The Near East and North Africa, and the Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States regions are facing ever harsher climatic conditions and weather extremes from severe drought to devastating flash floods, with an expected loss of lowlands to rising sea levels as a result of global warming. Agriculture and food production are among the worst affected sectors.

In the two regions, IFAD endeavours to help small-scale farmers and poor rural communities develop their own adaptation strategies and capacities to reduce the impact of changing climatic conditions on their livelihoods. With its integrated approach to natural resource management, IFAD’s water-related interventions are often linked to the management and governance of initiatives aimed at building up or restoring the natural asset base. Therefore, its investment in agricultural water management that is adapted to climate change is focused on financing smallholder irrigation. This includes a large variety of activities related to soil and water conservation, watershed management, rainwater harvesting, water for livestock, inland fisheries and aquaculture activities. As a result, IFAD has accumulated experience and has significant expertise in the development of innovative farming activities to help poor rural communities adapt to climate change. These have the potential to be scaled up.

This side event, organized by the Near East and North Africa Division, is expected to bring together a panel of experts to lead a discussion on these issues with Governors and delegates from the two regions, representatives of partner institutions and NGOs, farmers’ organizations and mass media reporters. It will provide an opportunity to illustrate the effects of climate change on natural resources, agri-food sectors and the economies of the two regions. Selected country cases will then be provided as examples of IFAD’s efforts to enhance its engagement in country-led processes, building on project-level policy gains and field achievements, with a view to scaling them up. Issues related to the development of enabling policy frameworks for accelerated adaptation strategies at the country and regional levels will be tackled.

This side event will also provide an opportunity for an exchange of views on what the relevant resolutions of the L’Aquila, Rome and Copenhagen summits mean for the two regions. In this context, IFAD’s experiences, achievements and lessons learned will be illustrated, together with the implications for country level engagement through a country programme approach that involves project design, supervision and implementation support, policy dialogue and knowledge management.