A Framework for Mainstreaming Climate Resilience into Development Planning

Government development planners from various countries in Asia and Africa have recognised this need. Between November 2011 and April 2013, they came together in a series of meetings and workshops to share their experiences in dealing with climate change and address the challenges climate change poses to social and economic development. During the process, they drew not only on their knowledge of climate change and experience of development planning practice, but also on what they have learnt about mainstreaming other cross-sectoral issues such as HIV/AIDS, gender and environmental change.~This paper, a result of that collaboration, aims to identify progress and share countries’ learning. The development planners have applied their expertise and judgement to collate, systematise and reflect upon their experiences to date in their own countries, where they are addressing climate change through their planning processes.~Participants developed the climate mainstreaming building blocks framework outlined in this paper as a practical diagnostic for government officials to assess and plan the integration of climate resilience into their planning processes. During the workshops they identified a strong need for mainstreaming and streamlining climate resilience into development planning objectives, processes and systems.~Emerging trends within each building block indicate that countries are increasingly mainstreaming their integration efforts within existing development planning priorities and capacities. The building block framework helps governments to do this in a country-driven process that evolves from and is embedded in, existing development planning systems, capacity and priorities.