Risks and Opportunities for Climate Change Programming in Sudan
This article is published as part of Fridays With MUNPlanet and its series dedicated to world politics and the United Nations. Cassidy Travis (UNEPs PCDMB) examines climate action in Sudan, a country that has contended with recurring crisis due to both political upheaval and natural disasters. In the article, the author outlines Sudan’s growing role in the international climate negotiations, adaptation planning processes, information gaps and it considers how climate change is influencing the humanitarian response.
As more information on the likely impacts of climate change enters the public debate, the outlook seems bleak. Endemic poverty, protracted conflict, lack of investment and the encroaching threat of climate change are narratives all too common,particularly for the world’s least developed countries. However, as the global community ramps up its efforts in climate change adaptation, further attention is needed not only on the looming threat of climate change, but also on how to respond and the challenges or opportunities that may emerge.
This article briefly examines climate action in Sudan, a country that has contended with recurring crisis due to both political upheaval and natural disasters. It outlines Sudan’s growing role in the international climate negotiations, adaptation planning processes, information gaps and it considers how climate change is influencing the humanitarian response.
The Sudanese Involvement in the International Climate Arena
Climate change projections for Sudan indicate higher temperatures, increased rainfall variability, and more severe droughts and floods.[iii]Adapting to such conditions will require a review of complex issues including land use planning and land tenure, public investment in the agricultural sector, access to potable water and water allocations between household, livelihood and multiple sectors of activity, early warning systems, and others.While in the past these issues have often been too politically-divisive for reform, efforts to promote effective adaptation and comply with commitments outlined in the Paris Agreement[2] may help to encourage proper consultation and inclusive participation, research, and data collection that could inform current and future policies.
This is significant for several reasons. Firstly, it has enabled the Sudanese government to engage positively in the international sphere, working in concert with other nations to tackle a collective challenge.With Sudan’s president indicted[1] by the International Criminal Court (ICC), opportunities for positive international dialogue and leadership have been limited. In this context, climate change can be used to help foster collaborations as it has enabled the Sudan government to present a constructive image internationally. Secondly, being under some form of US sanctions for almost two decades, Sudan’s access to trade, technology and finance has been significantly curtailed. Participating in the negotiations and undertaking the accreditation process, the government now has the opportunity to access much needed climate-related investment through international mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility(GEF), and the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). While these channels present new opportunities for financial flows into Sudan, it is equally important that ensuing investments actually target the communities and the sectors most vulnerable to climate change, for example the water, agriculture and health sectors.
Climate Change Challenges in Sudan
Climate change projections for Sudan indicate higher temperatures, increased rainfall variability, and more severe droughts and floods.[iii]Adapting to such conditions will require a review of complex issues including land use planning and land tenure, public investment in the agricultural sector, access to potable water and water allocations between household, livelihood and multiple sectors of activity, early warning systems, and others.While in the past these issues have often been too politically-divisive for reform, efforts to promote effective adaptation and comply with commitments outlined in the Paris Agreement[2] may help to encourage proper consultation and inclusive participation, research, and data collection that could inform current and future policies.
You can read the full article on MUNPlanet.
Cover image: UNEP, together with the EU and the Government of Sudan has launched a new catchment management project in the Wadi El Ku, one of the largest seasonal water courses in North Darfur. This landmark project aims to improve the livelihoods of conflict-affected people in and around a stretch of the Wadi El Ku near El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, through the improved management of local natural resources. The area has seen enormous population growth over the past 10 years, and currently it is estimated that well over 700,000 people depend on the Wadi for their water supply and livelihoods (agriculture and livestock). The result is widespread deforestation, falling groundwater levels, and increasing environmental degradation, which in turn erode livelihoods and undermine economic recovery. 2014 © Albert Gonzalez Farran, UNAMID (via Flickr)
