2 March 2010: The fourth International Conference on Community Based Adaptation (CBA) to Climate Change convened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 21-27 February 2010.

The conference was organized by the International Institute for Environment and Development, Tanzania’s Environment Protection Management Services and the Ring Alliance of Policy Research Organizations, in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Communications for Sustainable Development Initiative), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank. The Conference brought together over 180 participants from 35 countries, representing governments, non-government organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations, community-based organizations and research institutions, who focused on sharing and consolidating the latest developments in CBA planning and practices, particularly in vulnerable communities, throughout the world.
After taking part in field trips to see CBA projects and activities in different parts of Tanzania, participants met for four days of interactive plenary and technical sessions on a wide range of themes relevant to CBA, including: strengthening institutions; water; building adaptive capacity; insurance and microfinance; policy linkages; agriculture; economics; drylands and pastoralism; urban areas; managing and communicating knowledge; scaling up and replicating best practice; vulnerable groups; role of ecosystems in adaptation; disaster risk reduction; methodologies; and funding. A final plenary session discussed next steps for CBA, with participants agreeing to further develop the Global Initiative on Community-Based Adaptation (GICBA), a network that seeks to support CBA-related activities by generating and sharing relevant knowledge. [IISD RS Coverage] [Conference Website]