SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY STRENGTHENING
FOR WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
FACING CLIMATE CHANGE
Cecilia Öman Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
International Foundation for Science

Content
Local strategies
Ownership
Monitoring and evaluation
Scientific capacity strengthening activities

The Water Cycle

Cleaner Development Mechanism CDM
Subsidising investments to
decrease emissions of carbon dioxide

Challenge one
Developing countries lack institutional and economic
capacity to cope with climate change impacts and
to rebuild the infrastructure damaged by natural
disasters
Dependent on external aid when affected by a natural
disaster, developing countries are
Lack the resources to carry out adaptation studies and
to implement the strategies emerging from these studies
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Carbon credit
Trading system between industrialised countries and
developing countries
One carbon credit equals one ton of carbon
dioxide emitted
Value on the spot market (10-25€/carbon credit)
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Eligibility
Qualified countries are those who signed the Kyoto
protocol
Qualified project are those where the owner can
show that the carbon credits are required to fund
the necessary investments
Thus the investment are not economical sound without
the subsidizing of carbon credits
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Typical CDM projects
Wind mill farms
Small Hydropower plants
Different furnaces
cement and steel industry
Collection and energy production of biogas from
landfills
… and all those projects would not been invested in
unless subsidized by carbon credits
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Sustainable local strategy
Local strategies builds on
Identifying priorities, providing information, research
Change in behaviour builds on
Ownership, motivation
Sutstainability requires
Monitoring and evaluation
Scientific capacity can be efficiently strengthened
Through a well defined program of activities
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Local strategies

Target
Access to • high quality
technology • at all levels
Well defined roles • implementation of
and responsibilities adaptation strategies
Dissemination of • regional, national, local
information • climate change, adaptation

Local strategies
Science-based
analysis and modeling
Provide communities
with local information
Identify priorities for
climate change adaptation
planning

Local information
Changing temperatures
Precipitation patterns
Glacial recession
Changing stream and river flows
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Address stakeholders
High-level especially targeted
policy makers
Sectoral level more likely to mainstream
policy makers, adaptation to climate
planners and change into on-going and
managers planned work
National and
international share their knowledge
with decision makers
experts and and planners
researchers

Local strategy
participatory approach
1. The relevant stakeholders from the most vulnerable
sectors of the economy and regions within the country
are involved
2. High-level policy makers are aware of the importance
of the issue
3. The general public is made more aware about the
issues
4. Special focus is given to the most vulnerable regions
and populations within each country
5. All relevant institutions within the government as well
as civil society need to be made aware of the
problem and their respective roles in dealing with it
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Local strategy requirements
Research
supported
in-country
All relevant Research results
stakeholders translated into
involved - language and time
information must scales
be adapted relevant for
stakeholders

To seek the good solutions and be flexible
to meet well a variety of challenges... Grasp opportunitites

Change in behavior, ownership

change in
behavior
support required

Elements of ownership
1. Decision for action to change is
based on
how the problem is perceive
2. Motivation for change is high if
the advantages are important
than the disadvantages
3. Motivation varies between countries and
stakeholder
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3 Pillars
Participatory approach
involving all stakeholders
Appropriate technology
equipment, infrastructure
Financial mechanism
autonomous financial resources
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3 Pillars
Financial Mechanism

Policy &
strategy
Institutional
environment
Management Development
Financial Mechanism

Monitoring and evaluation

Outcome mapping
Focuses on Outcomes
Changes in behavior towards which the
planned intervention is contributing
www.outcomemapping.ca
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Scientific capacity strengthening

IFS support strategy
Initiate
new Generate
scientific results
research
Inform
Follow-up
and
implement

Major constraints for research in developing countries
as identified by 700 researchers
Lack of funds
Nonavailability of research equipment
Poor library facilities
Lack of competent support staff
Low salaries / lack of incentives
Heavy teaching and administration load
Lack of transportation
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
%
from Gaillard, J.; Tullberg, A. F. Questionnaire survey of African scientists - IFS grantees and INCO beneficiaries.
Report No 2, IFS MESIA Impact Studies, International Foundation for Science, Stockholm, Sweden, 2001

Funds

IFS support for fundraising
1. Workshops
develop scientific research
proposal for funding
scientific methodology
2. Project proposal reviewed
10 international senior researchers
3. Workshop for revision of research proposals
4. Research grants
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Equipment and Support staff

IFS equipment support
Research grant for procuring
equpiment
Support procurement
Support universities
procurement, maintenance, repair
training on use, maintenance and repair of equipment
equipment management strengthening program PRISM
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Literature

Literature
Training courses
Finding literarture on internet
Developing a literature review
In collaboration with
INASP, OARE, HINARI, AGORA
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Transportation to field sites
Research grant for
visit field sites
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Generation of scientific results
Training courses
good sampling and
laboratory practices
statistical methods and
experimental designs
equipment use and maintenance
Thematic workshops
Mobilising networks
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Dissemination and implementation
Training courses
oral presentations, posters,
scientific papers
Funds to participation in
scientific conferences
Workshops –
platform for communication
researchers, policy-makers, public, private sector,
development organisations, media
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Gender balance among scientists
1. Networking
2. Role-models
3. Fair recognition in relation to merits
4. Tools for how to manage
work career and family management
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“The unbalanced distribution of scientific activity
in the world generates serious problems
not only for the scientific community in the developing
countries,
but for development itself”
Koffi Annan
Previous Secretary-General of the United Nations

Summary
Local strategies builds on
Identifying priorities,
providing information, research
Change in behaviour builds on
Ownership, motivation
Sutstainability requires
Monitoring and evaluation
Scientific capacity can be efficiently strengtened
Through a well defined program of activities
Cecilia Öman

Acknowledgement
Ana Dorly Jaramillo
Paola Vasquez
Centro Regional de Producción
Más Limpia

Thank you for your attention!
www.ifs.se
“Strengthening Capacity for
Water Resources Research in Countries with
Vulnerable Scientific Infrastructure”