November 2011: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have released a publication on the lessons learned through the Climate Change Adaptation and Development Programme (CC DARE), which provides a variety of concrete solutions to move countries and communities in Sub-Saharan Africa towards low-carbon and climate-resilient development.

It demonstrates how integrating adaptation into national development policies can strengthen and enhance the resilience of countries and communities against the impacts of climate change, while contributing to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The CC DARE programme, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, covers the experience of 11 countries including Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda.

The programme focuses on the identification of barriers that constraint the operationalization of climate change adaptation strategies in order to identify targeted actions to remove those barriers.

The implementation uses a flexible and targeted approach in addressing national priorities for adaptation; focuses on small-scale solutions that are aggregated in addressing challenges; and employs an implementation framework that guides the actions and linkages to national strategy. Some key elements of the strategy of the programme include: country-driven actions; engagement/participation; fast delivery; flexibility; sustainability; replicability; and monitoring and evaluation. [Publication: Lessons Learnt for Climate Change Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa]