SDLG – Benin

Programme Objective

The wider objective of the project is that local governments and their representative bodies are able to deliver on their agreements and execute policies to manage community resilience in a safe and socially equal way for all on lands with climate and water-related risks.

The specific objective is that the concerted inclusive management of water resources and related ecosystems for sustainable socio-economic development is strengthened in 5 municipalities of the Lower Ouãmã Valley (BVO).

The expected results of the project are:

• High-level outcome 1: Local governments integrate IWRM measures in a participatory way
• Mid-level outcome 1: Local governments improve the institutional framework for Integrated Water Resources Management and make it operational at the local level
• Mid-level outcome 2: Local governments have an increased technical capacity for IWRM resilience, via the Community Early Warning System (C-EWS) as a tool for community resilience
• High-level outcome 2: Citizens are engaged in IWRM via participatory means
• Mid-level outcome 3: Citizens can rely on functional Consultation Frameworks for IWRM (CC-GIRE), and economic revenue from water resources and related ecosystems
• Re-structuring the institutional framework of IWRM bodies at local level (information and dialogue, mapping of the actors, identification of IWRM issues, reorganisation of CC-GIRE with emphasis on representation of women and vulnerable groups)
• Strengthening the capacity of IWRM bodies at local level (Stakeholder mobilisation, capacity building plan for bodies and CC-GIRE, integration of IWRM actions in the planning documents of the municipalities, mechanisms for prevention and management of land and property conflicts at the level of CC-GIRE, water resources Local Economic Development (DEL) strategy documents, Information, Education, Communication (IEC) campaigns via local radio stations/NGOs)
• Support resource mobilisation for IWRM funding at the local level
• Disaster/flood risk mapping at the local level (gender-sensitive and focus on vulnerable groups)
• Support for surveillance and communication of alerts during the period of flooding at local level (awareness raising, Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) campaigns, operationalisation of the database for the National Civil Protection Agency (ANPC), capacity building in communication, improvement of the existing warning system)
• Building the capacity of Local Platforms (focused on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, PL/RRC-ACC) and the population on response measures
• Training of PL/RRC-ACC and the population on first aid measures in times of flooding (e.g. first aid training)
• Community capacity building in resilience materials
• Synergy between stakeholders around C-EWS (define and clarify the roles and responsibilities of actors involved, framework for sharing of experiences)
• Implementation and consolidation of PSL Eau Pilot Actions (comfort actions on existing Pilot Actions and implementation of new Pilot Actions)
• Valuation of water-related ecosystem products by strengthening capacities of economic actors linked to water and the related ecosystem (workshops on flood management and the valorisation of economic potential, Strengthen the entrepreneurial capacities of women and young people, Support to the implementation of the PartiCiP au water resource DEL pilot actions)
• Organisation of good practices sharing sessions on benchmarking between CC-GIRE
• Sharing good practices internationally
• Development of capitalisation materials and organisation of the capitalisation workshop.