral entities identified to support the Ministry of Finance and the NDA to access AF financing. GEF55: Unlike the GCF and AF, there is no direct access accreditation to the GEF for national entities. The GEF works with GEF Agencies (now 18, an increase from three listed in Paragraph 22 of the GEF 54 https://www.adaptation-fund.org/about/direct-access/ 55 https://www.thegef.org/partners/gef-agencies OCC submits application to NCCC for review •Fit for purpose review by Scientfic and Technical sub Committee. NCCC provides decision advice to OCC •If OCC consents, it issues a nomination letter. Entity submits application to GCF •GCF reviews and renders decision within six months. https://www.adaptation-fund.org/apply-funding/implementing-entities/national-implementing-entity/ https://www.adaptation-fund.org/apply-funding/implementing-entities/regional-implementing-entities/ https://www.adaptation-fund.org/apply-funding/implementing-entities/multilateral-implementing-entities/ https://www.adaptation-fund.org/about/direct-access/ https://www.adaptation-fund.org/about/direct-access/ https://www.thegef.org/partners/gef-agencies https://www.greenclimate.fund/document/nomination-letter-template-application-accreditation-gcf 52 Instrument) to create project proposals, directly access the GEF financial resources, and then manage these projects on the ground. Project selection process: Table 8 outlines the activities of a generic project selection process irrespective of source of funds. It is anticipated that the time duration from receipt of the project concept/proposal to the rendering of project approval advice shall be 10 weeks. Table 8: Activities, responsible parties and time requirements for the project selection process for climate funding. Activity Responsible Party Timing Relevant Documents Project concept/proposal submission Regional, national, sub national entities 4 weeks -Call for proposals Terms of reference Application letter template Pre-screening against eligibility criteria OCC 2 weeks -All project concept/proposal documents Administrative evaluation form Ranking of proposals and technical recommendation Scientific and Technical sub-Committee / Subject Matter Specialists 2 weeks Technical evaluation forms Recommendation of short-list projects Project short-listing Scientific and Technical sub-Committee 1 week -Short-list document Project approval advice Steering sub-Committee 1 week -Approval documents Priority task 2: Mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations The second priority task of the NCCC SOP is the mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter-alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. Mainstreaming of climate change considerations is the iterative process of integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation considerations into policy-making, budgeting, implementation and monitoring processes at national, sector and subnational levels. It is a multi-year, multi-stakeholder effort grounded in the contribution of climate change adaptation to human well-being, pro-poor economic growth, and achievement of the MDGs. It entails working with a range of government and non-governmental actors, and other actors in the development field56. Programmatic approach: Institutional and capacity strengthening for adaptation and mitigation focuses on making mainstreaming a standard government practice (e.g. through mandates, institutional arrangements, procedures, systems and tools). The interface of climate change science 56 https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8038/ Mainstreaming%20Climate%20Change%20Adaptation%20%20into%20Development%20Planning %20%20A%20Guide %20for%20Practitioners-20111051.pdf?sequence=3&amp%3BisAllowed= https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8038/-Mainstreaming%20Climate%20Change%20Adaptation%20%20into%20Development%20Planning %20%20A%20Guide%20for%20Practitioners-20111051.pdf?sequence=3&amp%3BisAllowed https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8038/-Mainstreaming%20Climate%20Change%20Adaptation%20%20into%20Development%20Planning %20%20A%20Guide%20for%20Practitioners-20111051.pdf?sequence=3&amp%3BisAllowed https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8038/-Mainstreaming%20Climate%20Change%20Adaptation%20%20into%20Development%20Planning %20%20A%20Guide%20for%20Practitioners-20111051.pdf?sequence=3&amp%3BisAllowed 53 with policy-making requires prioritising mainstreaming efforts in the context of the GSDS to achieve intended outcomes. Progress checklist for climate change mainstreaming Finding the Entry Points and Making the Case • Entry points for mainstreaming climate change considerations agreed on and related roadmap taken into account in the workplan; • Key ministries and NGOs relevant to the agreed entry points are members of the NCCC, which is leading the mainstreaming effort; • Mainstreaming champions are identified and are liaising with in-country donor coordination mechanisms; • Increased awareness of the vulnerability of Guyana to climate change and the sectoral and other impacts of climate change; • Activities to be implemented in collaboration with the NCCC included in the workplan for the following stage of the effort. Mainstreaming climate change considerations • Country-specific evidence collected on the costs and benefits of climate change and adaptation (e.g. impact, vulnerability and adaptation assessment, socio-economic analysis, demonstration projects); • Climate change considerations and its links to GSDS objectives included as a priority in the relevant policies, laws, sector strategies and plans; • Climate-proofed and specific climate change measures costed Meeting the implementation challenge • Climate change-related indicators linked to policy documents of national development planning integrated in the national monitoring system; • Increased budget allocations and public expenditures for climate change measures of OCC and related bodies; • Climate change mainstreaming established as standard practice in government and administrative processes, procedures and systems (e.g. budget circulars, systematic inclusion of climate change consideration in public expenditure reviews, coordination mechanisms, climate-proofing, monitoring). Long-term outcomes • Institutions and capacities strengthened for long-term climate change mainstreaming; • Conditions for simultaneous improvement of climate resilience and development enhanced. Types of measurable capacities Based on the UNDP’s and the GEF‟s capacity development approach, four types of measurable capacities are considered. The assumption is that by developing these types of capacities in individuals and institutions, the systemic level of capacities is also being developed. As has been mentioned, Guyana has a highly evolved climate change policy and legislative architecture. 54 • Capacities for engagement: Capacities of relevant individuals and organisations (community leaders, private and public sector managers and experts) to engage proactively and constructively with one another to manage a national climate change issue. • Capacities to generate, access and use information and knowledge: Capacities of individuals and organisations to research, acquire, communicate, educate and make use of pertinent information to be able to diagnose and understand climate change problems and potential solutions. • Capacities for policy and strategy development: Capacities of individuals and organisations to plan and develop effective climate change policy, related strategies and plans – based on informed decision making processes. • Capacities for management and implementation: Capacities of individuals and organisations to implement climate change policies and/or regulatory decisions, and plan and execute relevant climate change adaptation, mitigation and cross-cutting actions and solutions. • Capacities to monitor and evaluate: Capacities in individuals and organisations to effectively monitor and evaluate project and/or programme achievements against expected results and to provide feedback for learning, adaptive management and suggesting adjustments to the course of action if necessary to the climate change response. Figure 6: A programmatic approach to mainstreaming climate change considerations into policies, legislations, sector strategies and action plans. Engaging stakeholders and coordination Government, non-Governmental Organisations and Development Partners Build on National Capacity Self Assessment, NAP, TAP, NDC Learning by Doing Evaluating the institutional and capacity needs Raising awareness and building partnerships Preliminary assessments Understanding the governmental, institutional and political contexts Preliminary assessments Understanding the climate development linkages Finding the entry points and making the case Strengthening institutions and capacitities Developing and climate proofing policy, legal, sector strategies and plans measures Influencing policy, legal, sector strategies and action plan processes Collecting country specific evidence Assessments, economic analysis Mainstreaming climate change considerations Mainstreaming as standard practice Strengthening institutions and capacities Supporting policy, laws, sector strategies and plans Budgeting and finance National, sector and sub-national levels Strengthening the national monitoring system Meeting the implementation challenge 55 Capacity building plan for the NCCC This section will focus on the development of two time-specific capacity building plans for the NCCC. • A 12-month capacity building plan articulated in direct response to the applicable results of the NCCC baseline capacity assessment for the agricultural sector, and as identified by the OCC; and • A longer-term capacity building plan for the NCCC in line with the Strategic Plan timeline of 10 years and in direct response to the results of the NCCC baseline capacity assessment. Capacity development is the process through which individuals, organisations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the abilities to set and achieve their own development over time (UNDP 2009)57. Article 6 of the UNFCCC on Education, Training and Public Awareness calls on governments to develop and implement education and training programmes, including the strengthening of national institutions, training of scientific, technical and managerial personnel, as well as implementing public awareness programmes on climate change and its effects. This section also draws on UNFCCC Decision 2/CP.7 Capacity building in developing countries, and UN CC:Learn apply.58 The draft terms of reference for the NCCC identified support to be provided by OCC to the NCCC inter alia as follows: “The OCC with the support of development partners, will assist in identifying and/or organising and implementing training initiatives to support the development of the skills and competencies that will enable the NCCC to effectively carry out its functions.” Objectives of the NCCC capacity building plans • Assess existing human resource capacities and skills in key sectors to address climate change; • Prioritise actions to enhance climate change learning and to strengthen the NCCC capacities; • Ensure that climate change learning is linked to and helps to achieve national climate change objectives; • Support the creation of a sustainable human resource base to address climate change; • Accommodate the 12-month capacity building of the NCCC within the budget limits of the GCF RP for Guyana. Paragraph 5 of UNFCCC Decision 2/CP.7, decides that the further implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries should be improved at the systemic, institutional and individual levels, as appropriate, by inter-alia: • (b) Enhancing the integration of capacity-building needs relating to participation in the Kyoto Protocol into national development strategies and plans; • (c) Increased country-driven coordination of capacity-building activities. 57 UNDP (2009). Capacity Development: A UNDP Primer, http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/capacitybuilding/overview/ 58 https://www.uncclearn.org/country-projects http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/capacitybuilding/overview/ https://www.uncclearn.org/country-projects 56 Guiding principles for the capacity building plans The following guiding principles are adopted from the UN CC:Learn platform59. 1. Integrating climate change capacity building within national planning and key sectors a. Climate change is a cross-sectoral issue that requires an integrated response throughout government. Engagement of sectoral ministries/departments/units in the capacity building process is therefore of key importance. It is also critical that capacity building plans are clearly linked to the GSDS framework, National Climate Policy, NDC, requirements of UNFCCC and Paris Agreement to ensure that learning contributes to achieving national climate change priorities, and contribute to international obligations. 2. Integrating learning into project and programme design a. A strategic approach to climate change learning does not only demand creating new projects or exclusively training oriented activities. On the contrary, mainstreaming climate change learning into existing projects and programmes can be often an effective entry point in contexts with significant financial and human resources limitations. 3. Achieving multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder collaboration a. The process of developing the capacity building plans should bring together relevant actors from government, civil society, the private sector and training institutions. A multi-sectoral and multi stakeholder dialogue helps to gather relevant information and increases ownership. It also helps to catalyse collaboration beyond the capacity building plans and strengthen implementation. 4. Strengthening the national education and training system a. In order to make sure that in the long-run Guyana can meet its climate change capacity needs through domestic means, it is important to strengthen the capacity of the national education and training system. It is therefore recommended that the climate change learning strategy include actions to develop the capacities of national education and training institutions, and advance curricula and policy reform. 5. Fostering results a. An important dimension of a climate change capacity building plan is to make sure that capacity development activities are followed by concrete results and development changes. It is therefore essential to establish at the beginning of the plan development process the baseline situation (what human capacities and skills exist?), define specific objectives and targets (where do we want to go?), and agree on a monitoring and evaluation framework for the plans (how will we know that we have gotten there?). 6. Ensuring sustainability a. In order to ensure sustainability, the plan development process is as important as its outcome. A country-driven and participatory process helps to foster ownership and to create long-term support for implementation of capacity building plans. 59 Op. cit. 57 Capacity building plan for the agricultural sector (12 months) Building resilience through adaptation and mitigation Guyana promotes supporting farmers to ensure available mitigation and adaptation options are effective and sustainable. According to the OCC (personal communication, 2020), the lack of capacity in the agricultural sector has significantly affected the preparation of Greenhouse gas inventory (GHG I), and mitigation scenarios for the Third NC. The Hydrometeorological Service needs awareness building to reinforce an understanding of the importance of their role with respect to vulnerability and adaptation assessment and climate modelling and scenarios. These are critical data, and their absence has also significantly hampered reporting. Under the GCF RP, the FAO will coordinate a visioning exercise to feed into the development of the new agriculture strategy. The NCCPAP includes the following climate change resilience initiatives for the agriculture sector that are in line with the GSDS and agricultural sector needs: • Emissions reduction: limiting emissions from crop (e.g. rice) and livestock farming. Technology solutions include installing of biogas collection and combustion systems; • Ecosystem based adaptation: conducting research and development to climate proof agricultural growing environments and technologies; • Ecosystem protection: investing in low carbon agricultural sub-sectors such as: fruit, vegetables and aquaculture; • Land and water management: developing inland agriculture; harvesting freshwater for inland regions. Identification of learning interventions Table 9 captures the capacity building needs for the agricultural sector as distilled from the 2019 baseline capacity assessment, GSDS, NCCPAP, and OCC (personal communication). Table 9. Climate concepts and capacity strengthening needs for the agricultural sector. Climate concepts Learning outcomes Indicative learning areas for capacity building Emissions reductions or removals60 Capacity to identify Guyana’s sources of emissions from agriculture, ability to quantify emission units to spare (emissions permitted them but not "used"), and facility to sell the excess capacity to countries that are over their targets, are enhanced. UNFCCC, Paris Agreement/Kyoto Protocol Emissions trading units in the carbon market e.g. assigned amount units (AAU), removal unit (RMU), emission reduction unit (ERU), and certified emission reduction (CER). Emissions trading schemes Measuring and reporting emissions National emissions registry Ecosystem based Capacity to understand the importance of ecosystems to food and nutrition security, and to restore or maintain healthy ecosystems that Assessment of ecosystem vulnerability Importance of ecosystems in climate change adaptation UNFCCC Decisions and GEF financing mechanism 60 https://unfccc.int/process/the-kyoto-protocol/mechanisms/emissions-trading https://unfccc.int/process/the-kyoto-protocol/mechanisms/emissions-trading 58 adaptation (EbA)61 play an important role in delivering services that help people adapt to climate change, increased. Design of EbA policy measures Implementation and evaluation of EbA measures Freshwater harvesting and management62 Knowledge about the projected impacts of climate change over the water cycle, rainfall patterns and the availability and quality of both surface and groundwater, agricultural production and associated ecosystems enhanced. Watershed management and protection Water harvesting, storage and use-efficiency Climate change, sea level rise and saline water intrusion Climate change and groundwater dependent ecosystems Climate change observatory Agro meteorology for forecasting and early warning63 Capacity for national agro meteorological and agro climatological systems to support ecosystem-based climate resilient agriculture enhanced. Agro-meteorological monitoring and forecasting Agro-meteorological applications for sustainable pest management (crops and livestock) Agro-meteorological modeling Pest and disease forecasting Climate field schools Green approaches to agriculture64 Food and agricultural production and processing technologies and techniques are enhanced through capacity building and adoption of green solutions. Ecosystem approach to agriculture Low-carbon agricultural production systems (efficiency in food production and processing) Climate smart agriculture Financing for green solutions Capacity building objectives, indicators and modality The focus of capacity building of agricultural professionals (including land and soil management and fisheries) in the first year of implementation of the capacity building plan targets individual (changing attitudes/behaviours) and institutional (overall performance and functioning capabilities) capacities. Seven modalities of capacity building65 have been adapted to the indicative learning areas (Table 10). 1. Technical assistance: providing specialised technical know-how, expertise, models and evidence to improve quality, effectiveness and efficiency of programmes, institutions or systems. Examples – technical cooperation, technical missions, experts and advisors; 2. Mentoring: a long-term developmental (learning) relationship that enables regular and purposeful conversations to reflect on success, challenges and obstacles, to share experiences and ideas, to generate options and solutions, and to reflect and draw lessons for programme improvement; 3. Coaching: To make proficient by instruction and repeated practice; 61 https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/council-meeting-documents/Operational Guidelines on Ecosystem Based Approaches to Adaptation 4.pdf 62 http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7959e.pdf 63 https://public.wmo.int/en/bulletin/agrometeorological-services-under-changing-climate-old-wine-new-bags 64 http://www.fao.org/3/a-ar585e.pdf 65 https://www.slideshare.net/nicol cave/10-capacity-building-modalities https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/council-meeting-documents/Operational Guidelines on Ecosystem-Based Approaches to Adaptation 4.pdf https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/council-meeting-documents/Operational Guidelines on Ecosystem-Based Approaches to Adaptation 4.pdf http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7959e.pdf https://public.wmo.int/en/bulletin/agrometeorological-services-under-changing-climate-old-wine-new-bags http://www.fao.org/3/a-ar585e.pdf https://www.slideshare.net/nicol cave/10-capacity-building-modalities 59 4. Networking and exchange: Examples – south-south exchange, conferences, forums, dialogues; 5. Training: Organised activity to impart new information to attain a pre-determined level of knowledge, skill and competency. Examples – webinars, instructor-led courses, self-directed E learning, vocational training, seminars,, courses; 6. Community of practice: network of people engaging in a process of collective learning to improve practice. Example – an online learning platform; 7. Job aid: checklist, toolkits, step-by-step guides, templates, flow charts, forms and worksheets. South Rupununi Guyana (climatechange.gov.gy) Table 10: Capacity building objectives, indicators, and modalities for the capacity building of the agricultural sector in climate change processes. Capacity building objectives and principles Indicators of completion Indicative learning area Modality of capacity building 1. To develop a critical mass of technical skills in critical areas of agricultural adaptation to, and mitigation of climate change. Principle 4 Principle 5 1.1. # of agricultural professionals with certificate of completion in emissions reduction in agriculture. Emission trading units in the carbon market Training, Coaching Technical Assistance 1.2. # of certified UNFCCC Expert Reviewers for GHG-I66 Measuring and reporting emissions Training Coaching 1.3. # of agricultural professionals with certificate of completion in ecosystem protection and – climate change based adaptation. Ecosystem approach to agriculture EbA policy measures Training 1.4. # of agricultural extension education training modules on climate change and agriculture. Climate field schools Job Aids Community of Practice 1.5. # of agricultural professionals with certificate of completion in land and water management engineering. Watershed management and protection Training 1.6. # of agro-meteorologists with certificate of completion in agro-meteorological modelling and forecasting. Agro-meteorological modelling, monitoring and forecasting Training Community of Practice 1.7. # of agricultural professionals with certificate of completion in green solutions for agriculture. Climate smart agriculture Low carbon agricultural production systems Training, Technical Assistance 2. To enhance knowledge of, and ability to access, climate financing. Principle 6 2.1. # of agricultural professionals with competent knowledge of climate financing processes and procedures. Financing green solutions Training, Coaching, Community of Practice 2.2 # of concept notes/project proposals from agricultural entities that are successfully screened for climate financing on an annual basis (all sources). Financing green solutions Mentoring, Community of Practice 3. To increase understanding of UNFCCC and Paris Agreement procedures to effectively participate as a negotiator or technical expert 3.1. # of negotiators from the agricultural sector who have completed courses under the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement. UNFCCC, Paris Agreement Training, Networking and Exchanges 3.2. # of agricultural professions who have competent knowledge and awareness of the Koronovia Joint Work Ecosystem vulnerability assessment EbA policy measures Training Networking and Exchanges Community of Practice 66 The OCC has successfully organised one cohort of training trained that produced three professions (one each from GFC, Guyana Power and Light, GEA) who have been certified as expert reviewers for GHG inventory (GHG-I). Under the first round, professionals from other sectors were exposed to training - agriculture, transport, and solid waste management. The next cohort will be trained soon. 61 at annual and inter-sessional meetings. Principle 3 Programme67 on Agriculture and sectoral adaptation planning. 3.3. # of negotiators from the agricultural sector who participate in UNFCCC expert meetings. UNFCCC Paris Agreement Mentoring 4. To increase the capacity of agricultural practitioners in climate change mainstreaming in agricultural sector strategies and plans. Principle 1 Principle 2 Principle 4 4.1. # of agricultural professionals with competent knowledge in the processes for climate change mainstreaming in the agricultural sector (including climate budgeting, accounting and reporting). Low carbon agricultural production systems Ecosystem approach to agriculture Mentoring Technical Assistance 4.2. The extent to which new or revised agricultural policies, laws and sector plans and strategies are aligned with climate change priorities for agriculture. Key: 1=fully aligned; 2=partially aligned; 3=not aligned. EbA policy measures Water use efficiency Job Aids Networking and Exchanges 4.3. The extent to which new or revised agricultural policies, laws and sector strategies and plans are integrated into projects and annual work plans. Key: 1=fully aligned; 2=partially aligned; 3=not aligned. EbA policy measures Water harvesting and use Job Aids 5. To train a cadre of agricultural professionals in project management and donor relations Principle 2 5.1. # of agricultural professionals with certificate of completion in project management, including proposal writing, concept note/project development that targets climate financing. Financing for green solutions Training 5.2. # of agricultural professionals with certificate of completion in climate finance for green solutions. Financing for green solutions Training Networking and Exchanges Prior to the commencement of the formal training for agricultural professionals it is recommended that OCC, in collaboration with the MoA and its agencies represented on the NCCC, the GLSC (for the land management professionals) and the Department of Public Service, develop, or otherwise adopt, a suitable ‘scholarship’ bond scheme for beneficiaries as a way of retaining capacity. At the end of the capacity building exercises, OCC should update the register of professionals available to it to support the climate change processes. Over the life of the one-year, NCCC should monitor the change in capacity with the help of the indicators of success in Table 10 (see also below for capacity building success indicators). These measures will contribute to the progressive realisation of requisite thematic and institutional capacities for delivery of support to the OCC and the NCCC. For sustainability and ease of application, the scorecard should to be mainstreamed within existing structures and mechanisms. 67 http://www.fao.org/climate-change/our-work/what-we-do/koronivia/en/ http://www.fao.org/climate-change/our-work/what-we-do/koronivia/en/ Capacity building scorecard for the agricultural sector Monitoring capacity development of individuals and institutions within the agricultural sector needs to be reconciled with results, taking into account that the OCC needs to monitor how results contribute to delivering an effective climate change response within the agricultural sector. The following scorecard is a modified GEF/UNDP tool that quantifies a qualitative process of capacity change through the use of appropriate indicators and their corresponding ratings (Table 11). The scorecard presents descriptive sentences for each capacity development indicator with four numerical ratings (0 to 3). Although the framework presents a set of indicators, the tool is flexible enough to add indicators specific to each result. Table 11. A capacity development scorecard for capacity building of the agricultural sector. Capacity Results Measurable indicators of success Rating Score Comments Result 1: Capacities for management and implementation Result 2: Capacities to generate, access and use information and knowledge 1. A critical mass of technical skills in critical areas of agricultural adaptation to, and mitigation of climate change, developed. 75% of lead agricultural institutions have under developed critical climate change response skills 0 50% of lead agricultural institutions with developed critical climate change response skills 1 The critical climate response skills and technologies are available and utilised 2 There is a national based mechanism for updating the acquired skills and technologies 3 2. Knowledge of, and ability to access, climate financing enhanced. 75% of lead agricultural institutions have no knowledge of how to access climate financing 0 5o% of lead agricultural institutions have knowledge on how to access climate financing 1 Resource requirements for lead agricultural institutions are partially identified 2 Climate funding sources for resource requirements are identified 3 Result 3: Capacities for engagement 3. Understanding of UNFCCC and Paris Agreement (PA) procedures to effectively participate as a negotiator or technical expert at annual and inter sessional meetings, increased 75% of lead agricultural institutions have no knowledge of UNFCCC and PA procedures 0 75% of lead agricultural institutions have knowledge of UNFCCC and PA procedures 1 Lead agricultural institutions are partially able to provide competent technical advice 2 Lead agricultural institutions can provide competent technical practitioners and their readiness to participate in UNFCCC and PA meetings is recognised 3 Result 4: Capacities for policy and strategy development 4. The capacity of agricultural 75% of lead agricultural institutions have no knowledge of mainstreaming climate change 0 63 practitioners in climate change mainstreaming in agricultural sector strategies and plans is increased. 50% of lead agricultural institutions have knowledge of mainstreaming climate change 1 Lead agricultural institutions can align new or revised agricultural sector strategies and actions plans with climate change priorities 2 Lead agricultural institutions can integrate climate change aligned strategic priorities and actions into annual work plans 3 Result 5: Capacity to monitor and evaluate 5. To train a cadre of agricultural professionals in project management and donor relations No or irregular monitoring of climate change issues in agricultural programmes and projects 0 An adequate monitoring and evaluation resource framework is in place 1 Regular participatory monitoring and evaluation of climate related results is being conducted 2 Monitoring and evaluation information is produced timely and accurately for use. 3 Capacity building plan for the NCCC (10 years) The problem tree analysis identified the main problem affecting the NCCC as “Low capacity as a consultative body on climate change”. The primary contributing causes are: • Weak structural and financial support for implementation of sector strategies and actions plans (thematic); • No legal certainty to mainstream and integrate climate change considerations into sector strategies and action plans (legal); • Insufficient capacity for evidence-based decision making at national and sub-national levels (Institutional). In order to mitigate the effects of the core problem, this capacity building plan seeks to address the contributing causes. Capacity building objectives, indicators and modality At its meeting held on 26 July 2019, the NCCC focused attention on the capacity strengthening of the Committee (NCCC) to foster effectiveness in its role as the consultative body in the implementation of climate readiness work. Specifically, the NCCC identified the following areas to be developed through training (Table 12): • Climate change, Conventions, institutions and networks, climate finance, country plans (e.g. NAP), sector plans, regional plans (case studies); • Modelling the effects of climate change e.g. with respect to agriculture; • Methodologies to undertake vulnerability and adaptation assessment. Table 12: Capacity building objectives, indicators, and modalities for the capacity building of the National Climate Change Committee. Capacity building objectives Type of capacity Indicators of success Indicative learning areas fulfilled Modality of capacity building 1. The NCCC is able to review concepts and proposals and competently advise the NDA on eligibility for climate financing Principle 4 Principle 6 Thematic 1.1. # of NCCC members who are subject matter specialists for the NCCC Scientific and Technical sub Committee. Modelling climate change Vulnerability and adaptation assessments Training Community of Practice Institutional 1.2 The extent to which the NCCC can competently advise the OCC on priorities for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Key: 1=full extent; 2=some extent; 3=no extent. Climate change concepts Modelling climate change Vulnerability and adaptation assessments Training Community of Practice Institutional 1.3. # of direct access applications submitted to the GCF, AF and GEF as a result of the direct involvement of the NCCC. Climate finance Financing green solutions Coaching Job aids Legal 1.4. # of SOPs adopted by the NCCC. Climate change Mentoring Job aids 2. The NCCC is functioning as a fully-fledged national consultative body on climate change to the OCC. Principle 3 Principle 5 Legal 2.1. # of legal notices (e.g. the Official Gazette of Guyana) that recognises the legal character of the NCCC. Institutions and networks Technical assistance Legal 2.2. # of NCCC nominees to the OCC who are listed as NCCC members in the Official Gazette of Guyana. Institutions and networks Technical assistance Institutional 2.3. Amount of financial resources annually budgeted by the OCC for the provision of secretariat support to the NCCC. Institutions and networks Climate finance Technical assistance Coaching Job aids 3. The NCCC members have developed capacity to facilitate efficient planning and administration of fund related responsibilities and guide the development and implementation of the CSF for the GCF. Principle 4 Thematic 3.1: # of NCCC members with certificate of completion in climate finance processes (planning, accessing, delivering, monitor, report and verify); Climate finance Financing green solutions Training, Coaching Community of Practice Thematic 3.2: # of NCCC members with certificate of completion in climate change knowledge management and stakeholder engagement; Climate change concepts Country plans Institutions and networks Mentoring Community of Practice Institutional 3.3: The extent to which the NCCC is demonstrating capacity to facilitate efficient planning and administration of the CSF tasks. Key: 1=full capacity; 2=some capacity; 3=no capacity. Sector plans Regional plans Measuring and reporting emissions Technical assistance Job aids 65 Principle 5 Institutional 3.4: The extent to which the NCCC is capable of screening concept notes/project applications for climate funding Key: 1=fully capable; 2=some capability; 3=no capability. Sector plans Regional plans Measuring and reporting emissions Technical assistance Mentoring Job aids 4. The NCCC members are well grounded in the procedures and operations of the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement Thematic 4.1. # of NCCC negotiators who have completed courses under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement. UNFCCC Paris Agreement Mentoring Institutional 4.2. # of NCCC negotiators who participate in UNFCCC meetings. UNFCCC Mentoring Thematic 4.3. # of NCCC members who provide leadership on climate change to government and non-governmental organisations by invitation. Climate change concepts Sector plans Regional plans Mentoring 5. The NCCC members have benefited from targeted capacity building in specialised areas such as: the economics of adaptation and mitigation; climate expenditure and institutional reviews; and climate information. Principle 1 Principle 2 Principle 4 Thematic 5.1. # of NCCC members with certificate of completion in the economics of adaptation and mitigation; Climate finance Financing green solutions Training Coaching Thematic 5.2. # of NCCC members with certificate of completion in climate expenditure and institutional reviews; Climate finance Financing green solutions Training Coaching Thematic 5.3. # of NCCC members with certificate of completion in climate informatics. Climate finance Financing green solutions Training Coaching Institutional 5.4. The extent to which the NCCC is influencing the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into policies, laws and sector strategies and action plans. Key: 1=fully extent; 2=insufficient extent; 3=no extent. Institutions and networks Sector plans Regional plans Training Coaching Mentoring Capacity building scorecard for the NCCC Monitoring capacity development of individuals and institutions within the NCCC needs to be reconciled with results, taking into account that the OCC needs to monitor how results contribute to delivering an effective national climate change response. The following scorecard is a tool that quantify a qualitative process of capacity change through the use of appropriate indicators and their corresponding ratings (Table 13). The scorecard presents descriptive sentences for each capacity development indicator with four numerical ratings (0 to 3). Although the framework presents a set of indicators, the tool is flexible enough to add indicators specific to each objective. Table 13. The capacity development scorecard for capacity building of the NCCC. Capacity Results Measurable indicators of success Rating Score Comments Outcome 1: By 2023, the coordinated delivery of high-quality scientific and technical advice from the NCC is contributing to the efficient and effective management of the climate change processes. Lead institution: Ministry of Agriculture assisted by, the Guyana Forestry Commission, Ministry of Communities and Ministry of Public Infrastructure. 1. The NCCC is able to review concepts and proposals and competently advise the NDA on eligibility for climate financing NCCC is not capable of conducting credible climate modelling and assessments 0 NCCC is capable of conducting credible climate modelling and vulnerability assessments 1 NCCC directs national and regional priorities for funding climate change processes 2 The preparatory process for climate financing proposals receives expert inputs from NCCC 3 Outcome 2: By 2025, the NCCC is consolidated as the premier advisory body to the OCC and is contributing to evidence-based decision making. Lead institution: OCC 2. The NCCC is functioning as a fully fledged national consultative body on climate change to the OCC NCCC has no legal mandate to serve as the consultative body on climate change to the OCC 0 The climate change policy framework provides an enabling environment for NCCC to serve as the consultative body on climate change 1 Adequate climate change policy framework exists for recognition of the NCCC as the national consultative body on climate change but there are problems implementing it 2 NCCC is functioning as the national consultative body on climate change and receives budgetary allocation under the resource framework of the OCC. 3 Outcome 3: By 2026, financial planning and accessing finance for the effective management of climate change processes are developed and sustained. Lead institution: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 3. The NCCC members have developed capacity to facilitate 75% of NCCC member institutions do not have adequate resources for their programmes and the requirements have not been assessed 0 67 efficient planning and administration of fund-related responsibilities and guide the development and implementation of the CSF for the GCF. 50% of NCCC member institutions know their resource requirements but are not being addressed 1 NCCC is partially able to efficiently plan and administer its fund-related responsibilities in keeping with the CSF 2 NCCC is fully able to efficiently plan and administer its fund-related responsibilities in keeping with the CSF 3 4. The NCCC members are well grounded in the procedures and operations of the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement (PA) 75% of NCCC member institutions have no knowledge of UNFCCC and PA procedures 0 50% of NCCC member institutions have knowledge of UNFCCC and PA procedures 1 NCCC member institutions are partially able to function as climate change negotiators 2 NCCC member institutions are fully capable to function as climate change negotiators 3 Outcome 4: By 2029, key policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans have been climate-proofed and are safeguarding Guyana’s green development. Lead institution: Ministry of Finance. 5. The NCCC members have benefited from targeted capacity building in specialised areas such as: the economics of adaptation and mitigation; climate expenditure and institutional reviews; and climate information. 75% of NCCC member institutions have no knowledge on how to cost access interventions for climate change processes 0 5o% of NCCC member institutions have adequate knowledge on how to cost access interventions for climate change processes 1 Resource requirements for climate change processes have been identified 2 NCCC is fully capable of advising on the pathway to a ‘whole of government’ approach to climate change processes budgeting and programme development 3 6. The NCCC is an effective platform for the mainstreaming and integrating of climate change considerations, inter alia, into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. 75% of NCCC members who attend NCC meetings are not heads of their institutions 0 100% of NCCC members who attend NCC meetings are heads of their institutions 1 Pathways for climate-proofing key policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans exist but are not yet operationalised 2 NCCC is recognised as the platform for the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into policies, legislations, regulations, sector strategies and plans. 3 68 Conclusion and recommendations Guyana has demonstrated astute leadership and commitment to the global and regional climate change agenda. Guyana has ratified key international treaties (e.g. UNFCCC, PA), pioneered a novel partnership with the Kingdom of Norway on forest conservation, and developed a national strategy (GSDS) to steer the creation of a ‘green state’, a ‘digital state’, a ‘petroleum state’, and an ‘education nation’. Climate change presents a clear and present danger to Guyana’s aspirations. Guyana has a highly evolved enabling environment for the management of climate change processes for reducing the impacts of climate change on the people, the economy and the environment (both natural and built). The OCC is the spearhead of Guyana’s state efforts to support work on climate change adaptation, mitigation and related forest conservation and the coordination and alignment of the efforts of various government agencies around the issue of climate change The strategy to assist the OCC in the fulfilment of its mandate is to deploy the mechanism of a duly constituted multi-stakeholder consultative body on climate change. That body, the National Climate Change Advisory Committee (NCCC, for short), needs legal certainty to be able to fulfil its supporting role to the OCC for the coordinated delivery of scientific, technical and institutional guidance and support on international, regional, national and sub-national climate change processes. The NCCC is not yet a duly constituted body under statute law or other legal mechanism of the state. The NCCC needs a legal mandate as well as capacity strengthening to be able to effectively carry out its functions. The capacity building plans for the agricultural sector (12 months) and the NCCC (10 years) outlined in this document presuppose a stable NCCC that is recognised by all relevant stakeholders, including the key state and non-state institutions that cover the five priority sectors – agriculture, forestry, energy, water resources and transportation. An effective NCCC will be truly representative of the country and guarantees the best available evidence based decision making at national and sub national levels. The following recommendations are presented for the consolidating of national and sub-national actions: 1. Anchor the NCCC within the ambit of the OCC to streamline the management of climate change processes. The retention of this oversight role of the OCC will ensure that the national climate change response is coordinated and the functions of the NCCC remain interoperable; 2. Vigorously pursue a legal mandate for the NCCC under the existing subsidiary legislation or relevant other administrative facility as soon as possible to remove doubt and uncertainty from the minds and actions of stakeholders and potential beneficiaries; 3. Initiate the ‘whole of government’ approach to planning and budgeting for climate change management at national and sub-national levels as soon as possible. This may require a review of national and regional plans for the identification of entry points for climate change issues; 4. Develop and retain critical masses of skills at the individual and institutional levels and organise such skills into thematic communities of practice that self-regulate and grow; 5. Continually assess the Strategic plan and make adjustments to maintain relevance and efficacy. 69 Annexes Annex 1: Terms of Reference for the NCCC (draft) NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE (NCCC) TERMS OF REFERENCE BACKGROUND An effective response to climate change requires the development of appropriate institutional arrangements which will facilitate and guide the planning process for integration of climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience building across sectors, at the national, regional and local levels, and foster greater coordination, collaboration, and implementation of climate policies, strategies and plans. Additionally, this mechanism would also guide the establishment and implementation of a monitoring and evaluation framework and support knowledge management. To this end, the Office of Climate Change has re-established the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC), which will serve as the consultative body in support of the OCC´s operational mandate. Members of the NCCC will be the Head of the relevant ministries, selected departments and agencies or nominated by the Head as the Focal Point for acceptance by the Office of Climate Change. MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE NCCC The NCCC will be responsible for mainstreaming of climate change considerations into relevant policies, strategies and/or plans. The Committee will also provide guidance and support to the implementation of all levels of sectoral initiatives with respect to climate change. SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS OF THE NCCC a) To provide guidance, technical and/or scientific advice particularly in the formulation and implementation of sector strategies, action plans and awareness raising programmes; b) To coordinate and monitor the development and/or implementation of their sectoral adaptation and mitigation strategies and action plans, with technical and financial support to be provided through the Office of Climate Change, where applicable; 70 c) To mainstream and integrate climate change considerations, inter alia, in legislations, regulations, policies, national strategies, sector plans; d) To participate in the development of annual workplan and formulate activities for implementation of relevant sections of the National Climate Change Policy of Guyana including creating awareness of such activities. e) Members of the NCCC to prepare and submit periodic monitoring reports on their sector strategies and action plans f) To coordinate information sharing on national, bilateral and/or multilateral initiatives of their respective ministry, department/agency. This will support the cohesiveness of plans and activities between the various sectors. g) To establish Task Forces to address issues/activities that are critical to the implementation of climate related initiatives within sector agencies; h) To participate in national Pre-Conference of Parties (COP) meetings to guide Guyana´s participation at the Intersessional and Annual Meetings of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement (i) To establish a sub-committee within the NCCC to serve as the Task Force for Climate Finance. The Task Force shall: Identify national funding priorities for engagement with the climate finance fund sources (ii) Review project concepts/proposals and issue recommendations to the National Designated Authority (NDA) for their consideration for no-objection and submission to the GCF for financing (iii) Review applications and issue recommendation to the NDA in consideration of prospective direct access entity seeking accreditation to the GCF. SUPPORT TO BE PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE OF CLIMATE CHANGE 1. The Office of Climate Change will mobilise and provide technical and where possible financial support for development and implementation of adaptation and mitigation plans. This includes: a) Identifying technological, financial, human and other resource needs of ministries, departments and agencies b) Developing a financial and resource mobilization strategy to fund the development and implementation of adaptation and mitigation plans. 2. The OCC will provide guidance to the NCCC to support the establishment of multidisciplinary task forces based on similar concerns such as a Task Force focussing on Legal Issues or one comprising of Focal Points related to Agricultural Issues, climate change related national projects, etc. These task forces will be required to have the full support by written directives of their respective Permanent Secretaries, Agency/Department Heads and Senior Executives, to ensure the successful but also necessary mainstreaming of climate change initiatives into the operations of the organizations, in a timely manner. 3. The OCC with the support of development partners, will assist in identifying and/or organising and implementing training initiatives to support the development of the skills and competencies that will enable the NCCC to effectively carry out its functions. 4. Develop procedures for the coordination, development and implementation of action plans and methods for evaluating the performance of approved actions. 71 5. OCC will serve as Secretariat for the NCCC FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS Meetings will be held at least once per quarter. The meetings will be convened by the Minister with responsibility for climate change. Members of the NCCC to prepare and submit periodic monitoring reports on their sector strategies and action plans prior to meeting; clearly outlining their achievements, challenges and recommendations. The NCCC will have the power of convening additional meetings based on needs and availability of resources. Annex 1 - Members of the NCCC Members of the NCCC will be the Head of the relevant ministries, selected departments and agencies or nominated by the Head as the Focal Point for acceptance by the Office of Climate Change. An Alternate will also be nominated. Members of the NCCC will constitute Focal Points from relevant ministries, selected departments and agencies. Representation will also be invited from civil society groups and the private sector. The Focal Point shall be an individual in senior position, preferably at the managerial level or higher with decision making authority. It is expected that the Focal Points’ selection will be based on their knowledge and experience on matters relating to policy formulation and/or institutional planning of their respective Ministry, Department and/or Agency. The incumbent will be supported to formulate activities to implement the relevant sections of the National Climate Change Policy of Guyana including creating awareness of such activities. A working knowledge of climate change related issues is advantageous but not necessary. Annex 2- List of agencies represented on the NCCC # Agency 1 Office of Climate Change, Ministry of the Presidency 2 Ministry of Finance 3 Project Management Office, Ministry of the Presidency 4 Department of Environment, Ministry of the Presidency 5 Ministry of Agriculture 6 Ministry of Foreign Affairs 7 Ministry of Communities 8 Ministry of Public Infrastructure 9 Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs 10 Ministry of Public Health 11 Gender Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Social Protection 12 Guyana Forestry Commission, Ministry of Natural Resources 13 Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Ministry of the Presidency 14 Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Ministry of Natural Resources 15 Civil Defence Commission, Ministry of the Presidency 16 Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of the Presidency 17 Guyana Energy Agency, Ministry of Public Infrastructure 18 Hydrometeorological Service, Ministry of Agriculture 19 National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute, Ministry of Agriculture 72 20 Institute of Applied Science and Technology 21 National Toshaos Council 22 Private Sector Commission 23 University of Guyana (Vice Chancellor), Ministry of Education 24 Guyana Youth Environment Network 25 National Coordinating Coalition of NGOs 26 Guyana Livestock Development Authority, Ministry of Agriculture 27 Ministry of Education 28 National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Ministry of Agriculture 29 Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development 30 Partners of the Americas 31 Faculty of Earth and Environment Sciences, University of Guyana 32 Lead Negotiator on climate change 73 Annex 2: Stakeholder workshop report Capacity Building of the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) of Guyana Consultancy Stakeholder Workshop Report Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81909531007?pwd=cTlJbnpjMWNNNFFrQ295M0d3SUhNZz09 Tuesday, 19 May 2020 10:00 hrs - 12:00 hrs Introductions: The meeting was convened and moderated by Ms. Raisa Spencer, Junior Professional Officer, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). All participants in attendance introduced themselves. See Annex 1 for a copy of the agenda and Annex 2 for a list of participants. Agenda Item #1: Background, Context Ms. Spencer indicated that the aim of the consultancy is to develop a Strategic Plan for the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) of Guyana. The Stakeholder Workshop is an opportunity for the members of the NCCC to review the draft Strategic plan. Mrs. Janelle Christian, Head of the Office of Climate Change (OCC) and Chair of the NCCC provided the background and context to climate change governance in Guyana and to the need for the consultancy. Key points were: • The NCCC predates the OCC. In 2018, the NCCC was reorganised in keeping with the priorities of the government; • It is important to recognise the shift from a business as usual scenario to a new paradigm on how to approach the climate response; • The long-term view of the OCC is to have a broader engagement at regional and international levels to cover thematic areas of priority for Guyana; • In 2018, a one-off expert awareness session for the OCC provided information on the history of the climate crisis, the difficulty of negotiations, and the mechanisms for Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to engage; • In 2019, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Project (RP) for Agriculture, through the FAO, supported the conduct of a baseline capacity survey of the NCCC, the results from which shape the work being undertaken by the national consultant. Extensive discussions between the OCC and the consultant provided additional contextual information and guidance; • OCC needs to have a broader presence on the regional and international stage; • There is need to cover thematic areas of priority to Guyana and to the OCC; • OCC made efforts to engage and involve other agencies and experts in international fora. For example, in partnership with the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), one young technical officer https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81909531007?pwd=cTlJbnpjMWNNNFFrQ295M0d3SUhNZz09 74 attended the 25th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP 25); and in partnership with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Mr. David Fredericks attended the Koronovia Joint Work Programme on Agriculture with the financial support of the GCF RP. OCC received a commitment from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) for a technical representative to be part of the national delegation to the COP - hopefully to COP 26; • Under the Paris Agreement Work Programme, there is a work stream in indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). There is need to bring this work stream on board and towards this, the OCC has held discussions with the National Toshaos Council (NTC); • Financial resources to engage international climate processes remain a constraint for the OCC; • The Capacity Building Plan for the NCCC seeks to expose it to climate change issues, for NCCC members to be au fait with national policies and priorities, and to make a meaningful contribution to the climate change processes; • NCCC should share views on the draft capacity building plan, bearing in mind that not everyone responded to the baseline capacity assessment survey. Use the workshop to clarify questions and concerns. Agenda Item #2 Expected outcomes In addition to the points made by the OCC, the FAO has the following expectations of the stakeholder workshop: ○ Getting stakeholder participation to identify areas for capacity building that need the most attention and capacity built; ○ Contribute to the development of a long-term plan on how capacity will be built for the NCCC as a whole. Agenda Item #3 Overview of Strategic plan and Capacity Building Plans The National Consultant, Patrick Chesney, presented an overview of the drat Strategic plan and the two Capacity Building Plans using a PowerPoint Presentation. See Annex 3 for copy of the slides. Agenda Item #4 Moderated Discussion of the updated draft document 1. Raquel Thomas, Iwokrama International Centre Question/Comment: • The priority sectors do not clearly include protected areas (PAs). Guyana signed on to the Paris Agreement and the President of Guyana committed 2 million hectares for new PAs. PAs are part of the climate change agenda internationally and nationally. PAs is more than forest. Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • We are looking at two things. (i) The capacity building plan is framed within the existing national documents; (ii) PAs are positioned within Guyana’s NDC. See Table 5; Page 53. • Guyana is about to start the process for it’s second NDC. Countries are not expected to be progressively ambitious and not remove commitments. Guyana will not remove commitments to PAs, sustainable 75 forest management, adaptation and transition to renewable energy. There is a framework to elaborate a new NDC. • There will be a series of knowledge sessions to be hosted by UNFCCC to help countries understanding of the new provisions in the new NDC by COP 26. • In objective #2 of the draft Strategic plan, reference is made to an ecosystem-based approach to adaptation. The implementation plan for the strategy will include support for capacity building in that area. See Table 9; Page 72. 2. Troy Torrington, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Question/Comment: • Reconsider the 15-year time horizon for the capacity building actions contemplated in the Strategic plan. Consider adding a medium-term framework and an accelerated template. If actions are undertaken in a shorter timeframe, the objectives can be reached in a shorter time to meet changes in personnel and developments. • Maintain the strong science and policy basis in the strategy, which responds to the gaps identified in the SWOT analysis. Consider inclusion of an advocacy dimension for the NCCC including promoting the work of the committee. (See SOPs from page 61.) • The Strategic plan should consider recommendations and initiatives made at the last NCCC meeting. • The SWOT identified weaknesses. Are the actions mismatched considering change of personnel and institutions? Recommend actions undertaken in a shorter time frame to get to the objectives faster. The NCCC needs to have strong technical support arm to discharge its functions since capacity gaps might not be filled in a 15-year time horizon. Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • Agree with Ambassador Torrington. The paradigm shift in terms of how we are expected to operate in the Paris Agreement timeframe occasions the need to reduce the timeline to bring into realisation the achievement of the expected results in a shorter time period. See page 49. • With respect to the 2019 NCCC meeting, some adjustments were made to the initial ToR of the NCCC. The minutes will be shared with the consultant; • With respect to the recommendation for a separate technical offshoot to provide support to the NCCC, both are merited because of what we are finding with respect to national reports/sector-specific reports. The expectation is that those who sit on the committee should have experience and influence in their respective agency and bring that to the table. We have found that when we come to NDCs, greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, and national communications, it is expected that the NCCC should provide oversight and comment. However, only a few committed members actually respond to requests to review the documents. We need a defined approach to do that. We need other individuals trained in other areas. The NCCC should have the space to have appreciation and basic benchmarks to review documents. Response (National Consultant): • Technical expertise. A provision for subject matter specialist is part of the technical and scientific sub committee in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). 76 3. Paulette Bynoe, Climate Change Negotiator Question/Comment: • Include the word ‘advisory’ in the NCCC, to wit: National Climate Change Advisory Committee. The climate problematic is influenced now by politics and economics. Stakeholders should also represent a multiplicity of disciplines to any discussion on climate change. • Regarding the contribution of the national advisory body. Given the COP experience, the NCCC should be able to help the delegation put together position papers on draft agenda items to be discussed at the COP so that even before the delegation arrives at COP, these issues would have been discussed. After COP, the delegation can return and discuss decisions made and how best they can be implemented in Guyana’s policy framework. Consider establishing sub-working groups specific to sectors and based on expertise e.g. GHG inventories in agriculture, gender, etc. Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • Both initial and revised ToRs require NCCC to be involved in the negotiations and to provide inputs. It is a country position that needs a framework. • Our expectation is that the profile of Individuals sitting on NCCC should be part of the COP delegation as well. This led to OCC soliciting the support of David Fredericks at last COP and the representative from GLSC, both members of the NCCC. Actions are undertaken based on available resources. See Pages 31 32. • No harm in adjusting the name of the committee to include the word ‘advisory’. The draft Strategic plan includes the option of OCC to play a role in accepting nominees to adequately function based on the expectations of the NCCC. See page 49. 4. Annette Arjoon, Guyana Marine Conservation Society Question/Comment: • Mangrove forested areas on the West Coast of Demerara, the Demerara river, and the Berbice river have been leased to shore based activities for the oil industry. When mangroves are cleared, the entire agricultural land behind is completely exposed. There needs to be a stipulation on maintaining mangroves. Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • The Coastal/marine management committee under the chair of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has actions that have been identified to ensure this matter is addressed. The OCC intends to raise this issue at the forum next week. 5. Denise Simmons, University of Guyana Question/Comment: • Recognise the value of the sub-committees; • Reognise that the strategy is a living document to be reviewed from time to time’ • Situate the Strategic plan within the institutional framework to govern climate change processes in Guyana. • Support for inclusion of the word ‘advisory in the NCCC. 77 • The document identifies a number of institutional environmental weaknesses in Guyana. How have they been considered with NCCC being able to achieve its objectives? e.g. the constraints due to absence of data/GHG inventories. This will affect NCCC’s ability to give accurate advice. To what extent have these constraints been taken into consideration in the NCCC Capacity Building Plan, and in the time frame? Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • OCC is small unit but doing work of a much larger unit; • Outside of a strategic plan for the office, UNFCCC provides financial support, technical assistance/technology transfer, and capacity building. With respect to capacity building, OCC is in a better position but there is room for improvement. • Parallel activities have been undertaken. E.g. Guyana has three expert reviewers for GHG inventory (GHG-I). Amir Dilawar (Guyana Power and Light), who is on the call, is in the UNFCCC qualified pool; and so are Shevon Wood (Guyana Energy Agency) and Hansrajie Sukhdeo (GFC). OCC has also exposed people from other sectors to training - agriculture68, transport, and solid waste. The second round of GHG-I training aims to build capacity on how to read and analyse these documents, as well as, to provide input on a national and international level. The idea it to build capacity on two tracks: (i) build the capacity of NCCC to review document, and (ii) have a cadre of individuals to provide specialised inputs across all of the sectors. OCC facilitated the purchase of a resistivity logger for the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) to assess where water can be found in the hinterland. A sponsored training was done with a GWI technician in Madrid, Spain. See Page 75. Footnore 66. 6. Roland Austin, Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission Question/Comment: • Learning outcomes does not include soil management; • In the Strategic plan, synergies are mentioned. However, it is important to ensure that synergies with land and climate change can be established. We can build synergies between the signed agreements. Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • There are provisions made under GCF capacity readiness proposal to support the implementation of actions by NCCC. So, yes, land management can be included. See Page 73. 7. Nasheta Dewnath, GFC Question/Comment: • What ideas are there to sustaining capacity amidst losing staff and experts, how will this be addressed? Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • OCC has no control over professional development and changing careers of persons; • The capacity building process must be continuous and a framework for continuous knowledge transfer, capacity building and exposure to as many individuals must be made; 68 The Ministry of Agriculture experts have successfully completed NC/BR, 501 and 531 training, and are presently participating in BR4 Review of Estonia. 78 • OCC’s strategy is to ask each sector to identify who should benefit from the training. Hopefully, the sector agency has some system of knowledge transfer. See Page 75. • OCC to continue offering training to other sectors, including the private sector. 8. Abigail Liverpool Ministry of Public Health Question/Comment: • Health determinants of climate change have been addressed in other sectors; • Persons in water and sanitation and agricultural sectors must be trained on the impacts of their actions on health. Devise strategies within the sectors to reduce the burden on the health sector. For example, in the housing sector, building codes include health guidelines such as for human waste management. Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • The Ministry of Public Health has established a climate change committee and they are leading the work for a regional programme for climate change in public health. This issue is of high priority. • Noted the need for discussion between the health sector, environment network and climate change specialists. This is something to be guided by the Ministry of Public Health 9. Roland Austin, GLSC Question/comment: • In the capacity building tables, agricultural professions should include professions in land management. Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • Yes, they can be included. Other professionals can be co-opted into the committee. See Table 10; Page 75. 10. David Fredericks, NAREI Question/Comment: • Point made by Dr. Bynoe on the NCCC supporting the COP delegations is an apt comment and should be taken on board. The support to the COP should be before, during, and after the COP. These will strengthen the responses. • Emphasise collaboration with AOISIS and SIDS. • Have a cadre of personnel in NCCC to assist with communication. Response (Janelle Christian, Head of OCC): • Reiterate in both iterations of the ToR of the NCCC. 11: Roland Austin, GLSC: Question/comment: • What about the resource requirements such as human resources, time, and transportation for agencies. The sustainability of participation on the committee is important. Response (Janelle, Head of OCC): • It is included in the plan. There is a provision for OCC multi-year budget for the functioning of the NCCC. See Table 5, Page 53. 79 Agenda Item #5 Summary of key points and next steps Summary of key points Follow up points made by Janelle Christian on Thursday, 21 May Include the word ‘advisory’ in the name of the NCCC It is implied but ‘Advisory’ may be included. Time horizon - consider an earlier time of achievement of objectives Design framework over a 10-year period as opposed to 15 year timeline. Role of committee to support negotiators in the COP delegaion. Have pre & post COP sessions to review agendas and prepare position papers. Already discussed in 2019 at a NCCC meeting Pre/post COP: the advisory committee is the national body responsible for guiding the government through the OCC. Have a separation of representation on the committee to adequately represent ministries, agencies, departments, etc. Those who sit in the NCCC will be the heads of their specific ministry/department/unit. Include a caveat stating that the committee can co-opt specialist support as required depending on the nature of the work considering the availability and complex nature of what needs to be done. Other issues: Heath determinants of climate change. Retention of capacity in NCCC through capacity building and continuous knowledge sharing Cadre of expert reviewers. Agenda Item #6 Closure • The vote of thanks was given by Raisa Spencer who cautioned all to continue to be safe. • Janelle Christian said that once the Strategic plan is completed and approved by the NCCC, the OCC will engage with the FAO to unlock resources to implement it. Annex 1: Agenda Capacity Building of the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) of Guyana Consultancy Stakeholder Workshop (Virtual) Tuesday, 19 May 2020 (proposed) 10:00 -12:00 hours Principal Attendees: OCC: Ms. Janelle Christian, Head of OCC/Chair of NCCC & other team members FAO: Mr. Carmichael Thorne and Ms. Raisa Spencer NCCC: All members National Consultant 80 Please read: Updated Draft Strategic plan and Capacity Building Plans of the NCCC (ver.7 May) 10:00 – 10:10 Introductions FAO, OCC NCCC members 10:10 – 10:15 Item #1 Background, context FAO, OCC 10:15 – 10:25 Item #2 Expected outcomes FAO, OCC, NCCC members 10:25 – 10:45 Item #3 Overview of the Strategic plan and Capacity Building Plans National Consultant (NC) 10:45 – 11:45 Item #4 Moderated discussion of the updated draft document Moderator: NC All 11:45 – 11:55 Item #5 Summary of key points and next steps NC 11:55 – 12:00 Item #6 Closure FAO, OCC Additional: FAO to issue communication on the modality of the virtual stakeholder workshop, including instructions on how to connect. Annex 2: List of participants Name Affiliation Position Janelle Christian Office of Climate Change Head and Chair of NCCC Lucina Singh Technical Officer Raja Gokul Climate Change Officer Tracy Smith Project Manager Tanja Lieuw Food and Agricultural Organisation Lead Technical Officer Raisa Spencer Junior Professional Officer Carmichael Thorne National Coordinator, GCF Readiness Project Patrick Chesney National Consultant Annette Arjoon Guyana Marine Conservation Society Coordinator Raquel Thomas Iwokrama International Centre Director Kelvin Craig Partners of the Americas Country Director 81 Abigail Liverpool Ministry of Public Health Principal Environment Health Officer Troy Torrington Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director, Multilateral Affairs Adel Lilly Ministry of Social Protection: Manager, Gender Affairs Bureau, Sandra Britton Department of Environment Renewable Energy Officer Anita Wilson-Layne Civil Defense Commission Projects Manager Crystal Conway National Drainage and Irrigation Authority GIS Engineer Andrew Hicks University of Guyana Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences (FEES) Denise Simmons Coordinator (FEES) Durwin Humphrey Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission Manager of GLSC Secretariat Roland Austin Land Management Officer Nasheta Dewnath Guyana Forestry Commission Head, REDD Secretariat David Fredericks National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute Deputy Chief Executive Officer Godfrey Scott Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Head of Environment Division Gayle Best Guyana Energy Agency Deputy CEO Amir Dilawar Caribbean Youth Environment Network President 26 participants: Female: 15 Male: 11 Annex 3: PowerPoint Presentation