Building on the experience of the Salvadorian Adaptation based Mitigation (MbA) approach to climate change, this project aimed to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of Central America’s communities by a combination of research, dialogue and communications efforts.

The project’s long term goal and ambition was to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of the region’s communities in addition to enhancing their livelihoods and development opportunities by promoting MbA as a new framework for action. This project objectives were to:

1. Promote a new framework for policies and actions around climate change (MbA) at a regional level;
2. build on earlier support to the identification of sectoral policies in national policy, contribute to decision makers understanding of climate change as a cross-cutting issue that transcends individual sectors;
3. provide technical expertise (through the mobilisation of international experts to carry out specific studies) that assist in the development of concrete steps to advance innovative strategies both in sectors traditionally viewed as climate relevant (agriculture, environment) as well as those not typically considered as a part of this group (energy, infrastructure, fiscal policy);
4. provide support for the implementation of new policies and actions, based on the experiences of El Salvador in building new inter-institutional coordination mechanisms for climate actions, as well as overcoming other policy challenges;
5. assist countries in identifying strategic political opportunities for advancing climate compatible development policies through the application of the MbA approach, while simultaneously catalysing opportunities through strategic dialogues, research and communication; and
6. build on national-level engagement in El Salvador, to contribute to the building of a common agenda between Central America countries on MbA for influencing international negotiations.

This project strategically employed research, dialogue and communication to reach its objectives.

Research constitutes the first pillar of work for this project, and included the following complementary studies:

• Two short conceptual papers
• Three technical papers (elaborated by international experts)
• Three policy briefs:
  • Climate Finance - Key for the Territories of Central America
  • Institutionality and Governance in the Central American Dry Corridor
  • Considerations for landscape level ecosystem restoration
• 1 report concerning Actions, Actors and Implications of climate change in the Dry Corridor of CA2 systematisation-proceedings & analysis of regional dialogues

Dialogues were the second pillar of work for this project, and were be carried out at various levels to bring together a strategic set of actors at regional, national and territorial levels. This included:

• 1 high-level closed dialogue among leaders in the region
• 2 regional dialogues, (with approximately 40-60 participants)
• A series of meetings/sessions with regional bodies

As a result of this project communication products have been delivered, including publications (layout & design of digital and hard copies) audio-visual documentation and online web articles, distribution, monitoring of press, etc.

Suppliers: PRISMA

Partners: SICA, CCAD, ECADERT and the Environmental Minister of El Salvador

CDKN funding: £ 131,646.43

Picture: Melissa Farlow / AURORA