Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change Through Early Warning Systems

“Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change by Establishing Early Warning and Disaster Preparedness Systems and Support for Integrated Watershed Management in Flood Prone Areas,” is a project in Rwanda which is financed through the Global Environmental Facility's (GEF) Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF). Focused on the Gishwati ecosystem in Western Rwanda and the associated Nile-Congo crest watersheds, the project aims to decrease the vulnerability of the people living and deriving their livelihoods from these areas.

The project is implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). It includes the following activities: strengthening national and district capacities to deliver a functional early warning and disaster preparedness system allowing for early warning of vulnerable populations in the Gishwati ecosystem, and supporting agricultural planning at the household level; building capacities for risk responsive planning at district and local levels; rehabilitating the ecosystem using risk maps, land-use and settlement plans, and application of adaptive measures; and strengthening of the national information base on climate change and adaption through communication, awareness, and training activities.