ALM UNDP

The programme will focus on areas with high levels of land degradation, pressure on land and water resources, vulnerability to climate change and poverty. The overall aim of the programme is to build the capacity to adapt to, and mitigate climate change in order to contribute to environmental sustainability and poverty reduction in four priority watersheds in Panama. This will be achieved through the development of an Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy and a Pilot Climate Monitoring System, improvement of local management of land and water resources, and increased access to sources of funding, thus contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation and to the achievement of MDGs 1 and 7. The following indicative activities will be carried out as a part of this programme:

**Outcome 1.** Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy and Pilot Climate Monitoring System developed in order to integrate the issues of adaptation and mitigation into national development decisions.
1. Carry out vulnerability studies in the programme's selected areas by gathering information on sectors seriously affected by climate change (UNDP).
2. Carry out a study of the positive and negative economic impacts of climate change in the programme area (UNDP).
3. Evaluate adaptation and mitigation capacity in four priority watersheds of the programme area (UNDP).
4. Design the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy in the programme area and carry out a programme for its dissemination (UNDP).
5. Design and implement a Pilot Climate Monitoring System in the four priority watersheds with the aim of reducing risks associated with climate change and contributing to the measurement of the effectiveness of the Strategy's implementation (UNEP).
6. Establish a geo-referencing system that includes soil and water quality monitoring in order to reduce population vulnerability (UNEP).

**Outcome 2.** Improved local soil and water resource management in order to increase capacity for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
1. Plan and implement land use planning in conjunction with local authorities and traditional indigenous authorities in the programme's four priority watersheds (UNDP).
2. Promote awareness and strengthen the ability of municipal councils and traditional indigenous authorities to apply and enforce relevant existing laws and regulations and use planning, integrated evaluation and technical support tools (UNEP).
3. Strengthen understanding in ANAM Regional’s Units of issues of climate change adaptation and mitigation (UNDP).
4. Strengthen the capacity of institutions to measure and manage indicators related to the state of land and water resources and to climate change adaptation, according to the systems established under Outcome 1 (UNEP).
5. Carry out an awareness-raising campaign with residents, community organizations and producer organisations on vulnerability and climate change adaptation and mitigation measures (UNEP, FAO).
6. Implement pilot climate change adaptation and mitigation projects with community organizations and producer groups and disseminate results at the national and regional level (SPG, dissemination: UNEP, FAO).
7. Build capacity of inhabitants and community organisations to make the links between the integrated management of water resources (protection of water sources, hygiene, management of solid wastes), food security, health and climate change, and take appropriate risk reduction measures (PAHO).
8. Set up pilot integrated water management projects (management of solid waste and water) aimed at impacting on health and climate change adaptation (PAHO).

**Outcome 3.** Increased access to funding to support measures for the sustainable management of land and water resources which are conducive to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
1. Calculate the level of economic incentives necessary to encourage sustainable provision of desired environmental services (led by UNEP, support: UNDP).
2. Design and carry out PES projects in at least three of the priority watersheds with producers, the private sector, local authorities, indigenous authorities and other key stakeholders (UNDP).
3. Carry out a pilot project on avoided deforestation in an area previously identified as having high potential for impact (FAO).
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of PES projects in the programme’s priority watersheds (UNDP).
5. Develop a methodology for forestry projects that have the potential to apply to the Clean Development Mechanism (FAO).

The Programme intends to strengthen those mechanisms which allow for the proper administration of environmental interests and that foster adaptability to climate changes at a) at the national level, through interinstitutional coordination and strategical implementation of three relevant national policies (social, environmental and water resources), b) at subnational level, focusing primarily on the strengthening of financial and administrative environmental management, specifically of the drought corridor of Guatemala, and c) at the local level, through pilot project interventions in communities and municipalities.

The expected outcomes of this programme include:

**1.** Institutionalization of national mechanisms which facilitate coordination and implementation in the carrying out of national policies relevant to climate risk and adaptation. The outcomes sought for the institutionalization of coordination mechanisms are:
**1.1** That there exist defined coordination mechanisms for the implementation of the three policies.
**1.2** That institutional, sectoral and territorial jurisdictions regarding climate risk will have been clarified and agreed upon.
**1.3** That the successful experiences in the country in terms of adaptation to climate vulnerability will have been systematized.
**1.4** A decentralized implementation strategy will have been defined for policies related to poverty, the environment and integrated management of water resources (at the joint community of municipalities and municipal levels), through a joint action and investment plan of “demonstration interventions”.
**1.5.** Models of administrative and financial management have been defined and approved which achieve long term sustainability of resource management and of the provision of basic services.

**2.** Institutionalization of financial and administrative mechanisms in order to improve environmental management, with special focus on water resource management and environmental services. This will occur at a subnational level, articulating ecosystemic approach and watershed management with sociopolitical organizational structures. The expected outcomes at the subnational level for implementation of the policies are:
**2.1** Models of environmental management will have been approved and promoted for adaptability to climate change.
**2.2** Administrative Systems will have been designed at the level of joint community of municipalities and promoted which provide for democratic and participatory management of water resources.
**2.3** Potential Payment for Environmental Services mechanisms will have been identified and negotiated with local communities and involved actors (such as private sector) for implementation at the level of joint community of municipalities.
**2.4** Payment systems for basic public services in water and sanitation (respecting the concept of the right to access to water, at the minimum amount of 30 liters/day for the poorest) will have been defined and negotiated with the local communities and involved actors.

**3.** Development of pilot projects that demonstrate the environmental management of water resources at the level of the joint community of municipalities and of municipalities for the implementation of, and feedback concerning, policies at that level. The expected results at the local level are:
**3.1** Pilot projects for the reduction of climate risk will have been undertaken in the communities and local governments.
**3.2** The experiences of the demonstration interventions will have been systematized, so that strengths and weaknesses in the process will have been identified, which will then be used for the preliminary evaluation of the contents of the three national policies.
**3.3** Environmental management monitoring systems will have been established at the municipal and local levels.
**3.4** Public/private organizations and institutions which manage the provision of environmental services will have been established.