Regional training programmes on adaptation to climate change in the South Caucasus

In view of the urgent need for strategies to adapt to climate change in the South Caucasus, adelphi has organized two training sessions in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, respectively, in June/July and September 2011.

Within the scope of the project “Building Capacities for Environmental Policy and Law in the Southern Caucasus”, adelphi developed a training concept to familiarize the ministries for the environment and other key stakeholders in the environmental sector in the three target countries with methods to develop adaptation strategies at local and national level.

The training concept comprises two three-day training sessions. The first seminar in June/July focused on local adaptation schemes and the second seminar – scheduled to take place in September – will address adaptation strategies at national level. Both training sessions are designed for up to 25 participants and geared towards those involved in the development of adaptation programmes in the various regions. The sessions are primarily targeted at employees of the national ministries for the environment, but also aimed at participants from other ministries, NGOs, research institutes and companies.

The first adaptation seminar consisted of various modules in which participants used a case study developed for the South Caucasus to interpret climate data, conduct vulnerability analyses, identify adaptation options and select specific adaptation measures. The overall aim was to pool the resulting information and devise a local adaptation plan. Furthermore, the modules were accompanied by best practice examples from EU Member States, which participants discussed in relation to the situation in the South Caucasus region.

The second training session in September will focus on developing national adaptation strategies. As in the first training series, the modules will be geared towards the specific working context of the participants and supplemented with relevant examples from the EU.