Dec 05, 2019
In Zambia, hot and dry summers that threaten crop-life and livestock are often followed by formidable rainy seasons that flood roads and cut access to entire districts. Climate change is escalating such weather patterns. Heavier rains, more frequent droughts and extreme temperatures are causing severe impacts on livelihoods, threatening to push already vulnerable communities further into poverty.
The Climate Investment Funds’ (CIFs) Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) is helping Zambia strengthen the resilience of rural communities to climate shocks and is supporting the government in mainstreaming climate resilience in development planning. Under the leadership of the Ministry of National Development Planning and with help from the CIF, climate-resilience efforts have been integrated across ministries and within national, regional and local institutions. Multiple projects are supporting community-level infrastructure and building farm-level support systems for populations that depend on agriculture and natural resources for subsistence and livelihoods.
Today, more than half a million people in the Zambian Barotse and Kafue sub-basins are directly benefitting from PPCR support. An independent evaluation of Transformational Change in the CIF found that PPCR processes and projects led to fundamental shifts in stakeholder behaviors, knowledge, and capacity for resilience programming in Zambia.
Key lessons that emerged from the transformational change evaluation were recently shared by the CIF during a high-level workshop hosted by the Zambian Ministry of National Development Planning in partnership with the CIF’s Evaluation and Learning Initiative.
The two- and half-day “Resilience Ready: Zambia’s Vision 2030” workshop was attended by over 200 stakeholders from different government ministries including Ministers and Members of Parliament, non-profit organizations, academia, funding organizations and the private sector. Participants shared lessons learned from the experience of implementing PPCR projects and discussed how to make progress on unmet challenges.
The Minister of National Development Planning, Hon. Alexander Chiteme, MP, highlighted the strides made by PPCR over the last decade by recognizing that “The PPCR is improving the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities and the government’s intention is to upscale this program to the other regions”.
The World Bank’s Zambia Country Manager, Mr. Sahr Kpundeh, emphasized the Bank’s commitment to supporting climate resilience investments in Zambia and spoke about the new World Bank US$100 million project approved this year, Transforming Landscapes for Resilience and Development , which replicates key features of PPCR in under-served provinces.
Throughout the workshop, speakers underscored the importance of resilience mainstreaming, cross-ministerial collaboration and learning, continued stakeholder engagement, women empowerment and leadership and community driven participatory approaches.
To see what lessons were shared and view the full photo story, please click on the image below:
For Further information please contact:
Ms. Chitembo Chunga: chitembochunga@znccs.org.zm
Ms. Neha Sharma: nsharma10@worldbank.org
