Climate Change Adaptation programme East Africa

Since 2008, Wageningen International has been involved in a new initiative on Climate Change adaptation in East and Southern Africa. The initiative focuses on linking research to policy makers by making available the WUR resources on climate change to regional partners in East Africa. The initiative is funded by the dutch ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

In June we organised a scoping workshop with partners in Nairobi to identify the focus of the initiative and linkages with other ongoing programmes. In November we facilitated a follow-up meeting. Key partners in the initiative are IUCN, ASARECA and RUFORUM. The meeting was well attended and had several positive outcomes that will drive the continuation of this initiative.

The participants of the meeting concluded that the following activities will be pursued:

1. Organising a 2-week climate change adaptation course, to be organised in the second half of 2009;
2. Developing the 'Hotspot idea', by offering a framework for assessing climate change adaptation Hotspots and starting action research in the region;
3. Exploring policy engagement, by organising a high level meeting for policy makers.

Work on the climate change course and the hotspot idea will start immediately, while the policy engagement event needs more thinking and discussion, which will evolve when we engage in the other ideas.

More information about the initiative can be found on this website

Training Programmatic Approach ICCO facilitators Asia

In 2008, Wageningen International implemented a learning trajectory for ICCO on their new 'Programmatic Approach'. In this new approach ICCO will move away from projects in developing countries to larger programmes that will be developed by coalitions of partners working towards the same goal. In the course of the year we conducted 7 modules for about 70 ICCO staff in Utrecht about the underlying concepts and practical tools that you can use in the programmatic approach.


On 12-13 November we conducted a tailor-made training on the programmatic approach for 4 facilitators from ICCO in Asia. These facilitators will develop new ICCO programmes with partners in the field of HIV/AIDS in three countries (see link at the ICCO website. The training was well appreciated and we will do continue to support the facilitators in their work.

In 2009 Wageningen International will continue with another learning trajectory for ICCO in Utrecht, both for dutch staff and for newly recruited staff in different regional offices.

SNV Montenegro - MSP training

From 3-7 November I conducted an introduction course on Multi-stakeholder processes for SNV Montenegro in Podgorica. It was my first time to work in the Balkans, a great experience.

The 14 participants are working in different sectors (tourism, forestry, rural development), but multi-stakeholder processes are at the heart of SNVs work in Montenegro.

In 2009 one participant from Montenegro will join me as co-facilitator in a two-week MSP course for SNV in Albania.