Climate Risk Management in Finnish Development Cooperation

1 Introduction

1.1 Project background Climate change is one of the central challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. The way in which we will address it will have profound implications for human development. Despite international efforts to curb the emissions of greenhouse gases, it is clear that during the forthcoming decades all societies will have to adapt to the on-going changes caused by climate change. One of the central objectives of Finnish Development Cooperation is to enhance sustainable development and growth in partner countries, which necessarily implies systematically integrating climate mitigation and adaptation into all planning, implementation and monitoring activities. Assessing climate risks and identifying optimal adaptation measures in development cooperation will require particular attention as i) climate research indicates clearly that the developing countries in general and the least developed countries (LDCs) such as Ethiopia in particular are most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate variability and change, ii) LDCs, small vulnerable economies (SVE) and small island developing states (SIDS) have currently very limited resources to adapt, and iii) the public sector will have a critical role in particular related to adaptation with regards to catalyzing funding, capacity building and technology transfer in the immediate future. Taking note of lessons learned from international forerunners on reviewing their development cooperation through a "climate lens"1 as well as the extensive knowledge base on climate change adaptation that has been elaborated in Finland during past few years2, Finland has a responsibility and an exceptional opportunity to enhance and strengthen the adaptive capacity of its development cooperation partner countries as well as draw important lessons learned for further climate adaptation measures internationally and in Finland.download