Climate change is already intensifying extreme weather events including floods, droughts, storms and heat waves. Extreme events are becoming more widespread, severe, unpredictable and larger in their scale, challenging local and global attempts to manage them. At the same time, slower onset effects such as ocean acidification, sea-level rise and changing conditions for crop and livestock production are driving indirect impacts such as higher food prices and, in combination with other drivers, violent conflict over land and water. The number of people displaced by climate-related weather disasters and slow onset crises is increasing. Although many communities already have strong experiences in coping with weather-related shocks and stresses, the limits of their capacity are now being tested as they face previously unknown impacts on top of existing and underlying vulnerabilities.

The Climate Learning and Advocacy for Resilience (CLAR) links together and supports the work on adaptation, resilience strengthening and policy influencing that each country is undertaking. It adds value through capacity strengthening, enabling cross-country, regional and global learning and knowledge exchange, and coordinated and informed civil society advocacy and influence. The programme builds on and integrates several previous programmes of CARE, including the Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP).

Expected Results

• Enhanced practitioner capacity for integrating gender-responsive climate resilience, including adaptive capacity, adaptation planning and user-centred climate services, in targeted sector-based programmes.
• Experience with gender-responsive practical approaches and innovations documented.
• Evidence of gender-sensitive resilience impacts and their drivers produced and documented.
• CSO networks are engaging collectively in and influencing national and global processes, including UNFCCC and GCF, to promote inclusive, equitable and effective adaptation policies and mechanisms and bring vulnerable people to the centre of adaptation planning and decision-making.
• Southern Voices CSO adaptation advocacy community of practice has been established and has improved CSO capacity to influence and monitor national and global adaptation policies and finance.
• CSO networks and advocacy initiatives are utilising evidence, learning and guidance on adaptation and climate resilience impacts and good practice as resources for advocacy on global, national and sub-national level.
• Forums for cross-disciplinary and multi-actor learning enhanced at national and higher level in priority adaptation and resilience topics.
• Guidelines produced and disseminated to support adoption of practical approaches, CSO advocacy, decision-making in policy and financial investment for adaptation and climate resilience.
• Improved access to knowledge and skills by climate resilience actors related to quality adaptation and climate resilience practice and policy.

Participants

Programmes that will benefit from CLAR are targeting an estimated two million vulnerable people in the above-mentioned countries to become more resilient. The ultimate participants of the programme are climate vulnerable women, youth, men and their communities in countries where CARE and other involved organisations are implementing adaptation and climate resilience programmes in agricultural and pastoralist communities that are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts.