Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in NamibiaFinal Report (2018)

Climate Landscape Analysisfor Children in Namibia

Final Report(2018)

Author

Nico E. Willemse

Photographs

All photographs are from the UNICEF Namibia photo library.

© United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2018

UN House, Stein Street, Klein WindhoekP.O. Box 1706, Windhoek, Namibia

Telephone (+264) (0)61-2046111 Website www.unicef.org/namibia

Contents

Contents | i

Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................................................................. ii

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................. iii

1 The climate, environment and energy situation in the country ................................................................... 1

1.1 The current climate, including variability, climate-related disasters and other environmental factors ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Observed and projected changes .................................................................................................................................. 21.3 High-exposure areas ............................................................................................................................................................ 31.4 Other relevant environmental issues ........................................................................................................................... 61.5 Energy access .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7

2 Government responses to, and priorities on, climate, environment and energy (CEE) ................. 8

2.1 CEE policies and strategies ............................................................................................................................................... 82.2 Ongoing initiatives on CEE ............................................................................................................................................. 162.3 Main players on CEE .......................................................................................................................................................... 17

3 The impact of climate, environment and energy (CEE) issues on children ...................................... 20

3.1 Impact of CEE on water and health ............................................................................................................................. 203.2 Impacts of CEE on access to basic services and infrastructure ................................................................... 223.3 Impact of CEE on education .......................................................................................................................................... 233.4 Impacts of CEE on poverty, access to food and nutrition ................................................................................ 243.5 Impact of CEE on child labour ....................................................................................................................................... 243.6 Impact of CEE on social inclusion ................................................................................................................................ 25

4 Child-inclusive CEE policies, strategies and programming ......................................................................... 29

4.1 Do existing CEE policies and strategies address children’s needs? ............................................................ 294.2 Do child-relevant sector policies and strategies incorporate CEE issues? ............................................... 314.3 Do children benefit from investments and programmes on CEE? .............................................................. 33

5 The UNICEF Country Programme and linkages to CEE .................................................................................. 35

6 Climate Funding Landscape in Namibia ........................................................................................................................... 37

6.1 Multilateral donors ............................................................................................................................................................. 376.2 Bilateral donors .................................................................................................................................................................... 386.3 Private donors ....................................................................................................................................................................... 38

7 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................................................... 39

Annex 1: Climate and environmental exposure ....................................................................................................................... 43Annex 2: Disability per region ........................................................................................................................................................... 45Annex 3: Malaria prevalence and risk of spread under changing climate ................................................................... 46Annex 4: Child Poverty and Namibia Index of Multiple Deprivation (NIMD) ............................................................. 47Annex 5: Food insecurity per region .............................................................................................................................................. 49Annex 6: Population density and distribution map .................................................................................................................. 50Annex 7: Rio Conventions Steering Committee Representation, also showing the

key active stakeholders in CEE ..................................................................................................................................... 51Annex 8: Ongoing and planned CEE initiatives supported by development partners .......................................... 54Annex 9: Past and present community-based CEE initiatives funded by the GEF/UNDP Small Grants

Programme ............................................................................................................................................................................ 59Annex 10: Namibia’s energy generation and access situation – facts and figures ..................................................... 61Annex 11: Namibia’s energy generation and access situation – financing and investments ................................... 64

References ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 65

ii | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Abbreviations

ARI acute respiratory infectionCEE Climate, environment and energyCLAC Climate Landscape Analysis for ChildrenCO Country OfficeCOP23 UNFCCC Conference of Parties 23rd meetingCP(D) Country Programme (Document)DEA Directorate of Environmental Affairs (in the MET)EIA Environmental Impact AssessmentGCF Green Climate FundGEF Global Environment FacilityGHG greenhouse gasGIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale ZusammenarbeitIAP indoor air pollutionINC Initial National Communication to the UNFCCCMAWF Ministry of Agriculture, Water and ForestryMET Ministry of Environment and TourismMME Ministry of Mines and EnergyMoHSS Ministry of Health and Social ServicesNBSAP National Biodiversity Strategy and Action PlanNCCC National Climate Change CommitteeNCCSAP National Climate Change Strategy and Action PlanNCO Namibia Country OfficeNDC Nationally Determined Contribution to the UNFCCCNDP National Development PlanNPCC National Policy on Climate ChangeNSA Namibia Statistics AgencyREIPP Renewable Energy Independent Power ProducerSADC Southern African Development CommunitySDG Sustainable Development GoalSGP Small Grants Programme (of the GEF)SNC Second National Communication to the UNFCCCUNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeUNICEF United Nations Children’s FundUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeWASH Water, Sanitation and HygieneWFP World Food ProgrammeWHO World Health Organisation

Executive Summary

Climate change and environmental degradation undermine children’s rights around the world. Therefore, the UNICEF Executive Director issued an Executive Directive, namely “Addressing the

Impact of Climate Change on Children”, in March 2016, instructing all UNICEF Country Offices (COs) to incorporate climate change and related issues into their Country Programmes (CPs). In response to the Executive Directive, the UNICEF Namibia CO together with UNICEF HQ (Division for Data Research and Policy) commissioned the “Climate Landscape Assessment for Children (CLAC)” reported on herein. This report provides the essential baseline information on climate, environment and energy (CEE) issues affecting children, as well as recommendations to the CO on incorporating the most important issues and opportunities in the Country Programme (CP).

Main findings

Namibia is inherently vulnerable, and is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. The inherent vulnerability stems from a natural water deficit characterised by evaporation rates (max. 3.800 mm/yr) that are 5 times higher than rainfall (max. 750 mm/yr), the latter of which only 1% recharges groundwater and 2% occurs as runoff. Namibia’s geographic position on the continent and sub-continent renders it prone to erratic, variable and unreliable rainfall. Moisture generated by warmer air over the Indian Ocean moving across Africa, precipitates first over the eastern parts of the sub-continent, and slowly dissipates as it reaches the dry chilled air coming from the cold Benguela Current.

This is exacerbated by a 70% semi-arid to arid landscape, of which more than 50% is encroached by invader bush that degrades rangelands (see Annex 1). Two percent of the land is categorised as arable and shrinking due to desertification and bush encroachment, juxtaposed by a growing rural population. These characteristics define the landscape where more than half of the Namibian population try to make a living. Forty-two percent of the population are children (under 18 years of age), many of whom reside in rural areas and informal settlements.

Executive Summary | iii

iv | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

The baseline above is shifting year on year, posing challenges to livelihood and food security, due to: a shift in ambient temperatures three times higher than the global mean temperature increase reported for the 20th Century; lower rainfall received throughout the country in the last 10 years, characterised by short-duration high-intensity storms; and severe droughts and devastating floods over the past 10 years, which are attributed to the disturbance and shifts in the global circulation patterns and the El Niño effect. In 2009, floods in northern Namibia affected close to 300,000 people, some 43% being children.

Climate change threats place thousands of children at higher risk from malnutrition, disease and injury, and also worsen their access to essential services including schools and health centres, and compound the devastating and lifelong impacts of HIV/AIDS on children.

Further impacts of climate change include: an increase in average annual maximum temperatures leading to drier summers and causing higher risks of droughts; short and intense rainfall events and changes in weather patterns and seasonal timings, with impacts for health, welfare, access to services, damage to infrastructure, agricultural productivity and vector-borne diseases.

Environmental degradation in Namibia presents additional and compounding risks for children. Deforestation, land-use change (including urban sprawl) and unsustainable land-use practices – which are strongly associated with increased rates of desertification – worsen the effects of droughts and reduce the natural resource base on which almost all of the poorest members of Namibian society rely for livelihoods. Seasonal flooding negatively impacts children’s health, as it affects sewerage systems and releases human faeces resulting from open defecation into the environment. This raises the incidence of water-borne disease (especially cholera) and food insecurities among children. Air pollution, caused by the near-universal use of biomass for cooking in rural areas (and a lack of available clean energy) threatens children’s and mothers’ health across the country.

Access to clean and affordable electricity is very low across rural areas (20%) and informal settlements. Flooding causes electricity interruptions which lead to disruptions of schools and healthcare facilities. Without electricity the health of millions of children is compromised, as health facilities, especially in hard-to-reach locations, struggle to deliver basic primary care, forcing mothers, pregnant women and children to either travel further to better-equipped facilities or risk sub-standard local conditions. Education is also strongly impacted by a lack of electricity, especially in remote areas that struggle to attract female teachers, and where student learning is limited by a lack of reading lights at home.

Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is impacted by all of the above climate, environment and energy (CEE) threats. Due to not having access to both safe drinking water and improved sanitation facilities, approximately 50% of the population are at risk of vector-borne diseases. At over 42% of the total population, this places almost half a million children at risk of diarrhoea, cholera and pneumonia. This is likely to worsen under projected future climate conditions.

To address these and similar CEE issues, the Government of Namibia has developed a number of policies, strategies and mechanisms, including a climate change policy and climate financing programme. These instruments advocate for improved government, private sector, civil society and development agency coordination to improve efficacy and potential impact of climate financing, and to attract increased funds in order to offset the severe national budget shortfalls. However, the vast majority of CEE policy and programming to date largely neglects the scale and importance of CEE impacts on children, and as such, inadequately address children’s needs.

UNICEF Namibia has not yet started to actively engage with government ministries responsible for, and deve lopment partners mandated for, planning, catalysing and executing investments in CEE. At the same time, UNICEF’s child-focused partner institutions have not incorporated CEE, particularly climate change, into their programming to improve child-centred sustainable development.

Recommendations

1) Integrate CEE into UNICEF Namibia Country Office (NCO)

Strategic integration of CEE: Conduct a CEE opportunities and risk analysis for each of the five goals to identify easy entry points for UNICEF to establish a CEE footprint. This exercise can iden-tify networks, partners and stakeholders that can assist in harnessing opportunities and mitigating risks. Sensitise stake holders of the expanded CEE mandate particularly, not limited to: Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and the UNDP as the key players in the CEE fraternity.

Operational integration of CEE: UNICEF team analysis of their thematic areas in relation to CEE to determine (a) direct or indirect relation or influence and (b) whether UNICEF has the internal capacity. This stocktaking exercise will position CEE in relation to UNICEF’s work and would suggest areas where resources are needed to enable thorough integration to meet targets in the current Country Programme Document (CPD), but more importantly to internally sensitise and capacitate the organisation for the new CPD. Based on qualifications and experience of staff, designate an internal CEE Focal Person who can represent UNICEF on CEE platforms and obtain pertinent information and data on CEE for application in planning and implementation. The Focal Person can lead the generation of awareness, building knowledge and understanding of child-centred/sensitive sustainable development approaches, and assist partners to incorporate such strategies, actions and indicators.

Resource integration of CEE: Integrating and mainstreaming CEE will come at a cost. Ample oppor tunities exist for UNICEF to establish a CEE footprint quite cost effectively by, for example: providing seed funding for near-success interventions (SGP, GEF/UNDP, GIZ, etc.); co-financing the child-centred activities in CEE projects; partnering with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) to support com munity project identification and development; and leveraging in-kind support from corporate partners. The SGP option has the potential to benefit a number of communities with prevalence of vulnerable and extremely disadvantaged children under a theme: “Realising the rights of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Namibia”.

CEE integration into CPD: The analyses proposed above can serve as a starting point to frame direction for the CPD for the period 2018/19 to 2022/23. The five goal areas of the UNICEF Global Strategic Plan for 2017/18-2021/22, matched with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets of Namibia’s Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5) 2017/18-2021/2022, can provide further high-level context for the programming for Namibia. This approach could relay the relevance of the SDG targets, and could position indicators as appropriate child-centred or sensitive development indicators for Namibia (perhaps with some tweaking). Before using the proposed analyses for thematic area-specific activity planning, the NCO can review the analyses to strengthen internal synergies and optimise UNICEF resources, and to remain efficient in service delivery.

Use CEE to leverage corporate partnership resources: UNICEF boasts an impressive array of corporate partners, some with great sustainable development experience and/or the ability to (leverage) finance or provide in-kind resources (knowledge and technology transfers) to address CEE challenges. Global corporate partners may find well-packaged, innovative and paradigm-shifting ideas worth investing or co-investing in, or may offer to leverage in-kind resources. For Namibia, it is proposed that UNICEF partners with the GEF SGP to target communities with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children with child-centred interventions that build their capacities and knowledge about linkages between CEE and education, health, nutrition and

Executive Summary | v

vi | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

protection. Through rigorous monitoring and results recording and verification, such a project could be scaled up regionally. Through regional CO collaboration, the Namibia model can be replicated by offering an investment package for corporate partners with a presence in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to consider.

Other potential partners and creative resources mobilisation are proposed below.

2) Initiate and test the mainstreaming of CEE in the current CPD

The current CPD (2014-2018) focuses on three priority components: Health and Nutrition; Education; and Protection. Given that there is one year left, the CPD can be used as a platform to initiate and test the main streaming of CEE in the work of UNICEF.

This would somewhat be both a consolidation and an application of the analyses results to forward thinking within UNICEF about CEE as part of mainstreamed work. The analyses highlight opportunities, risks, potential partners and entry points, a set of child-centred indicators and the relationship of CEE to the priority components and their outcomes and targets. For the remainder of the current CPD term, UNICEF can use this information and data to review progress with CPD implementation to date through a CEE lens, and to note specifically what needs to be done differently and how differently to harness opportunities or address risks.

3) Support Government and Development Partners to mainstream children in sustainable development

UNFCCC’s 23rd Conference of the Parties (CoP) meeting in Bonn, Germany, in 2017, highlighted the importance of involving children in planning and execution of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies and actions, after two children from the island of Fiji relayed their experience with Cyclone Winston which affected 12,000 children and destroyed 240 schools, among other things.

Kofi Annan advocated for child-centred development as the foundation for sustainable develop-ment, and that children’s wellbeing and safety are a true yardstick of how well a nation invests in development.

As an important start, UNICEF can mainstream awareness and knowledge about what child-centred or child-sensitive development is, and relate it to every sector and stakeholder. This would demystify the concept for many ministries which generally perceive that children’s issues do not form part of their core mandates.

Namibia’s legal framework covers the rights and freedoms while there is limited reference to children in CEE laws and policies. A need exists among government ministries, development partners and NGOs for strategic, technical and operational support on how to design and implement child-centred development interventions. UNICEF can play a leading role in delivering this much-needed support and in mobilising partners and stakeholders.

Section 1: The climate, environment and energy situation in the country | 1

1 The climate, environment and energy situation in the country

1.1 The current climate, including variability, climate-related disasters and other environmental factors

Temperature and rainfall1

Namibia is one of the sunniest countries world -wide, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year. This factor, coupled with low humidity and high tempera tures (averaging above 40°C in parts), leads to very dry climatic conditions and high evaporation rates (2,600-3,800 mm per year). A cold and dry winter season is evident from May to August, with mean temperatures ranging between 11°C and 19°C. A hot and dry period lasts from September to October with average temperatures exceeding 35°C across many parts of the country. Hottest temperatures are experienced in the areas of low elevation in the north, central and south-ern parts of the country (see Annex 1).

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), maximum temperatures have been increasing globally over the past 4 decades, as observed in the frequency of days exceeding 35°C. Equally, the frequencies of days with temperatures below 5°C have been decreasing, suggesting an overall warming.2 The summer of 2015/16 is the hottest on record for Namibia, and is the hottest year recorded for Africa due to the El Niño event.

Historically Namibia’s rainy season is from September to April, with 95% of the rainfall occurring in those months. Recently, rains occurred from November to April in the form of thunderstorms and showers, with a mean annual low of 25 mm, mostly in south-western Namibia (e.g. at Oranjemund in //Kharas Region), and a mean annual high of 700 mm in the sub-humid north-east (e.g. at Katima Mulilo in Zambezi Region).

Rainfall variability between years is high, and is driven mainly by variations in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episodes.3

The climate is strongly influenced by the cold Atlantic Benguela Current and the Tropic of Capricorn, hence the combination of cold water and high pressures lead to subsidence of cold dry air over much of the country, which commonly suppresses precipitation.

1 Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET). 2015. Namibia Third National Communication to the UNFCCC – at https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/namnc3.pdf.

2 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2014. Climate Change 2014: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability – Summary for Policy Makers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press – available at https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/AR5_SYR_FINAL_SPM.pdf.

3 MET. 2007. Vital Signs of Namibia, 2004: An integrated state of the environment report – available at http://www.the-eis.com/data/literature/State%20of%20Environment%20Report%20Namibia_2004.pdf.

OTJOZONDJUPA

OSHIKOTO WESTKUNENE

OMAHEKE

OMUSATI OHANGWENA

EAST

KHOMAS

ERONGO

HARDAP

//KHARAS

OSHANA

KAVANGOZAMBEZI

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Climate-related threats and disasters

Periodic droughts and floods are known climate threats, seriously impacting agriculture and food security, water availability and health, catalysing forest fires and undermining Namibia’s already low climate resilience and adaptive capacities.4

Namibia has declared numerous disasters due to flooding and drought: between 1930 and 2017, per decade the country has experienced an average of two major droughts and two devastating floods. Many years have had prolonged droughts while the severity and frequency of floods resulted in reduced year-on-year ability of rural households to recover and restore livelihoods.5 Hence, climate- related threats and disasters can significantly lower local-level resilience and adaptive capacities, due to the loss of belongings, land capacity and infrastructure.

See Annex 1 for a visualisation of climate vulnerability based on predicted changes in temperature and rainfall.

1.2 Observed and projected changes

Ambient temperatures have been rising in Namibia at three times the global mean temperature increase reported for the 20th Century, by some 1.8°C. Over the last 10 years, rainfall has been low, characterised by short-duration high-intensity rain storms, and severe droughts have been experienced across most of the country.

The above observed changes in temperature and rainfall are predicted toward mid-century for Namibia based on Global Climate Models (GCMs) used to predict climate change for southern Africa. The greatest increase in temperature is predicted from September to November, which is the main crop-planting season in Namibia. As observed in the last few years, such scorching temperatures in the absence of rain result in high crop failures and food and income insecurity.Namibia’s 3rd National Communication (NC3) to the UNFCCC suggests variations in rainfall between higher shorter and intense rains versus lower, variable and unreliable rainfall. Observed trends suggest a direction towards higher inter-seasonal rainfall variability.

For agriculture, long-term average increases in temperatures and changing rainfall result in the following negative implications for Namibia:zz Rain-fed crop and livestock production have decreased by an average of 33% per year, as observed

for the 2011/2012, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 farming seasons.zz Bush encroachment will increase if left unchecked, and would reduce arable land and soil quality.zz Incidences of heat stress on crops and livestock, including crop wilting and failures and reduced

grass available for livestock.zz Increasing food importation bill for Namibia due to significantly reduced domestic food production.zz Higher competition and potential conflicts due to water shortages, and higher outbreaks of veld fires.zz Households are forced to sell livestock during years of drought. This was observed in 2013 in the

north-western region of Kunene which was worst hit by the drought.

The backdrop of limited arable land, a growing population (see Annex 1) that leads to higher resource competition, and flood-induced temporary migration of people, exacerbate the challenge.

4 MET. 2013. National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP) 2013-2010 – available at http://www.met.gov.na/files/files/National%20Climate%20Change%20Strategy%20&%20Action%20Plan%202013%20-%202020.pdf.

5 Heita, J. 2017. Draft report on a baseline assessment of floods and droughts.

Section 1: The climate, environment and energy situation in the country | 3

1.3 High-exposure areas

In Namibia, children constitute 43% of the population, with under-5s alone accounting for approximately 14% of the total. Population distribution in Namibia is heavily weighted towards the north of the country, with the north-central and north-eastern regions being the most densely populated (see Annex 4), and most vulnerable to droughts and flooding. Some 59% of all households are in rural areas, of which many are affected by periodic droughts and seasonal floods. In addition, the northern regions are characterised by high levels of multi-dimensional poverty, which is estimated at 39% nationally, while the population below the national poverty line is estimated at 28%.

Poverty-prone areas – rural, informal and peri-urban

Among the Namibian under-18 population, 307,000 live in poverty, of whom more than 165,000 are in extreme poverty,6 most residing in rural areas and informal settlements, and many who are orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Of the 39% estimated to be multi-dimensionally poor, the majority reside in rural areas with child poverty estimated at 34%, compared to the adult poverty rate of 25.3%.7

Children are at a high risk of being poorer than adults. The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) report on “Child Poverty in Namibia”8 analysed data from the 2009/10 National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (NHIES), using the consumption-based threshold of poverty that adjusts for children’s ages. Based on the analyses, under-5s represent 50% of the “adult equivalent”, whereas 5 to under 16 years, and 16 years and over, are respectively at 75% and 100% of the “adult equivalent” poverty line. This is supplemented by estimates of the poverty gap and poverty severity (extent and distribution of the population of children below the poverty line).

At a regional level, child poverty ranges from 10% in Erongo to an extremely high 60% in Kavango (East and West), with severe poverty ranging from 4% in Erongo to a staggering 38% of all children in Zambezi.9 Child poverty rates are particularly high for children in households speaking Khoisan (72.7%), Rukavango (58.5%) or Zambezi languages (47.6%), and in households in which females’ highest education level is only primary schooling (52.3%) or females have no formal education at all (57.7%). Child poverty rates are also high in families whose caregivers are separated (48.2%) or widowed (42.7%), in households with four (40.6%) or more children (49%), and in households with orphans (39.3%). See Annex 4 for a visualisation of child poverty per region.

Namibia’s generally high poverty, and specifically high child poverty, is unusual for upper-middle-income countries with similar human development indices (HDIs) and average per capita income.

– For background information, see the introductory sections and Chapter 1 of Namibia’s 5th National Development Plan (NDP5), National Planning Commission (NPC), 2017.

It is worth noting that areas with a high incidence of child poverty correlate with high environmental resource degradation, no access to affordable and clean energy, and negative impacts of climate change, particularly reduced potential for farming.

Floods, droughts, land degradation and limited arable land are the most common climate- and environ-ment-associated threats to human populations, presenting risk to child health and wellbeing across all

6 Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA). 2012. Child Poverty in Namibia: A child-centred analysis of the NHIES 2009/10 – available at https://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/files/Namibia_Child_Poverty_Report.pdf.

7 UNICEF. 2015. Towards a Namibia Fit for Children: Situation Analysis on the Status of Children’s and Adolescents’ Rights, 2010-2013 – available at https://www.unicef.org/namibia/SitAn_part_1.pdf and https://www.unicef.org/namibia/SitAn_part_2.pdf.

8 NSA. 2012. Op. cit. (fn 7).9 Ibid., p. 7.

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regions. The prevalence of environmental health-related child-affecting diseases, including diarrhoea, malaria, cholera and pneumonia, is also associated with environmental and climatic variables, most significantly with seasonal flooding. See the following sections on drought- and flood-prone areas. Drought-prone areas

(See Annex 1 showing drought-prone regions.)

Drought is a serious historic and periodic natural threat to all parts of the country. Major drought events have affected large portions of the country since the 1930s, with the first highly devastating one recorded for the 1970/71 season, followed by a disaster drought from 1982-1984, another in 1992/93, and a national drought declared in 1996/97.

Droughts signal a severe scarcity of water, at household level especially, which increases children’s vulnerability. Droughts affect food production and therefore security, and contribute to the already high rates of malnutrition and stunting in under 5s specifically and children in general. Children in rural areas and on subsistence and commercial farms are most affected by droughts, as most urban centres seem to have a more secure supply of water. Under climate change conditions, droughts are predicted to become more frequent toward 2050.6

Extended drought periods diminish the recharge rate of aquifers, thereby reducing clean water availability, especially in shallow wells and boreholes on which many communities are dependent.

Since the beginning of the 21st Century, relevant to recent and pertinent CEE issues, 2013 stands out as the worst drought in 30 years in Namibia, confirmed by rainfall figures showing that most parts of the country recorded their lowest rainfall since the 1981/82 season. (See Section 3 herein on the impacts of droughts on children’s access to water and health.)

Flood-prone areas

(See Annex 1 showing flood-prone regions.)

Flood events are devastating as they impose multiple negative impacts on people. Floods increase contamination potential of unprotected and vulnerable water sources, damage water and basic service infrastructure, and interrupt education and healthcare services.

During flooding events, health risks increase overall, and particularly in areas with poor sanitation and unimproved water sources. Floods lead to the contamination of water sources and destruction of water infrastructure. This results in higher rates of infection by water-borne diseases including cholera.10

The number of people affected is projected to increase due to both predicted climate and population changes. Northern regions of Namibia impacted by floods include Omusati, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Oshana, Kavango East and Zambezi – 6 out of the 14 regions. These regions are home to more than 60% of the total population, of whom 43% are children living in rural homesteads.

Disease-prone areas and access to healthcare facilities

Drought- and flood-prone areas are also prone to water- and vector-borne diseases related to climate and environmental changes.

10 UNICEF. 2016. Unless We Act Now: The Impact of Climate Change on Children – available at https://www.unicef.org/publications/index_86337.html.

Section 1: The climate, environment and energy situation in the country | 5

Health-related flood impacts have included higher incidences of cholera and diarrhoea, exacerbating pre-existing challenges of poor or lack of proper sanitation and malnutrition, and raising the risk of malaria. Hence, floods raise health risks, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and unimproved water sources. Floods lead to contamination of water sources and destruction of water infrastructure. Evidence shows that children, particularly U5s, are most at risk of such diseases stemming from climate-related events.

Malaria

(See Annex 3 showing the distribution of malaria.)

Since Namibia’s Independence in 1990, the incidence of malaria has been steadily declining from over 300 per 1,000 people to below 5 per 1,000 people, signalling progression from control to elimination. Over the period 2000-2010, malaria deaths were reduced by 88%.11 Improved access to – including dissemi na ting – insecticide-treated nets remains the catalyst for success, while seasonal floods sustain the challenge.

Mainly prevalent in northern Namibia, cases have been recorded elsewhere in the country, many of which resulted from prior visits to malaria-prone areas.

Displaced communities and families are resettled temporarily to facilities that frequently offer either no preventative mechanisms or only limited ones. At such times, the population is especially prone to malaria.

Increased travel time (longer than 1 hour) from a hospital has been associated with disease severity among children under 5 years of age with pneumonia and suspected meningitis. Another finding of various studies is that children living at a further distance are likely to wait longer before using a health facility, leading to severity of illness that required in-patient care.

11 UNICEF Country Programme Document (CPD) 2014-2018.

Photo(s) to come here or elsewhere in this section

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1.4 Other relevant environmental issues

Environmental degradation

The major threats to the natural environment, both in urban and rural areas, include population growth and rising population densities, unsustainable and incompatible land-use practices and urban sprawl, deforestation and land degradation.12

A recent study13 suggests that woodlands in northern Namibia diminished by 4.27% in the period 1975-2015, with a concomitant 4% increase in land for agriculture. The study did not account for bush encroachment, hence the minor reduction in land cleared for cultivation over a 40-year period. Bush encroachment threatens endemic biodiversity in that the invasive and/or alien species are aggressive and out-compete local vegetation for space and water.

Urban-to-rural migration leads to rapid development of informal settlements in urban areas, particularly in the capital city, Windhoek. This is evidenced by hundreds of corrugated-iron houses on vast tracts of cleared land, where surrounding areas are deforested for fuel and construction wood. The City of Windhoek estimates that the city is growing at a rate of approximately 4.4% per annum, while the informal settlement population is growing at a rate of 9.5% per annum – more than double the city’s growth rate. This translates to about 10,000 people moving to the city every year.

Up to 25% of Namibia’s population, including some 236,000 children, live in informal settlements,14 leading to rapid environmental degradation of peri-urban lands, inclusive of:zz rapid deforestation of surrounding trees, shrubs and other vegetation for energy generation;zz open defecation that threatens underground water sources;zz habitat and ecosystem destruction and fragmentation, particularly endemic, protected and threatened

species; andzz transfer of pollutants and toxins from faeces, paint, engine oils, fuels and other substances used at

domestic level.

Air pollution

Air pollution is recognised globally as a major child health issue. Prevalent in rural households and informal settlements across Africa, it impacts birthweight, foetal mortality, brain development, suscepti-bility to acute and chronic respiratory diseases, and impaired lung function.15

The risk of indoor air pollution (IAP) is high in rural and informal settlements due to the near-universal use of wood biomass for energy generation and rural construction. According to the 2011 Census,16 wood and wood products (such as charcoal) are still the most prevalent energy sources used for cooking. Fifty-four percent of all Namibian households continue to use wood or wood products for cooking – disaggregated as 86% rural and 14% urban, especially in informal settlements.

Namibia’s 2013 Demographic and Health Survey estimates that 6% of children under 5 were infected with an acute respiratory infection (ARI) at the time. The report acknowledges the subjectivity of this estimate, given that it is based on mothers’ perception of illness without validation by a medical practitioner.

12 MET. 2014. Namibia’s Second National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan – available at https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/na/na-nbsap-v2-en.pdf.

13 [What study was this?]14 WHO. 2017. “Namibia Analytical Summary – The physical environment” – at http://www.aho.afro.who.int/profiles_information/

index.php/Namibia:Analytical_summary_-_The_physical_environment.15 UNICEF. 2016. Clear the Air for Children – available at https://www.unicef.org/publications/index_92957.html.16 NSA. 2012. Namibia 2011 Population and Housing Census Main Report – available at https://cms.my.na/assets/documents/

p19dmn58guram30ttun89rdrp1.pdf.

Section 1: The climate, environment and energy situation in the country | 7

1.5 Energy access

All Namibians have access to different sources of energy, as shown by the 2011 Census results. While many in rural areas still rely on biomass fuels, given their access to wood, others in urban areas may have access to electricity as a result of living in a house in a formal settlement or developed neighbourhood.

Access to electricity can be demonstrated by the use thereof for cooking, heating and lighting, and is disaggregated for urban and rural areas. Based on the 2011 Census, energy access is characterised as follows: electricity for cooking – 59% urban vs 7% rural; electricity for lighting – 70% urban vs 15% rural (41% nationally); and electricity for heating – 49% urban vs 7% rural (28% nationally). Other mainstream sources used for cooking and lighting include paraffin/kerosene, gas-powered devices and battery-generated lighting devices. Rural households spend a lot on energy when the cost is compared to the similar cost for electricity. For example, the cost of wood for cooking per month is 55% more expensive than the cost of electricity for cooking, while candles used for lighting are 77% more expensive than the cost of electricity for lighting.17

A number of factors constrain access to electricity in Namibia. The main factor is a restricted distribution network that cannot deliver electricity to the majority of rural areas, coupled with a 60% deficit in the installed (maximum) production capacity compared to demand. Lastly, the cost of electricity makes it inaccessible even though Von Oertzen (2013) estimated the monthly cost of candles. Namibia ranks among the top 10 nations in the world with the highest electricity tariffs.

Access to electricity in rural areas stands at 20% of the rural population, but promises to grow as Namibia is aiming to attain a renewables proportion of 70% in the total energy generation mix by 2030.18 This is evidenced by recent power-purchase agreements (PPAs) between NamPower and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for the generation and supply of 70MW of renewable energy30 – 10% of total demand. Namibia’s total peak demand is in the region of 680MW, and the 14 Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers (REIPPs) are geared to deliver at least 55% of that by 2022/23. At present renewables constitute 15% of total generation. This is broken down into 78% solar, 15% biomass and 7% wind.

A challenge for renewable energy access in rural areas has been the appropriateness and suitability of the technology and the model, especially for remote areas that are infrastructure deficient. To expedite affordable and accessible renewable energy solutions for remote areas and informal settlements, a scoping study conducted in 2017 by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) suggests context-appropriate and suitable technologies.

In 2015, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimated that by 2025, the global weighted average levelised cost of electricity of solar PV could decrease by as much as 59%, and by 43% for concentrated solar power (CSP), and by 26% and 35% for onshore and offshore wind respectively. Given that the technology is appropriate – due particularly to its durability and robustness under harsh Namibian conditions – this shows promise for the provision of clean energy.

17 Von Oertzen, D. 2013. “Bio-energy in Namibia: Towards establishing value chains for bioenergy in Namibia” – unpublished presentation at http://www.acpnonfood.com/WS8.3-20130429-(Detlof%20von%20Oertzen).pdf.

18 MET. 2015. Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) of The Republic of Namibia to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – available at http://www.met.gov.na/files/files/Intended%20Nationally%20Determined%20Contributions%20(INDC)%20of%20Namibia%20to%20the%20UNFCCC%202015.pdf.

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2 Government responses to, and priorities on, climate, environment and energy (CEE)

2.1 CEE policies and strategies

Namibia’s Constitution – setting the standard

Article 95 of Namibia’s Constitution is the only constitutional provision in Africa that articulates the importance of the natural environment to the cycle of life that impacts people and the prosperity derived from natural resources and ecosystems. Article 95(l) calls on all organs of the State to work in a coordinated manner to sustainably use resources for economic development and livelihood security.

Environmental Management Act

The Environmental Management Act 7 of 2007 (EMA) and its regulations provide the overarching cross-sectoral enabling framework to realise Article 95 of the Constitution. The EMA is complemented by the National Policy on Climate Change of 2011, the National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP) for 2013-2020, the Water Resources Management Act of 2013, the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Policy of 2013, the National Agriculture Policy of 2015, the Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Strategy (CCAS) of 2015 and the National Energy Policy of 2017.

National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan

The NCCSAP is a sectorally integrated instrument that enables policy implementation guided by seven core principles and various sectoral and cross-sectoral strategic aims, themes and targets. It suggests specific and time-bound adaptation, mitigation and cross-cutting actions with responsible parties and indicative budgets. The NCCSAP implementation is resourced by specific line ministries – represented on the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) – while the MET, in consultation with the NCCC, raises funding to augment public resources. (See Annex 8 for a list of members of the NCCC.)

In the NCCSAP, the theme that directly addresses children is A3: Human Health and Well-being. This theme has four specific strategic aims:19

Strategic Aim 1: Health sector climate change strategy in place.Strategic Aim 2: Strengthen disease prevention and treatment for those diseases expected to increase due to climate change.Strategic Aim 3: Develop adaptation mechanisms to climate change related health risks anddisseminate information for effective preparedness.Strategic Aim 4: Strengthen the existing mechanisms for the vulnerable groups to access basic services and health facilities during climate related emergencies.

NCCSAP targets for 2020 relating to children and climate change include the following:

19 MET. 2013. National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP) 2013-2010, p. 37 – available at http://www.met.gov.na/files/files/National%20Climate%20Change%20Strategy%20&%20Action%20Plan%202013%20-%202020.pdf.

Section 2: Government responses to and priorities on climate, environment and energy (CEE) | 9

A3: Human Health and Wellbeing:zz Put in place a contingency plan for all vulnerable groups to access basic services during flood disaster

periods.zz Develop measures to safeguard vulnerable groups, with emphasis on the special needs of women

and children emanating from problems related to flood and drought.

C7: Action Plan for Technology Development and Transfer:zz Promote development of technologies to address climate change problems for women and children.

In 2017, Namibia developed a CEE-integrated Country Strategy, including a detailed Climate Financing Programme, based on the Third National Communication to the UNFCCC and the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) in view of the Paris Agreement.

The Country Strategy integrates all economic and livelihood sectors with a focus on securing water, energy and food in a changing climate.

To ensure contextual relevance and validity, all relevant policies, laws and programmes were reviewed to demonstrate linkages to the objective of Namibia becoming a low-carbon, high-resilience and inclusive economy.

An overview of Namibia’s CEE instruments is provided on the following pages.

Mean annual precipitation is projected to decrease by 7% from the 1980-1999 average by 2020-2039, with the March-May period expected to have the largest decrease and June-August the only period expected to have the same or higher precipitation.

Mean annual temperature is projected to increase by 2°C from the 1980-1999 average by 2020-2039.

– UNDP Africa Adaptation Programme. 2017.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwiVzbiqkOLXAhXlBcAKHd_

GC2oQFggmMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.undp-aap.org%2Fcountries%2Fnamibia&usg=AOvVaw0akhqmGz1DPmXCQ44oUDw-.

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Law or Policy Relation to Climate Change

Constitution of the Republic of Namibia(1990)

Article 95, on “Promotion of the Welfare of the People”, explicitly gives the country and her peoples responsibility over natural resources for sustainable development. Article 95(l) refers to "[the] maintenance of ecosystems, ecological processes and biological diversity of Namibia and utilization of living natural resources on a sustainable basis for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future". This lays the foundation for mainstreaming sustainable development and its principles throughout all legislation, policies, plans and programmes.

Vision 2030 (Namibia’s long-term development aspirations)

By 2030, “Namibia is a prosperous and industrialized nation developed by her people, enjoying peace, harmony and political stability.“ The Vision focuses on eight themes, all of which are related to CEE: (1) inequality and social welfare; (2) peace and political stability; (3) human resources development and institutional capacity building; (4) macro-economic issues; (5) population, health and development; (6) natural resources sector; (7) know-ledge, information and technology; and (8) factors of the external environment. Chapter 5 recognises Namibia’s vulnerability to climate change and elaborates sector-specific strate-gies for adaptation and mitigation. 

Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5),2017/18 to 2022/23

NDP5, released in the second quarter of 2017, has four specific goals: inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic growth; capable and healthy human resources; environmental sustainability; and good governance. NDP5 aims to meet the following specific targets for children and CEE by 2022: zz Namibian children aged 0-8 have a secure educational foundation through access to ECD services.zz Reduction of the proportion of severely poor individuals from 11% to 5%.zz All learners have access to equitable, inclusive, quality education that qualifies them to pursue higher education.zz 60% of all learners qualify for university admission.zz 40% increase in enrolment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and 65% TVET graduates as percentage of total higher education graduates. zz Reduction of the proportion of households living in impoverished houses from 19% to 12%. zz At least two informal settlements upgraded per year until 2022.zz Improvement of rural and urban households’ access to sanitation by 40% and 87% respectively.zz Reduction of youth unemployment from 39% to 33%, and increase in Namibia’s Youth Development Index from 0.49 to 0.58 by 2022.zz Increase of the share of renewable energy in the energy mix from 33% to 55%. zz Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 89%. zz Implementation of an energy-efficiency programme to reduce energy use by 10%.

Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP), 2016/17 to 2019/20

In April 2016, during the delivery of his second State of the Nation address, the President of Namibia launched the Harambee Prosperity Plan, for the period 2016/17 to 2019/20. In Kiswahili, harambee means ‘pulling together in the same direction’, a term resonating with the President’s clarion call for inclusive development and greater social equality. The HPP consists of five pillars:zz Effective Governance;zz Economic Advancement;zz Social Progression;zz Infrastructure Development; and zz International Relations and Cooperation.

The HPP recognises that “climate change is a reality of our time”, and is cognisant of the impacts of climate change on the economy due particularly to low and insecure water availability. The Plan echoes Namibia’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of global efforts to safeguard the planet. Hence, the country will pursue, during the Harambee period (2016/17-2020/21), a transition to an energy mix that will predominantly comprise renewables.

Section 2: Government responses to and priorities on climate, environment and energy (CEE) | 11

Law or Policy Relation to Climate Change

Country Strategy and Climate Financing Programme (April 2017 draft)

The Country Strategy integrates CEE into, and aligns with, all national policies, plans and programmes, from the Constitution through to NDP5. The Climate Financing Programme (CFP) provides concrete guidance on projects to secure water, energy and food in Namibia, and advocates for the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups as the ones that are, and would be, most affected by climate change, fossil fuel energy and environmental degradation.

National Policy on Climate Change (NPCC) (2011)

Launched and approved by Cabinet in November 2011, the NPCC sets out Namibia’s priorities for climate change adaptation and mitigation, interrelated with national planning priorities. The policy’s objectives are to:zz develop and implement appropriate adaptation strategies and actions that will lower the vulnerability of Namibians and various sectors to the impacts of climate change;zz develop action and strategies for climate change mitigation;zz integrate climate change effectively into policies, institutional and development frameworks in recognition of the cross-cutting nature of climate change;zz enhance capacities and synergies at local, regional and national level, and at individual, institutional and systematic level, to ensure successful implementation of climate change responses activities; andzz provide secure and adequate funding resources for effective adaptation and mitigation investments on climate change and associated activities, e.g. capacity building, awareness and dissemination of information.

The NPCC is a key guiding instrument for Namibia’s national approach in addressing the impending climate risks.

National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP), 2013-2020

The NCCSAP has been developed around four key pillars: Planning; Adaptation; Mitigation; and cross-cutting issues to enable integration among the other three areas. Its stated goal is “to further facilitate building the adaptive capacity of Namibia to increase climate change resilience and to optimize mitigation opportunities toward a sustainable development path, guided by the National Climate Change Policy”.

Planning refers to the ongoing efforts to develop, monitor and evaluate the performances of the NDPs (i.e. NDPs 4, 5 and 6) to ensure that climate change adaptation (CCA) and climate change mitigation (CCM) are investigated at the macro-economic impact level.

Adaptation is addressed through four themes:zz Food security and sustainable biological resource base;zz Sustainable water resources base;zz Human health and well-being; andzz Infrastructure development.

Mitigation focuses on low-carbon development through sustainable energy generation and access, and transport.

Cross-cutting issues include:zz capacity building, training and institutional strengthening;zz research and information needs, including how to use climate change information;zz public awareness, participation and access to information;zz disaster reduction and risk management;zz financial resource mobilisation and management;zz international cooperation and networking;zz technology development and transfer; andzz legislative development.

For the three key areas and the corresponding sub-themes, the NCCSAP provides a matrix showing the strategic aims and corresponding actions, including time frames, cost estimates, and lead and partner agencies responsible.

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Law or Policy Relation to Climate Change

Environmental Management Act 7 of 2007(EMA)

The EMA, like other laws and policies, gives further effect to Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution. This Act endeavours to deliver on five specific aims, namely: zz to promote sustainable management of the environment and the use of natural resources by establishing principles for decision making on matters affecting the environment; zz to establish the Sustainable Development Advisory Council (SDAC); zz to provide for the appointment of the Environmental Commissioner and environmental officers;zz to provide for a process of assessment and control of activities which may have significant effects on the environment; and

zzto provide for incidental matters.

The Environmental Commissioner and environmental officers dispatched to regional offices are core to the Ministry’s decentralisation policy, because they enable enforcement of the Act at appropriate geographic scales, particularly in high-development zones. The Environmental Commissioner is responsible – under the Minister and the Permanent Secretary – for the implementation of both the NPCC and the NCCSAP.

National Policy on Coastal Management for Namibia (2017)

The aim of this policy is to “provide a framework, through a Permanent multi-sectoral and decentralised Coastal Management Mechanism, to strengthen governance of Namibia’s coastal areas to realise long-term national goals such as sustainable economic growth, employment creation, and reduced income inequalities”.

A coastal management coordination committee has, over the past 10 years, improved coordi-nation and oversight for management and conservation, and has also enabled enforcement of regulations under the Environmental Management Act (2007) pertaining to illegal entry and access to areas of high biodiversity and endemism.

A high-level committee on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), chaired by the National Council, provides strategic oversight and decision making.

National Energy Policy (2017)

Independent Namibia’s first energy policy was developed by 1998, and it resulted in the “White Paper on Energy Policy of 1998”. This policy instrument provided the overall guidance for developments in the Namibian energy sector for almost 20 years. Since 1998, the country’s economy in general, and the energy sector specifically, have undergone substantial changes. Mining and residential areas expanded significantly, and a conducive policy environment for renewable energy emerged for testing and mainstreaming. In addition, Namibia started a first intensive feasibility analysis for a large-scale concentrated solar power plant (generation capacity 100-150 MW), and three solar PV plants are under development. Namibia, supported by a GEF-financed project, is in the process of adopting the procurement model used by South Africa for public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the renewable-energy sector. The “Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement” model has been lauded as Africa’s most successful PPP model to date (see World Bank Group 2014).*

Under the specific policy objective “To enhance security of supply through effective use of locally available energy resources while also leveraging regional opportunities”, a policy statement on Electricity Generation states that, “Government resolves to … guide integrated resource planning by prioritising generation projects from renewable, non-polluting, indige-nous, diverse, and decentralised resources, in a manner which optimises the long-term cost of electricity supply.”

With regard to private sector involvement in low-emissions sustainable energy generation, two relevant policy statements are:zz “promote dialogue with private investors and financiers to facilitate economically viable and competitive investments in the electricity sector”; andzz “promote the development of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) through competitive bidding processes for specified generation capacity allocations”.

Section 2: Government responses to and priorities on climate, environment and energy (CEE) | 13

Law or Policy Relation to Climate Change

Namibia Agriculture Policy (2015)

The 2015 Cabinet-endorsed Namibia Agriculture Policy is the result of a two-year review and consultative process to update the policy of 1995. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) recognises that certain national, regional and global events and phenomena, such as climate change, necessitated the review and updating.

Specific developments within the agricultural sector that prompted the revision include implementation of the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP4) and readying the sector for implementing NDP5 and the Vision 2030 goals of economic growth, sustainability, equity and poverty alleviation. Furthermore, the dynamics related to bilateral, regional and multilateral developments pertaining specifically to climate change and the agricultural sector prompted Namibia to revise its policy. It is estimated that potential for agriculture has decreased by 33% due mainly to climate-induced droughts and floods, while bush encroachment, overstocking and unsustainable land uses generally exacerbate the challenge of farming sustainably.

The policy objectives:zz Accelerate the agricultural sector’s contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).zz Create a conducive environment for increased and sustained agricultural production and productivity which is regionally and internationally competitive.zz Create a common understanding among national and international stakeholders as well as investors, about the vision of the Government of Namibia for the development of the country’s agriculture sector and its downstream industries.zz Create a framework that will enable streamlined efforts by all stakeholders in Namibia’s agriculture sector and its downstream industries towards common developmental goals.zz Promote the development of the national agriculture sector across the value chain.zz Serve as a basis for drafting new legislation as well as aligning existing legislation.

The policy is based on 21 principles, none of which explicitly reflect climate change. However, it concludes that “[the] Policy will be implemented under the full realization that climate change will impact negatively on agricultural production and productivity”. One could assume that climate change would be addressed under principle no. 4, “Safeguard sustainable growth of the national agriculture sector and downstream industries” and/or no. 14, “Sustainable farming”. (See also the section below on the Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Strategy (CCAS), aimed at addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture specifically.)

Water Resources Management Act 11 of 2013

This Act calls for the development of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plans for the development, conservation, management and control of water resources in Namibia. Water management areas, encompassing water basins and beneficiaries, would define water resources to enable basin-specific resource management through a basin management committee, while at the national level, water resources management is integrated to cater for demand. To safeguard water resources and ensure sustainable supply, the Minister may declare “water protection areas” such as a riverine habitat, watershed, ecosystem or other environmental resource (including aquatic or terrestrial weeds). The Minister is empowered to approve the feasibility assessment for desalination (sea and underground water), and to approve the development of viable desalination projects as an appropriate IWRM and adaptation approach for coastal arid states.

Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Strategy (CCAS) (2015)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, in partnership with the UN’s FAO and other stakeholders, launched the CCAS in 2015. The CCAS is in line with the NPCC and NCCSAP, particularly corresponding to the adaptation theme on “food security and a sustainable resource base” and the specific sub-theme on agriculture – both livestock rearing and crop cultivation. The CCAS is premised on deep appreciation for Namibia’s inherent high vulnerability to climate change and the fact that an estimated two-thirds of the population rely on farming for food and income. It further recognises: the country’s inherent water deficit; the prevailing and sometimes harsh climatic conditions; the limited arable land, exacerbated by predominantly poor soils; and a growing population and demand for food.

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Law or Policy Relation to Climate Change

CCAS cont. The CCAS is based on three linked principles: zz Continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance; zz Permanent organic soil cover; and zz Diversification of crop species grown in sequences and/or associations.

The CCAS specifically aims to:zz increase awareness and knowledge of Conservation Agriculture (CA) among the stake-holders, including farmers, extension workers, researchers, policy-makers and decision-makers; zz increase farmers’ and extension workers’ skills of practising of CA; zz conduct farmer-focused research to develop appropriate CA technologies and packages for the farming systems; zz establish institutional arrangements for harmonised and coordinated implementation of the CA programme; zz ensure farmers have sustained access to CA equipment, inputs, markets and services; andzz develop standards and then monitor and evaluate the adoption and impact of CA.

The Scaling up Community Resilience (SCORE) and Sustainable Management of Namibia’s Forested Lands (NAFOLA) projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) were designed to serve as avenues for implementing the CCAS where appropriate and relevant. These two projects provide significant geographic coverage across the country’s northern regions, which together host more than 70% of the national population, and where an esti-mated 60% of households are headed by women.

National Policy on Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) (2013)

In operation since 1992, and comprising 83 registered communal conservancies benefiting some 250,000 people, Namibia’s CBNRM Programme delivers on the objective of sound management and sustainable use of natural resources, in a manner that empowers local communities who share the responsibilities and benefits.

In essence, the National Policy on Community Based CBNRM advocates for a public-private partnership (PPP) and rural-development approach that strengthens local institutions and catalyses sustainable economic and environmental co-benefits.

National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA)(2015)

As a concrete response to Namibia’s Off-Grid Energisation Master Plan (OGEMP), the NAMA instrument aims to provide access to low-carbon energy technologies to everyone living or working in off-grid areas to improve climate resilience. Energy provision in off-grid areas can enhance local/rural-level income generation and enable new business opportunities, leading to enhanced private sector involvement.

The NAMA covers two interventions:zz Under Intervention A, mini-grids will be established in rural communities – preferably near schools and potential future tourism projects such as eco-lodges. The mini-grids will use renewable energy sources (solar, wind and hydro), and will provide electricity for:a) lighting, radio and cellphone charging in households;b) service and production activities in Rural Productivity Zones (RPZs); and c) lighting and the Internet in public buildings.zz Intervention B will support the installation of Energy Zones (EZs). Currently, so-called Energy Shops sell suitable, approved energy products and compatible appliances to consumers. Under Intervention B, these will be developed into the concept of Energy Zones, by adding a Rural Productivity Zone component.

In its first phase, the NAMA aims to establish 10 mini-grids and 13 Energy Zones. This will provide electricity to around 1,400 households and around 8,500 people. Over the 15-year lifetime of the NAMA, emission reductions will reach around 20,000 tonnes of CO2. Around 80 new enterprises will be established through these two interventions.

Section 2: Government responses to and priorities on climate, environment and energy (CEE) | 15

Law or Policy Relation to Climate Change

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)(2015)

In September 2015, as reported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Namibia became the first developing country to submit INDCs to the Convention Secretariat. Recognised by the UNFCCC as Namibia’s concrete Climate Action Plan in view of the Paris Climate Agreement, the INDCs enhance the prioritisation of climate change investment by stating the estimated costs and the proposed specific adaptation and mitigation measures. Namibia’s intended actions for the mitigation of climate change are regarded as a commendable commitment to the Paris Agreement.

The INDCs estimate the cost for mitigation and adaptation for Namibia at US$33 billion, to be financed from the present to 2030 to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement.

Based on the proposed mitigation and adaptation sectors and the share of the total based on the business as usual scenario, the following is a high-level indicative breakdown of the US$33 billion.

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2.2 Ongoing initiatives on CEE

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other bilateral and multilateral donors have been financing CEE-focused projects and programmes in Namibia since 1995.

The GEF, with UNDP as executing entity, has to date committed over US$68 million to Namibia’s climate change, environment and energy sectors. Investments have ranged from conservancy and community forest improvements to determining Namibia’s key climate-affected populaces and sectors, conducting the first large-scale feasibility study for solar-energy generation, and improving the climate resilience of wildlife. This has been, and is still, complemented by the EU and bilateral assistance from GIZ, the KfW Development Bank, the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-Operation (NORAD) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Local and international NGOs and partnerships, notably the Namibian Association for Community-based Support Organisations (NACSO) and the Namibia Red Cross Society (NRCS), support donor-funded projects and responses to disasters.

Recent CEE-relevant projects include projects for: scaling up climate resilience and adaptive capacities in northern Namibia, targeting women and children; improving management capacities in forested lands; determining viable value chains from encroacher bush; climate change and biodiversity management; community-based climate-resilient agriculture; and exploring viable utility and off-grid solutions for renewable energy.

GEF/UNDP Small Grants Programme (SGP) The SGP remains instrumental and significant at local level to raise awareness, impart knowledge and develop capacities for natural resource management, rural enterprise development, good governance and climate adaptation. Operating since 2008, the SGP has financed over 180 community-based initiatives with an element of safeguarding natural resources and securing livelihoods. In March 2017, local media reported a paradigm shift in Uuvudhiya where the success of an investment in 2010 has attracted additional funding to diversify activities and benefit more people. The activities include landscape and biodiversity protection, rainwater harvesting, conservation tilling, micro-drip irrigation and sale of fresh produce.

Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) of Namibia Since its inception in 2014, the EIF has become a formidable partner in the CEE sectors. As Namibia’s home-grown financing agency for safeguarding natural resources and ecosystem services for sustained social, economic and environmental benefits, the EIF has attracted US$20 million from the Green Climate Fund to improve the adaptive and resilience capacities of communities in registered communal conservancies, targeting some 250,000 beneficiaries, and to raise the resilience of farmers in Kavango East and West and Zambezi Regions (total population 313,948 – 2011 Census).

Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) The DRFN is an accredited National Implementing Entity (NIE) for the UN’s Adaptation Fund. In October 2017, the DRFN was awarded a grant worth US$4.9 million to pilot desalination of underground water using renewable energy. This project targets the south of Namibia where potable water scarcities are mounting, amidst the availability of vast saline underground water. The specific target locations are the towns of Grunau and Bethanie in //Kharas Region.

Germany Through GIZ, KfW and country ministries responsible for environment, nature conservation, education and research, has in the last 10 years scaled up support to the climate change, environment and energy sectors. GIZ has been operating in Namibia since Independence in 1990. Key areas of GIZ investment include management of natural resources and agriculture (€42.6m), transport (€12.5m), and economic and multi-sectoral development (€15.4m). At present, GIZ is financing the Biodiversity Management and Climate Change project that recently conducted an adaptation analysis to gauge the extent to

Section 2: Government responses to and priorities on climate, environment and energy (CEE) | 17

which these projects/programmes contribute to the various countries’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) under the Paris Agreement. (The adaptation projects currently underway in Namibia are listed in Annex 11.)

European Union (EU) The EU supports projects on CEE in Namibia, and recently awarded €22.125m to the agriculture sector to improve climate resilience. Under the current indicative programme (2014-2020), education and skills development and agriculture are the target sectors, while various projects focus on building adaptive capacities among farming communities to raise their climate resilience.

(See Annex 8 for an overview of planned and ongoing CEE projects, and Annex 11 for climate change adaptation projects only.)

2.3 Main players on CEE

GOVERNMENT

The key government institutions for climate change, environment and energy are as follows:

Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) The MET is responsible for climate change and environmental management, and most of the climate change and environment projects reside under this Ministry. The MET leads Namibia’s accessing of financing to combat the impacts of climate change, and also serves as the country agent for accessing GEF funding. The MET commissioned the development of a Country Strategy for submission to the Green Climate Fund for a portfolio approach in accessing financing for adaptation and mitigation until 2030.

MET Directorate of Environmental Affairs (DEA) The DEA is the direct executing agent of the Environmental Management Act (EMA), and is responsible for the implementation of the three UN Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity and combating of desertification. Under the EMA, the DEA can commission strategic environmental assessments to determine the most viable future development options, and extensive environmental impact assessment is mandatory for specific projects. Its direct role as the GEF Operational Focal Point enables the DEA to complement its role under the EMA with projects that aim to raise capacities and impart knowledge for the sustainable use of natural resources and protection of ecosystems.

The DEA’s subdivision for Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) positions the DEA in the role of National Designated Authority for the Green Climate Fund. In addition, this subdivision is responsible for the implementation of policies, plans and programmes pursuant to the objectives of the Rio Conventions and as per national instruments such as policies, strategies and action plans.

The MEA subdivision also oversees and convenes the National Committee on Climate Change (NCCC), responsible for the implementation of the UNFCCC and related obligations. The NCCC, composed of representatives of all line ministries, monitors the implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2013-2020 (NCCSAP), and technically appraises and approves priority climate change projects, including renewable energy projects as a mitigating response.

MET Directorate of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) The DWNP promotes the conservation of natural resources and wildlife habitats, and the sustainable use of wildlife resources. Since the proclamation of the first three game reserves in 1907, the various government agencies responsible (including the DWNP) have come far in improving the representation of biomes, landscapes and critical habitats in the network of national parks, including transition from a patchwork to a network of conservation areas. By piloting a landscape conservation area management approach, the resilience of landowners, their wildlife and ecosystems were improved, and in some areas a public-private partnership management approach delivered environmental, social and economic co-benefits.

18 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Programme The CBNRM Programme contributes to areas under conservation in Namibia, focusing on the recovery of animal wildlife, good practices in conservation, and investments in skills and capacity development, education and health infrastructure. In many of the conservancies (83 at present), the youth are showing enhanced awareness and understanding of the value of conservation for sustainable livelihood security. The CBNRM Programme has a core set of environmental, social, economic and governance indicators for which data is collected and analysed on an ongoing basis, and is stored in the NACSO Conservancy Information (ConInfo) System.

Private Conservancies/Reserves and Tourism Concessions These entities are important stakeholders which have gained local and government-level support. In south-western Namibia, private sector eco-tourism ventures participated in the successful piloting of a landscape conservation area approach whereby park area was extended into private land. This resulted in a larger area under conservation as private landowners dropped their fences along the border of the Namib Naukluft National Park to extend the distribution and migration ranges of large animal wildlife. This raises the climate resilience of both animal and plant wildlife, and, as evidenced by the project, raises the numbers of animal wildlife to enable higher number of beneficiaries. This first freehold conservancy was established in 1991, and today there are 21, covering 6% of Namibia’s total land surface area.

Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) The MME is responsible for energy matters in the country, and is the custodian of the National Energy Policy. The Ministry’s mandate, as expressed in its strategic plan for 2012-2017, is “to take custody of Namibia’s rich endowment of mineral and energy resources and create an environment in which the mineral, energy, and geological resources contribute to the country’s socio-economic development”. The MME is implementing an ambitious plan to render Namibia energy secure by 2030. Thus far, 14 renewable Energy Independent Power Producers (REIPPs) (including solar and biomass producers) have been approved, which together would produce at least 140MW. In addition, a 50MW concentrated solar power plant based on the techno-financial feasibility study conducted under a UNDP/GEF project will be publicly auctioned in 2018, and a 44MW wind power operation has been delivering 17MW of power since 2017.

Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) The MAWF is responsible for the livestock- and crop-farming sectors at both commercial and communal/subsistence scales, ensuring secure water availability and access, and sustainable management of forested lands. The Ministry is exploring water security options through desalination, groundwater recharge, expansion of existing sewerage treatment and water purification plants, while also promoting and technically aiding climate-smart agriculture. A 2014 GEF-financed project enables the MAWF to raise resilience and adaptive capacities in community forests by targeting 11 registered community forests that benefit. The agriculture sector employs the most people in Namibia (28% of the workforce), and is the most vulnerable sector, while also being responsible for the country’s second-highest level of greenhouse gas emissions (methane from livestock).

Ministries of Basic and Higher Education of EducationThe Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC) is responsible for the provision of quality basic education, including the development and implementation of appropriate curricula for schools, while the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation does the same for vocational and tertiary institutions. The MoEAC Department of Formal Education hosts the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) and the Directorate of Programmes and Quality Assurance. These bodies are well placed for the mainstreaming of climate change into the formal education system. The MoEAC keeps a sophisticated database, namely the Education Management Information System (EMIS), which holds ample data on children and education. The MoEAC also has an Education Sector Policy for Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

Section 2: Government responses to and priorities on climate, environment and energy (CEE) | 19

Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) The MoHSS has the mission to provide integrated, affordable, accessible, equitable and quality health and social welfare services which are responsive to the needs of the population. Primary Health Care (PHC) services are provided at local/community clinics and health centres, and at the district hospitals. There are five areas of PHC in Namibia: Epidemiology; Public and Environmental Health Services; Family Planning; Information, Education and Communication (IEC); and Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation. The MoHSS is a member of the National Committee on Climate Change.

Directorate for Disaster Risk Management (DDRM) in the Office of the Prime Minister The DDRM is responsible for developing a functional national disaster risk reduction system that minimises community vulnerability to hazards and effectively manages the impact of disasters within the context of sustainable development for Namibia by 2015. One objective of the DDRM is to apply innovative approaches and technologies to enhance community resilience to disaster risks through effective coordination and facilitation of all disaster risk reduction initiatives in Namibia. The DDRM has reported on response over the past decade, particularly during floods and to a lesser extent droughts.

DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

As mentioned in section 2.1, there are a number of bilateral governmental bodies, UN agencies, multi-lateral development banks and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working on CEE issues in Namibia. (See Annex 8 for a list of the institutions involved in CEE in Namibia.)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) financing, has the biggest footprint in Namibia’s CEE sectors. With the exception of two GEF projects in Namibia administered by the World Bank, UNDP has leveraged and administered the GEF finance. Given the GEF’s strategic focus and operational areas, activities have focused largely on community-based climate resilience and environmental protection, improving biodiversity representation in parks and conservation areas, determining viable renewable energy options, and improving capacities across different levels and institutions for resources management, sustainable use and optimising natural wealth. Most interventions target northern Namibia where the population densities and the status of pertinent CEE issues are the highest. (See Annex 8 which includes a list of current and recent UNDP CEE projects.)

UNDP, in partnership with the Government of Namibia, is developing a funding proposal for conside-ration by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to improve water security in the capital city, Windhoek. As an entity accredited for adaptation up to US$250 million, the GCF holds massive potential for Namibia to access financing for community-based climate adaptation.

Development partner coordination mechanisms

The National Planning Commission (NPC), in the Office of the President, is responsible for development partner coordination. The NPC relies on line ministries, the Ministry for International Cooperation and Foreign Relations and the development community to aid the process of coordination through regular information sharing and representation on multi-sectoral platforms, such as the National Committee on Climate Change (NCCC).

Section 7 of the National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP) proposes institutional arrangements, roles and coordination mechanisms. However, the section places all vulnerable groups under one umbrella, which masks the variation of vulnerability among the population, and it does not address donor or international development partner participation to realise the targets of the strategy.

The UNDP Namibia Country Office, in consultation with the Office of the President and the Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, has proposed coordinating donor matters to optimise available in-kind and financial resources.

20 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

3.1 Impact of CEE on water and health

The main CEE impacts on water pertain to droughts, floods, access to improved water sources, and damage to water and sanitation infrastructure during floods. Fourteen percent of children do not have access to improved water sources, while 34% live without proper sanitation.26

Water and health are intrinsically linked, because consumption of water is critical for human survival and good health. Hence, as water and sanitation infrastructure are damaged during floods, so too do the incidences of malnutrition and water-borne diseases increase. Some of the key effects on children’s access to water and children’s health status due to CEE impacts in Namibia are as follows.

Impacts of the drought in 2013 – the worst drought in Namibia in 30 years:zz 778,504 people (35% of the national population) were left either food insecure (44%) or moderately

food insecure (56%). zz 109,000 of these people were children under 5 years of age, and more than 155,000 were children

aged 5-18.20 zz The children affected constituted 28% of the total child population, and 49% of the total estimated

rural child population. Malnutrition and stunting were exacerbated, particularly in Kunene Region in the far north-west of the country, where the drought was particularly pronounced.zz Most rural households rely on supplemental food production, and yet, since the early 2000s, farming

ability has been reducing by 33% per year, especially in drought-prone areas.zz Food insecurity was found to be highest among woman-headed households (67%) with no additional

source of income, low levels of education and no access to improved water sources.zz Based on the NSA’s 2013 population estimate, some 360,000 children were/are living in food-insecure

households.zz Stunting is at 29% nationally, and is prevalent in drought-prone areas – evidence that malnu tri tion

and lack of food are exacerbated during droughts.

Seasonal inland flooding in Namibia affects an average of 150,000 people annually, with exceptions such as the 2009 disaster floods which affected 300,000 people. The following brief chronology relays the impacts of floods on children’s access to water and their health status:zz 2009: Floods were devastating, as they affected 129,000 children across rural and urban areas in six

of the seven northern regions. Out of the total affected, 32,288 were school learners who suffered impacts such as destroyed homes and farming infrastructure, damaged roads and bridges (limiting access) and health and school infrastructures, reduced access to water and damaged sewerage works.zz 2011: Flooding exacerbated remnants of the 2009 flood impacts, as some communities still suffered

a recovery backlog. While a lower number of affected people were recorded compared to 2009, 331 schools were disrupted, of which 81% closed, affecting 114,520 learners. Livelihood impacts included inundation of more than 57,000 ha of crop fields, >2,000 livestock dead and 598 businesses affected.zz 2017: Although considered less severe than the 2009 and 2011 events, this flooding still caused the

displacement of people, inundation of crop fields, loss of livestock and damage to urban and rural infrastructure. In Oshana Region, 156 children aged 6-18 and 123 under-5s were affected.

20 World Watch Institute. 2017. “Notes from Namibia: Worst Drought in 30 Years Affects One-Third of Country”, at http://www.worldwatch.org/notes-namibia-worst-drought-30-years-affects-one-third-country.

3 The impact of climate, environment and energy (CEE) issues on children

Section 3: The impact of climate, environment and energy (CEE) issues on children | 21

Flood- and drought-prone areas are environmentally degraded and characterised by salinised/unfertile soils, deforested and deserted land, and decreasing farming potential year on year. This is understandable as 43% of the country’s population occupy only 7% of the land area in the northern most populous regions.21

Agriculture uses the most water in the country, at 74% of total annual available water. Climate change is predicted to threaten Namibia’s water availability further, which would affect children overall and across the country, but particularly children in rural areas.

With respect to CEE, water and impact on children in urban areas, particularly the City of Windhoek: zz A National Expert Technical Committee on Water reported in 2017 that, based on current demand and

supply levels, the City of Windhoek would be water scarce by 2020.22

zz Based on the NSAs 2016 population projection,23 children make up 47% of the total population. This implies that if Windhoek runs completely dry, an estimated 58,200 children would be affected. zz In partnership with UNDP, the Municipality of Windhoek submitted a proposal to the Green Climate

Fund to upscale the Windhoek Managed Aquifer Recharge (WMAR) Programme. The solution may not be in place and operational by 2020.zz Similar to observed droughts in rural areas, the lack of water at household level in Windhoek would

result in high school absenteeism (potentially dropouts), and thus higher failure rates, higher rates of malnutrition and reduced ability for food production. At worst, this could result in local-level competition and conflicts to access limited available water, causing civil unrest which would place children’s safety at an even higher risk than is already the case in informal settlements.

21 UNICEF. 2010. Malnutrition in Namibia: The time to act is now, p. 26 – available at https://www.unicef.org/namibia/na.Malnutrition_final.pdf.

22 New Era Newspaper. 18 July 2017. “Windhoek water ‘secure until 2020’ – expert“ – available at https://www.newera.com.na/2017/07/18/windhoek-water-secure-until-2020-expert/.

23 NSA. 2014. Namibia Population Projections: 2011-2041 – available at https://cms.my.na/assets/documents/p19dn4fhgp14t5ns 24g4p6r1c401.pdf.

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CEE impacts on children’s health can be summarised as follows:zz Limited or poor access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): UNICEF found the lack/limitation of

access to improved water and sanitation to be the biggest cause of diarrhoea in rural areas. As water becomes limited, prioritisation is for consumption. Hence, sanitation and hygiene are foregone, raising the risk of water contamination and pneumococcal infection.zz Water-borne disease: Cholera outbreaks were declared in northern Namibia as a result of floods in

2009 and 2013/14, while the risk of diarrhoea and malaria are ever present due to lack of clean water and slow-moving or standing water. The 2013 and 2017 flooding events recorded cholera cases as far away as Windhoek, confirming the prediction that climate-induced health impacts could spread to areas far away from disaster impact zones. In 2017, 70 cholera cases and 5 deaths were reported for Windhoek.zz Vector-borne diseases: Since 1990, the incidence of malaria has been steadily declining in Namibia

from over 300 per 1,000 people to under 5 per 1,000 people, signalling progression from control to elimination. From 2000 to 2010, malaria deaths were reduced by 88%.24 Improved access to – including disseminating – insecticide-treated nets remains the catalyst for success, while seasonal floods sustain the challenge. zz Malaria poses a significant threat as its prevalence across Namibia may increase due to climate

forcing. Impacts of climate change on the environment (temperature, moisture and vegetation) may offer conducive conditions for disease-carrying insects (e.g. P. falciparum) to breed. Vector-borne diseases such as malaria disproportionately affect children. Namibia has done exceedingly well to nearly eliminate malaria, but this progress could be reversed over time due to climate change, particularly if capacity to respond to malaria is not scaled up to match population growth.zz Indoor air pollution (IAP): Amidst Namibia’s ambitious targets and path for increasing access to

renewable energy, the majority of rural dwellers still use biomass for cooking. IAP is associated with biomass-fuelled cooking, which significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality across Africa.25 In Namibia IAP is prevalent in rural areas as 86% of the 54% of total Namibians still use wood biomass for fuel, while for under-5s the ARI rate is estimated at 6%,26 which is the same rate for ARI-attributed inpatient deaths per year for all ages.

3.2 Impacts of CEE on access to basic services and infrastructure

Climatic events (especially floods), environmental degradation and near-universal use of biomass for energy already affect access to basic services and infrastructure. Children play a central role in many rural households, carrying out basic tasks for livelihood maintenance – fetching wood and water, herding livestock, collecting veld foods and so on. Many times, the burden of chores at home results in school absenteeism, dropout and even postponing visits to a clinic.

Climate change impacts that cause longer or more frequent dry seasons are likely to make basic water service delivery in rural areas more difficult, and similarly, flooding restricts access to basic services and infrastructure due to inundation of roads, interruption of services and damage or destruction of infrastructure.

During the 2011 flood event, 331 schools were disrupted, of which 81% closed, affecting 114,520 learners.27 Although rainfall predictions for the region suggests high variability from year to year, the intensity of rain is projected to be higher, suggesting a potentially higher intensity of flooding events. Hence, children’s access to basic services and infrastructure is likely to worsen while also increasing their need for adaptation and coping responses.

24 UNICEF CPD 2014-2018.25 Nejjar, A. 2005. “Indoor air pollution in the African region”. WHO Health and Environment Unit, Regional Office for Africa – at

http://www.who.int/indoorair/interventions/kampalaop1.pdf?ua=1.26 MoHSS. 2013. Namibia Demographic and Health Survey 2013 – available at https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR298/FR298.pdf.27 Nejjar, A. 2005. Op. cit. (fn 27).

Section 3: The impact of climate, environment and energy (CEE) issues on children | 23

Namibia imports 40-80% of its electricity from partners within the Southern African Power Pool which comprises SADC member states. South Africa is the biggest exporter of electricity to Namibia, followed by Zamibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. This is to secure utility scale and peak energy-use periods.28

The country is determining the most appropriate durable and affordable renewable energy technology for areas where wood is still the main source of energy. Some imported solar technology carrying warranties of between 15 and 20 years generally has a shorter lifespan under Namibian conditions, due to the intensity of irradiation.

Given the existing backdrop of poor to marginal infrastructure in many rural areas, and the destruction and damage caused by floods, more frequent floods would raise the impact of no access to limited access.

General implications of CEE for services and infrastructure:zz Flooding in the northern regions is likely to increase in severity and frequency, causing disruption of

basic services and damage and destruction of infrastructure. zz Climate change affects food production, leading to malnutrition and stunting, which in turn result in

higher rates of school absenteeism.zz Destroyed water infrastructure forces rural households to consume contaminated water, which

leads to malnutrition in under 5s. Some 17% of children under 5 suffer from diarrhoea and repeated episodes of diarrhoea which contribute to childhood stunting.zz Damaged and destroyed health facilities prohibit women and children from accessing health services,

which in many cases can be fatal for mothers and children under 5.

3.3 Impact of CEE on education

Factors that influence children’s ability to learn include: child health and nutrition; the time and physical ability to attend school; the distance to school and the quality of education; access to essential basic services such as water, food, sanitation and electricity; and continuity of schooling after flood events. A changing climate, natural resource status and access to electricity influence these factors. According to UNICEF (2015), many children in rural areas walk/travel long distances to and from school – a factor that influences school attendance.

The 2011 Census found that 28% of children and young people (total 201,000) aged 6-20 years were not attending school at the time, and that dropout rates increased in Grades 9-12. More females than males drop out, given the higher numbers of female learners than males up to Grade 5.

For 74% of the Grade 1 learners, the distance to the closest Grade 12 class exceeds 2 km (in a direct line). For 36% of these learners this distance exceeds 5 km, and 30 km for 6% of them.

The current observed impacts of CEE on education, which are expected to worsen under the current baseline situation and based on future climate impact predictions, are: zz restricted access to school and essential basic services due to damaged infrastructure and inundation

of roads; zz relatively high failure and dropout rates due to lack of electricity for lighting; zz absenteeism related to food insecurity and resulting malnutrition; zz the need, especially among woman-headed households (which comprise 60% of all rural households)

for unpaid farming assistance to secure food, access water and wood and herd livestock;zz reduced quality of teaching and poor learning outcomes as a result of poor and challenging living

and working conditions (e.g. electrification coverage of only 20% in rural and informal settlements).

28 MME. 2016. National Integrated Resource Plan 2016 for the Electricity Supply Industry in Namibia – available at https://www.ecb.org.na/images/docs/Noticeboard/ELECTRICITY%20SECTOR%20NATIONAL%20INTEGRATED%20RESOURCE%20PLAN%20(NIRP)%202016%20Version%201.pdf.

24 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

It is foreseen that these impacts will increase towards mid-century, given the observed impacts and the future climate impact projections.

3.4 Impacts of CEE on poverty, access to food and nutrition

More than 300,000 children live in poverty, of whom 18.3% live in severe poverty.29 Annex 4 shows the regional poverty rates. These rates correlate strongly with the regional rates of school dropout and repetition,2 teenage pregnancy, poor sanitation, poor access to improved water sources and use of wood biomass for energy, particularly in geographically overlapping areas affected by floods, droughts and increasing environmental degradation.

The two most affluent regions are Erongo and Khomas, with poverty rates below 15%, while in stark contrast, some rural constituencies, such as in Kavango, have poverty rates exceeding 50% (Annex 4). Unsurprisingly, dropout rates and grade repetition are highest in the northern regions, where poverty is most concentrated.

The vast majority of the rural population are dependent on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods.30 Agriculture employs 28% of the country’s labour force, and is the third-highest GDP contributor,31 while 70% of the population still rely on having direct access to natural resources. Hence, the importance of agriculture and the status of natural resources for rural sustainable livelihoods in Namibia cannot be overemphasised.

In the past 10 years, climate change has reduced farming ability by up to 33% in some areas.1 Hence, climate-driven reductions in agricultural production will impact the poorest and most vulnerable, and will exacerbate poverty and raise food insecurity and vulnerability.

Given that more than 50% of the population still live in rural areas, and based on predictions of climate change effects – especially a lowering of the natural resource base, reduced farming ability and more frequent natural disasters – the impacts are expected to be: zz drastically reduced food production, and thus,zz reduced access to balanced nutrition, leading to,zz higher levels of poverty, since rural households rely on agriculture for income and food security, andzz higher rural-urban migration rates as people seek better livelihood alternatives – a prospect often met

by a poor income in an urban centre, which places additional strain in a new setting to secure food and nutrition, and in many cases results in even poorer living conditions in an informal settlement.

Negative CEE impacts already place considerable strain on women-headed households, child-headed households, OVCs (inclusive of children with disabilities) and children living in extremely remote areas.

3.5 Impact of CEE on child labour

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) reports that, at present in the world, more than 200 million children are involved in child labour, entailing work that is damaging to their mental, physical and emotional development.32

29 UNICEF. 2015. School Drop-out and Out-of-School Children in Namibia: A National Review – available at https://www.unicef.org/namibia/na.OutofSchoolReport_Final_WEB.pdf.

30 MAWF. 2015. Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Strategy of Namibia. Windhoek: MAWF.31 FAO. 2015. Food and Agriculture Policy Decision Analysis: Malawi – Country fact sheet on food and agriculture policy trends

– available at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4491e.pdf.32 ILO. 2015. World Report on Child Labour 2015: Paving the way to decent work for young people – available at https://www.

google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=World+report+on+child+labour+2015&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8.

Section 3: The impact of climate, environment and energy (CEE) issues on children | 25

Namibia’s Child Activity Report (NCAR) of 200533 appears to be the best available and obtainable report on child labour. The report revealed that 408,638 children between 6 and 17 years of age were working children at that time. Of the child working population, 32,727 were school dropouts and 23,523 were out of school, i.e. they had never attended school. The 2016 Labour Force Survey (LFS) reported that of Namibia’s total labour force of 676,885, some 2.3% (15,316) were in the age group 15-19 years.34

Projecting the 2005 NCAR estimates based on average annual population growth for the period 1990-2015, and applying the 2016 LFS report data, the following suggested child labour estimates emerge:zz An estimated 497,152 children aged 6-17 were working children in 2015. zz The child working population comprised 23% of the total population in 2015, compared to 21% in 2005.zz An estimated 5% of children (103,768) were out of school in 2015, and nearly 40% of them were

working in 2015.zz 85% of the child working population are in rural areas compared to 15% in urban areas – percentages

based on 2005 estimates and needing verification in view of the high rural-urban migration rate over the past decade, which may suggest a higher percentage of children working in urban areas by 2015.zz In 2005 it was estimated that 71% of the child population aged 6-17 were working, whereas the

estimate for 2015 is 53%.zz The main reasons children cited for working were: being forced to work due to poverty (26.8%) or

illness of parents (3.1%); no support from parents (2.3%); dropping out of school (2.3%); loss of parents (1.5%); and to earn money (1.4%).

The estimates above suggest a decline in the numbers of children working, however there is a need to repeat the “Child Activities Survey” of 2015 to confirm this.

Given the high percentage of rural children engaged in labour, the reasons for working and the prevailing economic and environmental statuses, it is projected that child labour will increase due to CEE, in that CEE will:zz increase the need for labour for crop cultivation, due to the need for replanting, cultivating larger

areas and expending more effort to secure successful yields;zz increase the need for labour for rearing livestock, due to the need to access pastures that may be

further away and/or the need to harvest/cultivate fodder and secure access to water;zz increase the need for labour after disasters, particularly flooding, since it is foreseen that flood intensity

and frequency will increase over time, which implies greater damage to households, infrastructure and basic services, and deepened impact that would require more time for post-disaster recovery; andzz increase the prevalence of water- and vector-borne diseases affecting adults, which could increase

the need for children to work at local level to assist in securing households’ livelihoods – and in this regard, loss of life due to HIV/AIDS, which is already a major factor influencing child labour in Namibia, could worsen the child labour situation over time.

3.6 Impact of CEE on social inclusion

The World Bank (2013) defines social inclusion as, “the process of improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of people, disadvantaged on the basis of their identity, to take part in society”, and the Commission of European Communities (2003) defines it similarly, as “a process which ensures that those at risk of poverty and social exclusion gain the opportunities and resources necessary to participate fully in economic, social, political and cultural life and to enjoy a standard of living that is considered normal in the society in which they live”.

33 Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW). 2005. Namibia Child Activities Survey 2005: Report on Analysis – available at https://www.ilo.org/ipec/Informationresources/WCMS_IPEC_PUB_27575/lang--en/index.htm.

36 NSA. 2016. The Namibia Labour Force Survey 2016 Report – available at https://cms.my.na/assets/documents/Labour_Force_Survey_-_20161.pdf.

26 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Both definitions speak to the challenges of CEE and children, referring to those at risk of poverty (e.g. out-of-school children and OVCs) and social exclusion (e.g. those in flood-prone areas and OVCs).

Children in Namibia, especially in rural areas and informal settlements, are many times socially excluded as a result of their geographic placement or location and their livelihood circumstances. This is also affected by climate-forced environmental disasters which eliminate or restrict access to basic services and goods, and even limit social interaction. Those at risk of social exclusion or further social exclusion due to CEE include:zz children not in school (12% in 2015); zz children engaged in child labour (23%); zz children who are married (5.4% aged 15-1635) and have children (26% of girls fall pregnant before

age 1819);zz orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) (constituting 20% of the child population aged 0-17 and 8%

of the national population);zz those without proper sanitation (66% rural) or without access to improved water sources (17%); andzz child-headed households.

It is worth considering that in the northern seven regions, which host most of the poor and poorest people and also suffer climate-related environmental disasters, there may be strong overlap between being out of school, being engaged in child labour, being in a forced marriage, being orphaned, and lacking access to proper sanitation. Those to whom this applies would be the most vulnerable of all children in Namibia.

Floods, droughts and low food security tend to fragment and threaten the cohesion within families and communities, and tend to create situations where children explore freely and run the risk of being exploited due to circumstances. In 2011, 69,000 children were orphaned due to HIV/AIDS, and 13% of children under age 14 were HIV positive. Exacerbated by poor household and family circumstances, these children are at high risk, and may even be at higher risk when they become desperate for food, shelter and protection. This is particularly the case for rural children, including OVCs, and those who are married and/or have children before age 18.

In 2009, Namibia’s Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) found that girls are particularly at risk during disasters, because the mechanisms that aid in social protection, such as schools and clinics, tend to be damaged or destroyed, or disrupted for an extended period. At such times, parents are reluctant to send children, particularly girls, to school at further distances due to the higher risk of sexual harassment and abuse, but also, school-aged girls are many times kept out of school to care for younger siblings. Hence the school absenteeism and dropout rates are higher for girls compared to boys.

Many times, due to disasters, women and children are moved to relief camps while men stay to care for livestock and salvage what they can from their homestead. The 2009 PDNA found that, due to the lack of basic essential commodities, some women resort to transactional sex to ensure that provisions are there for the children. In Namibia, native customs many times do not permit women to speak out against gender-based violence (GBV) or abuses. Relief camps are conducive for GBV and abuses that go unreported. Hence, while women and girls may need knowledge and awareness to become climate resilient, there remains a more critical need to improve their awareness and capacities as armour against social ills still befalling them.

In Namibia, like in many other parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), rural people are more vulnerable than their urban counterparts due to their high reliance on rainfall for livelihoods and food security. Rural communities are also less equipped and marginally serviced by social inclusion and protection

35 UNICEF. 2015. Press Release: Namibia calls for end to child marriages as country commemorates Day of the African Child – available at https://www.unicef.org/namibia/DAC_2015_Press_release_Final.pdf.

Section 3: The impact of climate, environment and energy (CEE) issues on children | 27

mechanisms, placing rural children at higher risk of exclusion from social services where and when they need them the most.

Teenage pregnancy is a notable social and developmental challenge in Namibia, and has been on the rise over the past decade. Seventy-six percent of girls aged 15-19 do not use modern forms of contraception, resulting in 19% falling pregnant. This implies that 127 teenage girls fall pregnant every day! In 2013, 1,550 girls dropped out of school due to pregnancy. The Kavango regions currently have the highest prevalence of learner pregnancy at 34%.

Statistical modelling of adolescent pregnancy in Namibia found that educational status, rural areas, poor socio-economic status and single-parent households are prone to teenage pregnancies. The independent variables used in the modelling included condom use at first sex, place of residence, socio-economic status, educational status, language of respondent, religion, and drinking and smoking habits.36

Access to affordable and clean energy is one service that the majority of rural children do not enjoy, and this affects their learning abilities. Already excluded, CEE may further exacerbate the lack of access which further disadvantages children in rural areas.

A study currently underway to assess climate and environmentally induced rural-urban migration in Namibia suggests that a higher migration rate is foreseen in coming years approaching 2030. This is influenced in part by climate change impacts and the status of natural resources, which lead people to migrate for employment opportunities. This is of particular relevance to the northern regions, which are the poorest and most environmentally degraded.

36 Lillian, P. and Mumbango, T. 2015. “Statistical Modelling of Adolescent Pregnancy in Namibia”. J Nurs Care 4:262 – at https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/statistical-modelling-of-adolescent-pregnancy-in-namibia-2167-1168-1000262.php?aid=57427.

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It is predicted that 67% of the Namibian population will be urban by 2041. Based on census data, the urban population grew by 49% from 2001 to 2011, while the rural population declined by 1.4%. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2015 migration profile for Namibia, most people (57%) still lived in rural areas in 2015. See Figure 1 (page 42) for the trend in urban population growth, which is predicted to continue, due in part to climate change projections. Migration has negative impacts on children, while positive impacts are acknowledged (e.g. improved access to basic services). For instance, even if cities and towns offer better basic services, especially educational and health, many rural migrants are not able to access or exploit these.37

Many children migrating from rural villages end up living in informal settlements which pose a range of risks and threats to child health, safety and wellbeing. Electricity is largely not available in informal settlements, while shack dwellers access potable water via a voucher system. Sanitation services are lacking completely, and the few pit latrines are not able to handle the volumes of people surrounding them. Shacks appear densely located, and shear poverty, coupled with the pervasive abuse of alcohol and drugs, raises the risk of children, especially young girls, falling prey to ill-intentioned neighbours. In Windhoek, some shack dwellers have reported an increase in transactional sex to make ends meet, and even cases where mothers “offer” girl children in exchange for money. Hence, unless informal settlements are formalised, such that basic services, inclusive of assuring child safety and protection, are extended and sustained, urban life offers a different and potentially more severe threat to children’s wellbeing.

37 Tvedten, I. and Mupotola, M. 1995. “Urbanisation and urban policies in Namibia”. A discussion paper prepared for the Annual Meeting of the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia in July 1995. Windhoek: University of Namibia (UNAM).

Photo © New Era newspaper

Section 4: Child-inclusive CEE policies, strategies and programming | 29

4 Child-inclusive CEE policies, strategies and programming

4.1 Do existing CEE policies and strategies address children’s needs?

Namibia boasts a number of well-articulated and modern policies, laws, programmes and strategies pertaining to CEE, which together cover all pertinent CEE issues. Some pertain to a specific sector and issue, while others are more cross-sectoral and cross-cutting in nature, reflecting the integration and coordination of sectors to optimise resources and achieve national goals.

National laws, policies, strategies and action plans are in place and under implementation for, inter alia: climate change; environmental management; community-based natural resource management; integrated water resource management; forestry; and energy, specifically renewable energy.

As a signatory to the three UN Rio Conventions on biological diversity, climate change and land degradation, Namibia has an up-to-date record on reporting obligations, and domesticated strategies and action plans in place. Both the Fourth and Fifth National Development Plans (NDP4 and NDP5) are evidence of Namibia’s integration of critical development issues into national-level policies, plans and programmes.

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National Policy on Climate Change (NPCC) and its Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP)These instruments make reference to children and the youth. However, there are no specific strategies and actions to mainstream their involvement, particularly through a systematic and institutionalised awareness-raising and knowledge-building approach. There is a strategy to mainstream climate change throughout the entire formal education system (from primary to tertiary), but no evidence exists of the incorporation of climate change into relevant existing subjects at primary and secondary school levels – not to mention the need for making particular reference to Namibia’s vulnerability to climate change and its low resilience and adaptive capacities. At tertiary levels, climate change is addressed in different subjects to different degrees, and it is expected that students are able to relate, infer and apply concepts and knowledge to the Namibian case. The NCCSAP is up for a mid-term review in 2017/18, which grants the opportunity to better include concrete, pragmatic and viable actions to initiate and mainstream children’s involvement in climate change. As climate change relates to environmental status and energy, this offers a good avenue for addressing all pertinent CEE issues.

Environmental Management Act 7 of 2007 (EMA) and its regulations The EMA and its regulations form the overarching and cross-sectoral legal and regulatory frameworks, which are complemented by sector-specific laws, policies, strategies and action plans. The EMA serves as the implementation instrument for Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution, i.e. to ensure sustainable utilisation of all natural resources and ecosystems for present and future generations. Neither the Act nor the regulations refer explicitly to children, thus they make no provisions specific to children’s wellbeing, safety and livelihood security. It is assumed that children are covered along with all other Namibians, and both Act and regulations rely on line ministries (e.g. the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare) and their laws and policies to provide specific guidance regarding children.

National Energy Policy (approved by Cabinet in 2017) This policy includes a section dedicated to “Mainstreaming Gender, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities”. It amply refers to, and recognises the role of, women in rural settings where biomass fuel is still the predominant source of energy. However, it discounts children’s role in the harvesting/collection of wood and fire making, and children’s reliance on fire for lighting to do school work after dark. Children, especially under-5s, also suffer acute respiratory infections attributed to pollution in rural settings. The policy recognises the “… limited involvement of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in the planning, management, and delivery of energy services”, and aims to address this through three policy statements, two of which relate to the youth: “P36.a – increase the participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities throughout the energy sector”; and “P36.c – ensure participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in the formulation and implementation of energy interventions”.

National Renewable Energy Policy of 2016 One aim of this policy is to enable access to modern, clean, environmentally sustainable and affordable energy services for all Namibians. Another aims are to make renewable energy a powerful tool for the Government of Namibia to meet its short-and long-term national development goals, and to assist Namibians to climb the development ladder, empowered by access to energy at all levels to facilitate engagement in productive activity at all levels. Additionally, the policy’s vision is for Namibia to become a regional leader in the development and deployment of renewable energy within southern Africa. This policy has six objectives, none of which specifically address children or the youth. The mainstreaming of women in the sector and as beneficiaries in rural areas is referenced. The last objective speaks of enabling greater participation by all Namibians, which implies the inclusion of children and the youth.

The three Rio Conventions in relation to national policies The three Rio Conventions are the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Namibia’s NPCC and NCCSAP (covered above) are cross-sectoral and deal with the overlapping areas of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, and combating land degradation and desertification. Although these instruments do not specify strategies and actions for children’s involvement in implemen-

Section 4: Child-inclusive CEE policies, strategies and programming | 31

ting the Rio Conventions, they assume children’s inclusion in the category of most vulnerable people with no or limited capacities for resilience and adaptation.

The 2nd National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP2) makes no explicit reference to children, but does address the youth as one priority target group for implementing the NBSAP2.

The 3rd National Action Programme to Implement the UN Convention to Combat Desertification does not explicitly refer to children, but acknowledges the representation of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (MGECW) as a steering committee member. The MGECW is still a fairly young ministry, and although it is present in all 14 regions, capacity in numbers and competence is rather low for addressing all pertinent children’s issues.

In contrast to a decade or so ago, when children’s initiatives were few (except in the case of OVCs and disabilities), today there are several institutions and initiatives led by children/youth at the national, regional and local levels, which give children and the youth a stronger and unified voice on pertinent development issues. These institutions and initiatives include the Children’s Parliament of Namibia, the Junior Town Councils of Windhoek, Ongwediva, Swakopmund and Oshakati, and sector-based initiatives such as the Youth Association on Renewable Energy (launched in 2017) and the Benguela Current Commission’s regional “Benguela Youth Oceans Network” (BYON) composed of representatives from Angola, Namibia and South Africa. In February 2017, during her opening address at the start of the new session of the National Council, the Chairperson announced the formation of a Junior National Council (JNC) with youth representation from all 14 regions. In May 2017, the first JNC meeting was hosted over three days, during which the members deliberated on youth perspectives on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

These institutions and initiatives provide ample avenues for including the ideas and aspirations of children and youth on CEE issues, and they are a major advancement toward adequate and wide-enough represen tation of children and youth. However, there is a need to ensure that they address specific high-priority issues, including, at least: children with disabilities; OVCs; child-headed households; teenage pregnancy and motherhood; and children in hard-to-reach remote areas (e.g. Himba and San children, and children working on farms and in mining areas).

4.2 Do child-relevant sector policies and strategies incorporate CEE issues?

The independent Republic of Namibia inherited South Africa’s Children’s Act 33 of 1960, a colonial law with no relevance to the context of the African child. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare replaced this Act in 2015 with the Child Care and Protection Act 3 of 2015.

Child Care and Protection Act 3 of 2015This Act is a modern law that addresses contemporary issues such as children’s safety and protection, parental care, food security and wellbeing, and the fitness of living/family environments. It provides for the establishment of a National Advisory Council on Children (NACC), the appointment of a Children’s Advocate in the Office of the Ombudsman, and the establishment of a Children’s Fund to be used for, among other things, implementing the Act generally, and resourcing the NACC, the Children’s Advocate, the prevention and early intervention programmes, and Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives.

The Act does not explicitly address climate change and energy, but implicitly provides for these issues in aiming to ensure that children’s living and family environments are conducive for their safety, protection, wellbeing and livelihoods. In Namibia it is observed that living and family environments are composites of natural and man-made elements, inclusive of the physical housing infrastructure and the surrounding natural environment. In rural areas the natural environment is critical for livelihoods and food security, as the quality of land and access to land are functions of food security, while access to trees and other forest resources provides for household energy. This Act relies on other child-specific and CEE-related policies and laws for its successful implementation, and is the platform for engaging line ministries, NGOs and civil society on child-related CEE issues. Through these built-in mechanisms for con sul ta tion, collaboration and sector integration, the Act provides for incorporating CEE into children’s issues.

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Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development Policy for Namibia (2017 draft) This draft policy recognises the challenges that CEE poses to sustainable development, and positions environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) as vehicles for capacity development to address current and future CEE challenges. The policy will reside under the dual custo-dianship of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC) and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET).

This policy’s principles and key issues span across the range of social, cultural, political, economic and bio-physical aspects of the environment. It is designed to deliver EE and ESD in formal, non-formal and informal education processes, inclusive of (not limited to) higher education, teacher education, technical and vocational education institutions, and general education. The policy guidelines accord with ecological sustainability practices, and serve as a basis for addressing local, national and global environmental issues.

National Agenda for Children 2012–2016 (NAC)Adopted in June 2012, the NAC contains five priority commitments to achieve 15 key results. It recognises the need for government, line ministries and civil society organisations to collaborate and collectively coordinate their efforts to achieve the intended results. The roots of the five priority commitments lie in the principles of universality, non-discrimination, individuality and participation, as underlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The commitments are: (a) All children are healthy and well-nourished; (b) All children have equitable and universal access to quality education at all levels; (c) All children have access to age-appropriate quality HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and reduced mother-to-child transmission (MTCT); (d) All children have an adequate standard of living and a legal identity; and (e) All children are safe from neglect, violence, abuse and exploitation.

The NAC does not address CEE specifically, even though priority commitments include ensuring that children are healthy and well-nourished and ensuring their safety. The natural environment and disasters greatly influence child nourishment and nutrition and safety, particularly during flood events when families are involuntarily displaced to relief camps.

Sector Policy on Inclusive Education (2013) This policy adopts the UNESCO definition (2008) of inclusive education: “… a process of strengthening the capacity of an education system to reach out to all learners.” This definition is based on the universal belief that education is a fundamental human right and the foundation for a more just society. The policy makes no reference to CEE, but as part of its vision it aims to ensure a supportive learning environment for all learners. Similarly to children’s living environment, their learning environment and its suitability/appropriateness are factors of location, household structure and socio-economic status or wellbeing. With an average of 33% of learners coming from poor households, it can be assumed that one-third of all children may not have supportive learning environments, which are affected by the status of, and access to, livelihoods and food-bearing resources.

National Policy on Orphans and Vulnerable Children (2004)OVCs are socially excluded and exceptionally vulnerable due to their lack of direct family and external support networks and limited or lack of education. They are particularly prone to exploitation, malnutri-tion and, in the case of females, sexual harassment and abuse. The national monitoring definition of a vulnerable child is a child:zz living with a chronically ill caregiver (defined as a caregiver who was too ill to carry out daily chores

during 3 of the last 12 months);zz living with a caregiver with a disability who is not able to complete household chores;zz of school-going age who is unable to attend a regular school due to disability;zz living in a household headed by an elderly caregiver (age 60 or older);zz living in a poor household (defined as a household that spends over 60% of its total income on food);zz living in a child-headed household (a head of household under the age of 18); andzz who has experienced a death of an adult caregiver (age 18-59) in the household during the last 12 months.

Section 4: Child-inclusive CEE policies, strategies and programming | 33

The policy therefore provides for “strengthening the capacity of children and young people to meet their own needs” and for “keeping orphans and vulnerable children in school”. It aims to achieve these aims across five strategic areas: Rights and Protection; Education; Care and Support; Health and Nutrition; and Management and Networking. The policy does not address CEE issues, but, similarly to other policies, it advocates for suitable and appropriate living, family and learning environments.

National Plan of Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (2006-2010) This plan identifies concrete actions and targets for achieving the outcomes of the five strategic areas in the Policy on OVC. It does not make explicit reference to CEE except in the context of suitable and appropriate family, living and learning environments.

Education Sector Policy for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (2008) This policy addresses a specific and high-priority category of children, recorded at 142,777 individuals since 2004. This represents 6.5% of the total population and 15% of the total child population. It does not make explicit reference to CEE except in the context of suitable and appropriate learning environments. The policy focus is to ensure a conducive environment for OVCs to participate in education, and to make every effort to ensure that OVCs are able to complete school and pursue tertiary or vocational education. Within the education curricula, from pre-school through to tertiary, various subjects treat CEE-related topics, issues and themes. Tweaking and augmenting these to relate them directly to OVCs’ livelihoods and living environments could connect them, on a personal level, to important and relevant CEE issues in their lives, region and country, and to ways to influence their own safety, socio-economic wellbeing and health.

4.3 Do children benefit from investments and programmes on CEE?

The limited or lack of reference to children, and the positioning of children as key affected stakeholders and beneficiaries in national CEE laws, policies, strategies and action plans, reflects similarly in CEE development projects, with the exception of one project.

Children are mentioned in one or two CEE laws, policies, strategies and action plans, while in some instances they are clustered under “youth” and in others under “rural households” or “women-headed rural households”. Apart from benefiting due to their household, community, town or region benefiting from a project or programme, children are generally not addressed as a specific CEE target group.

The SCORE project for “Scaling up community resilience to climate variability and change in the northern regions of Namibia, with a focus on women and children” is the only CEE-focused project that directly targets children in rural areas. Financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and administered by UNDP Namibia, this project aims to strengthen the adaptive capacity for climate change, and to reduce the vulnerability to droughts and floods, of 4,000 households, of which 80% are woman-headed, and children from 75 schools in northern Namibia. The health and wellbeing of the majority of children in Namibia is integrally tied to women’s roles as farmers and food producers. Historically, women have had limited access to production inputs and technical advice, compared to male farmers, which limits their productive capacity and ability to secure food. This directly affects children (especially in woman-headed rural households), who many times are absent from school, sometimes for extended periods, or who drop out of school in order to provide unpaid farming assistance.

While the SCORE Project is the only one directly targeting children, it has neither child-specific outcomes nor child-sensitive indicators. The project document makes specific mention of children at 75 northern schools, while the monitoring and evaluation framework treats children in the 4,000 targeted rural farming households, of which 80% are woman-headed. It is thus assumed that the capacity building extended to the 4,000 households will benefit children by raising their awareness, knowledge and capacities.

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Hence, generally there is little existing evidence of direct benefits to children, due mainly to the lack of child-focused or child-specific CEE strategies and actions in national development documents, which leads to CEE development projects/programmes not directly targeting and/or not benefiting children.

Neither the National Policy on Climate Change (NPCC) nor its Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP) provide child-specific actions, with child-sensitive indicators, except for strategies to mainstream climate change in education and putting in place a Health and Climate Change Action Plan. Hence, unless the laws, policies, strategies and action plans that are used to frame development projects and programmes explicitly target children, or unless this is taken care of during consultations, the benefits to children from CEE projects will continue to be difficult to identify and quantify.

Being inhabitants or members of targeted locations or communities, children benefit from investments in rural infrastructure (education and health) and services improvements (WASH), environmental protection (communal conservancies and eco-tourism), and food production and energy projects. This is particularly true for children residing in registered communal conservancies and community forests, and those from communities which have benefited from the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) and the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF).

“Child-centred approaches to development represent an opportunity to tackle seemingly intractable problems of poverty. Children are the starting point for breaking intergenerational cycles of denial and patterns of discrimination. Promoting development that is guided by the best interest of the child and oriented towards realizing the rights of children ensure sustainable human development. The wellbeing of children translates into the wellbeing of a nation. It is a key yardstick for measuring national development.”

– Kofi Annan, 7th UN Secretary-General (1997-2006)

It is important for Namibia to adopt child-centred indicators, and Agenda 2030 with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) makes this easy to achieve, by way of adoption of child-specific SDGs, their indicators and targets. UNICEF is directly responsible for 10 child-specific SDG indicators, and is a co-custodian of a further 7 SDG indicators. The 17 SDG indicators cover the entire spectrum of children’s issues, from health and education to nutrition and food security, WASH, child safety and protection.

Namibia is a signatory to Agenda 2030, the Paris Climate Agreement and all UN conventions advocating for sustainable human development and preservation of the planet. Hence, the adoption of the SDGs and application of the indicators across the public sector, private sector and civil society would reflect mainstreaming of the SDGs as a uniform and common approach to monitoring, verifying and reporting on the situation of children.

Section 5: The UNICEF Country Programme and linkages to CEE | 35

5 The UNICEF Country Programme and linkages to CEE

The UNICEF Namibia Country Office’s current Country Programme Document (2014-2018) makes reference to natural disasters under child protection and social protection. The current Country

Programme endeavours to support improvement of social protection systems to enable location and identification as well as safety of children.

All thematic areas are influenced by CEE, because the status and quality of a child’s living, learning and family environments are influenced by the prevailing climate and its impacts, availability and access to land and natural resources (including water), and access to energy. Given Namibia’s baseline and projected climate change impacts, CEE and related issues may threaten success in the remainder of the Country Programme period.

The following table presents an analysis of the Country Programme priority components and their relation to CEE. This table demonstrates how CEE can influence the achievement of Country Programme outcomes and their future sustainability. It demonstrates how, in the absence of adequate planning and incorporation of CEE, a well-intended and well-conceived development programme can be affected by pertinent and relevant challenges that affect children as one of the most vulnerable groups of society.

UNICEF CP Priority Components CEE Issues and Implications

Health and Nutrition

zz Influence policy, legislation and budgets for child survival and development through advocacy, knowledge management and innovation. This will result in the establishment and implementation of appropriate legislation, policies, strategic plans and budgets for maternal, adolescent, newborn and child health.

zz Strengthen health system capacity to provide ser-vices and links between the national and com-mu nity levels. This will result in 85% of mothers, adolescents and children under 5, especially the most vulnerable populations in remote and peri-urban areas, benefiting from access to healthcare services, including HIV prevention, care, treatment and support, with special focus on reducing neo-natal mortality and on primary prevention of HIV among adolescents.

zz Establish and strengthen multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms to promote exclusive breastfeeding and reduce stunting prevalence among children under 5. Nationally stunting will be reduced from the current 29% to 20% (by 2016), and the proportion of the population practising open defecation will be reduced by half.

zz Based on current predictions for climate change, increased frequency and intensity of floods will further reduce children’s access to basic services, due to inundation and damage to infra structure. Incidences of school disruption, prolonged absen-teeism and dropout, illness and harassment (due to relief camps) are likely to increase. Hence, UNICEF’s support for policy, legislation and budgeting would need to consider and integrate the existing and worsening baselines, such that policies, laws and budgets are integrated and cross-cutting.

zz Indoor air pollution from cooking, smoking and burning wood, kerosene and candles for lighting affect children’s health, already beginning during pregnancy. Lack of clean affordable energy would perpetuate this challenge, exacerbated by impacts of flooding, as stated above, which could delay improving health services of the most vulnerable. An increase in water- and vector-borne diseases due to climate change adds to the challenge.

zz Increasing flood and drought risks will increase food insecurity and malnutrition, reduce access to safe drinking water, and undermine sanitation improvements.

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UNICEF CP Priority Components CEE Issues and Implications

Education

zz Use advocacy and knowledge management to influence policies and institutional frameworks. This will result in establishment and implementation of appropriate legislation, policies, strategic plans and budgets for equitable access and improved teach-ing and learning outcomes for boys and girls at pre-primary, primary and secondary levels.

zz Strengthen the capacity of the education system to ensure continuity in education. This will result in 66% of school-aged boys and girls benefiting from continued access to improved learning from primary through secondary education within a safe schooling environment. Special attention will be given to improving HIV prevention, reducing violence in schools, and promoting standards for access to water and sanitation in schools. The focus will be on socially excluded groups, such as language minority groups, children with disa bi li-ties and rural and peri-urban populations.

zz More frequent and intense droughts and floods will affect food production, which would lead to prolonged periods of food insecurity, resulting in malnutrition and hunger. This affects children’s ability to learn, and negatively impacts on learning outcomes. Apart from food shortages, prolonged school disrup tions and closures and temporary relocations, affect ability to attend school.

zz Evidenced by floods in Namibia, many rural schools are located in flood-prone areas, sometimes below the flood high-water mark. Hence, unless physically altered to be above the high-water mark (HWM), or relocated, such schools will remain in danger of flood events. School absenteeism and dropout may increase under conditions of more flooding, especially when schools are damaged/destroyed and closed until further notice.

zz While the burden of HIV is acknowledged, children are not sufficiently resilient to deal with climate-induced disasters, and could benefit from practical life skills teaching about resilience and adaptation.

Protection

zz Enabling policy and legislative environments: This will result in establishment and implementa-tion of appropriate legislation, policies, strategic plans and budgets for child protection and social protection.

zz Integrated child protection and justice systems: This will address harmful social and cultural prac-tices, and will result in less violence, abuse and exploitation, as more and more individuals and families will demand and benefit from integrated services – especially socially excluded people, such as children with disabilities and children in rural and peri-urban areas.

zz Social protection systems: This will result in increased birth registration rates, and in the establishment, institutionalisation and funding of a system to support all identified fami-lies as well as increase household resilience in the face of economic shocks or natural disasters, in line with NDP4 commitments. This programme will also strengthen systems to address cross-border protection issues, including trafficking, birth regis-tration and eligibility for government services.

zz Vulnerable children would be at a higher risk of abuse, exploitation and violence due to decreases in household income effected by climate change, and potentially exacerbated by HIV.

zz Girl children would be at a higher risk of sexual abuse and harassment due to diminishing house-hold income status effected by climate change (e.g. job losses due to flooding and poor crop sales due to drought) and seasonal migration.

zz Loss of livelihood opportunities in rural areas due to climate change can result in an increased OVC population and children being left behind in rural areas without proper care, which would increase the risks of child labour and modern slavery, abuse and harassment, and child trafficking.

zz Climate change can accelerate migration of poor children to urban areas.

Section 6: Climate Funding Landscape in Namibia | 37

6 Climate Funding Landscape in Namibia

Based on a recent adaptation analysis conducted by GIZ, Namibia has invested over US$129 million in adaptation. This includes funds from multilateral and bilateral donors, and co-finance in cash or

in kind from the private sector and civil society.

6.1 Multilateral donors

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has been the biggest and most consistent donor in Namibia’s CEE fraternity. To date, 31 projects have been financed to the tune of US$71 million in total. Namibia’s GEF 6 STAR38 allocation is a total of US$14,238,374, of which US$10,054,881 has been committed through an approved Project Identification Form (PIF). The GEF 6 committed funding will be used as follows, based on the PIF: biodiversity conservation and management 38%; land degradation 40%; and climate change 22%. The focus of the PIF is an integrated landscape management approach, implying that the three focal areas will work in synergy, such that biodiversity and land degradation contribute to climate change adaptation and resilience capacity building, and to the use of climate change data to inform biodiversity and land degradation interventions.

Out of the total GEF 6 STAR allocation for Namibia, US$4,183,493 remains as a balance. Although a negative balance of US$208,530 remains under climate change, the GEF does allow for reallocation of funds between focal areas, based on specific conditions. If GEF conditions are met, UNICEF can consult with the MET and UNDP to formulate a project on, for example, “Child-centred low-carbon and high-resilience sustainable development in Namibia”.

38 GEF. 2018. “Namibia: Country At-a-Glance” – at https://www.thegef.org/country/namibia.

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The Adaptation Fund (AF) was established in 2010 under the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its mandate is to finance projects and programmes that help vulnerable communities in developing countries to adapt to climate change. Since 2010 the Fund has committed US$462 million in 73 countries, based on country needs and climate change priorities. In October 2017, the AF awarded a grant of US$4,9 million to the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) for a project titled “Pilot rural desalination plants using renewable power and membrane technology”. This project targets the south of Namibia where there is saline underground water, and aims to develop a replicable desalination technology using a renewable-energy (“DESAL-RE”) model that can be used in other parts of the country. Desalination of seawater and underground freshwater is a recognised Integrated Water Resource Management approach.

6.2 Bilateral donors

As mentioned in section 2.2, Germany has been the mainstay bilateral donor for CEE since Namibia’s Independence. The following CEE projects are active: zz Namibia National Parks Programme (US$4.2m); zz Biodiversity Management and Climate Change (US$7.5m); zz Resource Mobilisation for Effective Implementation of the Updated Biodiversity Strategy (US$3.13m);zz Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation (US$12.5m); zz Support to Land Reform Beneficiaries (US$2.5m); zz Adaptation of agriculture to climate change in northern Namibia (US$7.5m); zz Community-based natural resource management (US$6.25m); zz SDG initiative (US$3.75m); zz Conservation and sustainable use of the Benguela Current large marine ecosystem (US$11m);zz Transboundary water management in SADC (US$17.76m); zz Sector support to combat desertification (US$7.9m) and transboundary conservation and use of natural

resources in SADC (US$10m).

Other bilateral donors include Turkey, Finland (both to address bush encroachment) and UK Aid (for development of a climate financing strategy and programme).

Activity has been scaled up between Namibian and foreign development financing institutions (DFIs) – predominantly DFIs from Europe – for private sector projects to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

6.3 Private donors

The Namibian private sector supports government and development partners in the national response to disasters such as droughts and floods. This has generally been in the form of funding, food supplies, equipment for temporary shelter, ablution and cooking facilities, clothing and bedding, and means of evacuation. Such support comes from mining and fishing companies, the financial sector, food and clothing retailers, and transport and logistics companies.

In addition, companies are investing in water-efficiency technology and renewable energy to curb rising tariffs and optimise income. Hence, for some companies the response might not be motivated in the context of climate change, while for others the long-term climate-related incentive to act now is clear.

(See Annex 11 for a list of private sector investments relating to climate change.)

Section 7: Recommendations | 39

7 Recommendations

(1) Integrate CEE into UNICEF Namibia Country Office (NCO)

The UNICEF Namibia Country Office (NCO) needs to fully integrate and incorporate CEE into the agency.

The UNICEF Global Strategic Plan for 2017/18-2021/22 sets a good foundation, complemented by the SDGs which integrate sectors and pertinent development issues.

The theme of the Strategic Plan is, “realizing the right of every child, especially the most disadvantaged”. This theme and the five specific goals strongly overlap with climate change, environment and energy, since the status, trends and projected impacts of CEE strongly influence food and livelihood security, health, safety and protection. This is particularly true for the majority of children living in rural, informal urban and peri-urban areas.

Strategic integration of CEEzz Conduct CEE opportunities and risks analyses for each of the five goals to enable thorough activity

planning and to ensure successful execution. Such analyses can identify easy entry points for UNICEF to establish a CEE footprint, based on networks, partnerships and existing or emerging initiatives/ projects. The risks analysis can be based on lessons learned, project evaluations and docu mented evidence of what works and what doesn’t. zz As part of the opportunities and risks analyses, identify viable partners and initiatives/projects that can

assist in realising opportunities and mitigating risks, based on their experience, expertise and track record of dealing with children’s issues. This would be in line with UNICEF’s approach to leveraging partners to improve coordination, quality and sustainability of outcomes, and to optimise available resources. zz Inform stakeholders of UNICEF’s expanded mandate, and seek advice on how best to execute this.

This could be done either through one-on-one consultations or a national stakeholder consultation. The latter is proposed, because it can greatly limit costs and time, and could offer a platform where stake holders can comment on opportunities and risks and how to address them. Such a national stakeholder forum can be complemented by one-on-ones to firm up partnerships or to gain more insights about opportunities and risks. There may be a need for direct consultation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and UNDP as the key players in the CEE fraternity.

Operational integration of CEEzz Relate each of the traditional UNICEF target areas to CEE to determine the direct or indirect relation

or influence, and, based on this, determine whether UNICEF has the internal/systemic capacity to tackle the issues at hand. For example, a child’s living environment is dependent on the surrounding environment and how it is impacted by climate change, as well as access to energy and the status of natural resources. Hence, to improve access to education, and to ensure that all children can go to school, it is important to address the CEE factors that influence ability to attend school and stay in school. Unless the CEE issues are addressed, new improved infrastructure, better teacher training and better access to textbooks would make a limited difference. The same applies for relating CEE to health and nutrition, participation, and safety and protection.zz Following the analyses recommended above, determine whether UNICEF has the internal capacity

– whether in the CO or the regional office or at HQ – to harness opportunities and address challenges. This stock-taking exercise will enable UNICEF to position itself in view of CEE issues that impact traditional areas of work. Outputs from this further analysis could be a matrix showing the expertise needed versus what UNICEF already has, and a pragmatic and cost-effective plan to address internal

40 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

capacity gaps – i.e. through short-term consultancies, firming up collaboration with UNDP (granted they have capacity to assist), or periodically sourcing support from the regional office or head office.zz Appoint an NCO CEE Focal Person based on qualification and experience. This Focal Person can ensure

UNICEF’s participation or representation on the Rio Conventions National Steering Committees as a first option, or can ensure that the Focal Person obtains quarterly reports from the MET or UNDP (the latter serves on these committees). Line ministries dealing with children’s issues also serve on these committees, which would allow for dialogue on pertinent issues, and for networking during and after these meetings. The Focal Person can support these ministries with the implementation of their actions, which would lead to better coordination, information sharing and collaboration.

Resource integration of CEEzz Integrating and mainstreaming CEE will come at a cost. UNICEF can be creative in addressing this

cost through partnerships, providing seed funding for near-success interventions involving children, and/or co-financing the children’s component in emerging and existing well-resourced projects (e.g. GEF/UNDP Projects and the implementation of NDP5). The guidance for this will emanate from the opportunities and risks analyses for strategic and operational integration.zz An output of this could be a matrix emanating from the strategic and operational analyses, showing

the ‘low-hanging fruits’, with enough detail on how UNICEF can participate. For example, the GEF Small Grants Programme has implemented over 160 projects, all relevant to CEE and many involving children. UNICEF could identify an area with disadvantaged children – as per the 2017/18-2021/22 Strategic Plan – and provide project development support to enable the community to access between US$50,000 and US$250,000. This could be done for one community or a number of communities with prevalence of vulnerable and extremely disadvantaged children under a possible theme of “Realizing the rights of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Namibia”. Such an intervention can seek US$50,000 per community, or US$100,000 for each of 3-5 communities. UNICEF could potentially be the implementing partner for fund administration, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and reporting. The GEF Small Grants Programme would welcome such an approach.

CEE integration into the Country Programme Document (CPD)zz It is recommended that UNICEF uses the above analyses as a starting point to frame direction for the

CPD for the period 2018/19-2022/23. The five goals from the global strategic plan, matched with the SDGs and NDP5 targets, can serve as a great high-level orientation of the programming for Namibia, and could relay the relevance of the SDG targets and position the indicators as appropriate child-centred development indicators for Namibia (perhaps with some tweaking).zz Before using the above-recommended analyses for thematic area-specific activity planning, the

NCO can review the analyses to strengthen internal synergies and optimise UNICEF resources, and to remain efficient in service delivery. For example, education and health are interdependent; in that education teaches about health, and a healthy person is able-bodied to be educated. However, both are influenced by CEE, hence an education-health concerted approach to optimise opportunities and mitigate risks could ensure desired results.

Use CEE to leverage corporate partnership resourceszz UNICEF offers an impressive array of corporate partners, some with great sustainable development

experience and others with ability to finance or leverage financing for CEE issues.zz At the global level, UNICEF’s 2017/18-2021/22 Strategic Plan is shared with corporate partners for

awareness and to solicit resources needed for implementation, and also to have a trickle-down effect to such corporate partners’ regional and local offices for in-country/region awareness. In such instances, COs could package innovative and transformative child-centred activities in CEE, such as renewable-energy mini-grids for off-grid/remote areas, and could raise resilience through practical life skills projects on climate resilience and adaptation.zz For southern Africa, UNICEF could collaborate with other COs to determine the percentage of children

still living without electricity and sanitation. This would enable the COs to show a regional approach to tackling some pertinent sustainable development issues. Collectively, the COs can leverage support

Section 7: Recommendations | 41

from UNICEF’s corporate partners to target a specific number of children per country per year. Through M&E, the progress can be reported annually, while the positive outcomes (from education to health) can be recorded as a means of demonstrating the impact of such investment. Like bilateral donors, many corporates prefer a portfolio or regional approach where an investment can gain more traction and potentially deliver sustainable outcomes. By targeting the region, the risk of failure is diversified for the corporate partners, which would make it more attractive to support.

(2) Initiate and test the mainstreaming of CEE in the current CPD

The current CPD (2014-2018) focuses on three priority components: Health and Nutrition; Education; and Protection. Given that there is one year left, the CPD can be used as a platform to initiate and test the mainstreaming of CEE in the work of UNICEF. Following are recommendations for specific actions:

a) Q1, 2018: Relate the current and projected status of CEE to the three priority components, and in relation to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children (e.g. OVCs, children with disabilities, and San and Himba children). This CLAC suggests that children who score poorly in terms of the UNICEF focus areas are many times among the poorest of the poor, facing challenges such as limited care and support, being food insecure and prone to illness, a lack of electricity, no sanitation, a poor or marginal natural resource base, or living in an area prone to droughts and floods. Hence, by viewing through a CEE lens, UNICEF can greatly augment the current understanding of vulnerability, and the extent thereof amidst a changing climate.

b) Q2, 2018: Use the analyses from Quarter 1 as a basis for reviewing progress on the current CPD, and note how the CEE issues have, or may have, influenced the results. This would initiate a process of considering CEE issues in the work of UNICEF, and would offer a testing ground for discerning what results could have been if CEE were better incorporated and considered. Such an exercise can result in specific pointers on how to incorporate CEE into the new CPD and what support UNICEF requires for this.

c) Q3, 2018: Frame the high-level elements of the CPD as recommended above, and use the analyses under (b) to propose CEE-integrated activities to meet the five goals in the global Strategic Plan. The review of the Rio Conventions’ implementation plans and targets would guide UNICEF on the roles and responsibilities of its government partners to achieve convention goals and targets. UNICEF can offer to pursue this, given that it resonates with the global Strategic Plan and the SDGs. At the end of Q3, a draft framework CPD can be in place with room to better define activities and outcomes during Q4 of 2018.

(3) Support Government and Development Partners to mainstream children in sustainable development

During the UNFCCC 23rd Conference of the Parties (CoP) meeting in Bonn, Germany, in November 2017, two children from the island of Fiji reiterated the importance of involving children in planning and execution of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies and actions. Having observed the destruction caused by Cyclone Winston, which affected 12,000 children and destroyed 240 schools, among other things, Timoci Naulusala, age 12, and Shalvi Shakshi, 10, called on international leaders to take action to protect their homes and schools.

UNICEF can play a more catalytic and transformative role by providing strategic and operational advice to government and development partners on how to mainstream children in sustainable (human)development.

As an important start, UNICEF can mainstream awareness and knowledge about what child-centred or child-sensitive development is, and relate this to each and every sector. This would demystify the concept for many sector ministries which generally perceive that children form part of their core mandates.

42 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

The rights and freedoms of children are well articulated in numerous Namibian laws and policies, and, as this CLAC study has found, the situation and status of children – based on data – is well-documented and generally understood. However, there is a major lack of practical guidance for implementation and how to monitor and evaluate progress against child-sensitive and child-centred indicators. For example, sanitation remains unacceptably low in Namibia as an upper-middle-income country, while there exist numerous and innovative solutions to address this challenge. The lack or poor quality of sanitation is exacerbated during floods and heavy rains, leading to a multitude of other challenges associated with health, education, nutrition and safety. Hence, resolving a critical development factor like sanitation can have significant positive knock-on effects for the life of a child. In examples like this, UNICEF can be a catalyst that brings ideal solutions which could become transformative in the way that we deal with challenges like sanitation.

UNICEF’s global presence, and its work in the most challenging of circumstances for children, gives it the competitive advantage to access a variety of viable solutions to successfully address children’s developmental challenges.

This competitive advantage also pertains to UNICEF’s array of corporate partners who not only bring resources, but also can access and leverage appropriate solutions and technologies for countries like Namibia.

Figure 1: Projected and actual urban population growth from 1990

Annexes | 43

Annex 1: Climate and environmental exposure

The following maps and figures visually relay Namibia’s baseline vulnerability to climate change, and position the vulnerability of children in relation to CEE issues based on a few pertinent indicators. Based on the projected data, Namibia’s children are among the most vulnerable in sub-Saharan Africa and globally to the observed and projected impacts of climate change. Such children live in environmentally degraded, drought- and flood-prone areas, with limited or restricted access to natural resources, and greater distances to collect wood and water and to access basic services, with health impacts arising from indoor air pollution caused by near-universal use of wood for fuel.

Against this backdrop, vulnerability is further exacerbated by child-specific issues such as disability, being orphaned and out of school, child abuse (labour, sexual and physical), woman- or child-headed households, and low food security.

Based on the data below, the advocacy by Kofi Annan to mainstream and nationally embed child-centred development is an urgent and high-priority matter for Namibia. Particularly, when we all recognise that the children of today would be the adults responsible for a climate change response from 2030 onwards.

a) The map above shows the parts of Namibia most vulnerable to periodic droughts. The 2015/16 El Niño event significantly exacerbated the impacts of poor rainfall across sub-Saharan Africa, affecting food production, causing drought and raising the overall vulnerability of this region. UNFCCC reports that 2016 was the warmest year on record, at 1.1ºC above pre-industrial levels. The year 2017 is expected to be one of the three warmest years on record, without El Niño, while the last five-year average global tempe-rature is expected to be the highest.*

b) The map above shows which regions of Namibia are most prone to 14-year cyclical low rainfall based on historical records. Climate change influences the frequency, intensity and duration of rainfall, which determines the extent of water availability in many rural areas. Rainfall is predicted to become more variable, and characterised by retracted and more intense showers.

* Source: World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). 2017. “DRAFT Opening Statement by the WMO Secretary-General, Bonn, Germany, 6 November 2017” – available at https://cop23.unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/COP%2023%20WMO.pdf.

44 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Figure 1: Namibia CEE and related vulnerabilities and threats

c) The water deficit is the difference between average annual rainfall and average annual evaporation (mm/yr). The average annual maximum rainfall ranges between 650 mm and 750 mm, and the average annual maximum evaporation rate is 3,800 mm. The map on the left illustrates this deficit in the regional context.

d) The map below zones in on the flood-prone regions: the Cuvelai Basin regions in Omusati, Ohangwena (west) and (northern) Oshana, and the eastern-most tip of Zambezi Region overlapping the Mudumu Complex comprising several communal conservancies, community forests, the communities and children.

Map (e) relays the estimated land productivity, and map (f) the extent of surface area in Namibia encroached by invader and alien bush. This example demonstrates the importance of considering data from different disciplines and sources, as the interpretation of map (e) alone may not account for bush encroachment and recognise it as a negative form of productivity compared to agricultural productivity. It may also not inform the reader of the CEE and related challenges posed by bush encroachment as seen in map (f).

e) f)

g) Figure 1 on the right shows the factors contri buting to land degra-dation and bush encroachment. Overgrazing, poor soils and rain-fall and population growth are the most influential factors, followed by poor multi-sectoral collabora-tion, poor financial management, limited resources, reset tlement farms and mining. These factors also define the living environment of many children, and are some of the key characteristics of the households and communities of the children concerned.

Annexes | 45

Annex 2: Disability per region

a) The map on the left shows the distribution of persons with disabilities per region, inclusive of children. Note the higher incidence in areas prone to CEE and related negative impacts.*

b) In the population pyramid (Figure 2) below, the red-shaded rectangle makes evident that the largest propor tion of persons with disabilities in Namibia are children in the age group 10-19 years. It can therefore be inferred that most people with disabilities in the regions indicated in the map labelled (e) in Annex 1 are 10-19 years of age. These regions include the four north-central regions and Kavango. These are the regions most impacted by CEE, and most prone to floods and droughts, a high prevalence and risk of malaria, poor or no sanitation, and high levels of food insecurity. Hence, children with disabilities in these regions are among those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, along with elderly and marginalised persons (e.g. San and Himba, and out-of-school children in rural areas).

Figure 2: Population pyramid showing persons with disabilities in five-year age groups*

* Source: Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA). 2011. Namibia 2011 Census Disability Report – available at https://cms.my.na/assets/documents/Namibia_2011_Disability_Report.pdf. The shaded rectangle is the author’s addition.

46 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Annex 3: Malaria prevalence and risk of spread under changing climate

a) The map on the right shows the prevalence of malaria per region. There is strong overlap between areas with the highest prevalence (10%-30%) and areas most prone to heavy rainfall and floods.*

b) The map below shows that the risk of malaria spreading is highest under conducive conditions such as a higher average temperature, higher-than-average annual rainfall and a high prevalence of vegetation.*

* Source: Noor, A.M. et al. 2013. “Malaria Control and the Intensity of Plasmodium falciparum Transmission in Namibia 1969-1992”. PLoS ONE 8(5): e63350 – at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0063350. Another useful source of information on malaria in Namibia (and world-wide) is the Oxford Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, at http://www.map.ox.ac.uk/.

Annexes | 47

Annex 4: Child Poverty and Namibia Index of Multiple Deprivation (NIMD)

a) The map on the immediate right shows the extent of child poverty per data zone, projected as the percentage of the total child popula-tion (ages >5-18) catego-rised as poor. The zones with percentages of 40-45% and higher correspond with areas known to be subject to high or higher-than-average rates of malnu trition, disease outbreaks, floods and droughts, poor sanita-tion, and child abuse.*

b) In the map on the opposite page, the shades of blue show the regions with the most deprived households, including children. This implies high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, environmental degradation and the lack of access to modern, affordable energy.

The Namibia Index of Multiple Deprivation (NIMD)** was developed by the National Planning Commission in partnership with the UNDP Country Office. The maps in Annex 4 show the regions or data zones which (a) are most deprived in terms of living environment and (b) are the ones most deprived based on the composite index.

The NIMD offers different insights into poverty and its baseline conditions,s drivers and definition. It provides a measure of the most important livelihood-determining indicators, and as a composite index of five domains, it provides insight as to people’s holistic wellbeing. Following is a brief description of the five domains.

zzMaterial deprivation – measures the proportion of the population experiencing deprivation of particularly television and telephone as accepted international modes of communication and accessing information.

zzEmployment deprivation – measures employment deprivation conceptualised as involuntary exclusion of the working-age population from the world of work, by reference to the percentage of the working-age population that is unemployed.

zzHealth deprivation – measures premature mortality only, not aspects of behaviour or the environment that may be predictive of forthcoming health deprivation.

zzEduction deprivation – measures deprivation in educational attainment for people aged 15-59 inclusive.zzLiving environment deprivation – measures both inadequacy in housing conditions and a lack of basic services

to the home, such as lacking/limited access to improved water and sanitation (>60%), no access to modern energy (>75%), food insecurity (≥38%) and unbearable distances to basic services.

48 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

* Source: Noor, A.M. et al. 2013. “Malaria Control and the Intensity of Plasmodium falciparum Transmission in Namibia 1969-1992”. PLoS ONE 8(5): e63350 – at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0063350.

** Oxford Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, at http://www.map.ox.ac.uk/.

There is strong overlap between the five domains of the NIMD and UNICEF’s Core Focus Areas. The NIMD can serve as a credible decision-support tool during planning, particularly to become familiar with CEE and related conditions in target intervention areas and communities. This is particularly related to the recommendations in this report to (a) analyse the remaining activities in the current CPD in relation to important CEE issues to note the viability of their implementation and realisation of desired outcomes, and (b) use this lesson-learning to improve on the CPD conceptualisation and framing, going forward.

Annexes | 49

Annex 5: Food insecurity per region

The map and table above show the rates of food insecurity per region as per the 2016/17 assessment conducted by the Namibia Vulnerability Assessment Committee (NamVAC) of the World Food Programme (WFP).

This map and table make clear that all of the northern regions except for Oshana suffer the highest and more frequent food insecurities. While all regions are susceptible to periodic droughts, the four north-central regions as well as Kavango and Zambezi are vulnerable to floods which limit food production and restrict access to food.

50 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Annex 6: Population density and distribution map

Annexes | 51

Annex 7: Rio Conventions Steering Committee Representation, also showing the key active stakeholders in CEE

Name Institution Position Telephone E-mail

1 Goliath Tujendapi Meat Board of Namibia

Manager: Trade & Strategic Marketing

061-275836 goliath@nammic.com.na

2 Umbi Karuaihe-Upi NBC Head: Corporate Affairs

061-2913177 ukaruaihe-upi@nbc.na

3 Fikameni Mathias NYC Youth Activist 081-3718751 fikas@live.com

4 Elize Petersen Air Namibia Manager: Government & Bilateral Affairs

081-1227266 Elize.Petersen@airnamibia.aero

5 Pearl Coetzee Nampa Journalist 081-2281160 pearl@nampa.org

6 Jata Kazondu Nampa News Editor 081-3009962 jata@nampa.org

7 Lendl Izaaks Nampa Sub-Editor 081-3223285 izaaks@nampa.org

8 John Jacobs DBN Head: Risks and Compliance

081-1223144 jjacobs@dbn.com.na

9 Hertha N.L. Nikodemus

OPM Control Administrative Officer: Policy Analysis, Training & Development Disaster Risk Management

081-1444259 Hertha.Nikodemus@opm.gov.na

10 Wimpie Kruger NDC Acting: Senior Agriculture Manager

wimpie.kruger@ndc.org.na

11 Gloudi de Beer Ohlthaver & List Group of Companies

Group Environmental Manager

081-1272583 Gloudi.DeBeer@ol.na

12 Ignatius Theodore Agribank of Namibia

General Manager: Finance

061-2074249061-2074305

htheodore@agribank.com.na kambrosio@agribank.com.na

13 Manjo Krige Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB)

Horticulture Specialist

081-1295575061-379500

nathortman@nammic.com.na

14 Zivayi Chiguvare Namibia Energy Institute

The Director zchiguvare@nust.na

15 Nerson Tjelos Excel Data Collection Services cc

Geo-scientist & Co-Founder:

081-6053234 tylosner@gmail.com

16 zz Petrus-Canisius Nangolozz Anneli Amanyanga

Ministry of Land Reform

zz Director: Land Reform and Resettlementzz Secretary: Mr Nangolo

061-2965103 zz Petrus.Nangolo@mlr.gov.na zz LandReformSecretary@mlr.gov.na

52 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Name Institution Position Telephone E-mail

17 Tuwilika Victoria Shifidi

MAWF Water Affairs – Hydrology Division

Victoria.Shifidi@mawf.gov.na

18 Protasius Nghileendele

Parliament Deputy Director p.nghileendele@parliament.na

19 Nguza Siyambango

UNAM Researcher 081-4638052 nguzasiya@gmail.com

20 Frans Nghifilemona Nekuma

MITSMED Engineer 081-3924103 fnekuma@gmail.com

21 Uazamo Kaura MET-SCORE Project

Project Manager 081-1599079 uazamo.kaura@yahoo.co.uk

22 Helvi Iileka NEI Project Officer 061-2072551 hileka@nust.na

23 Reagan Chunga MET Project Coordinator

081-1436949 sibanga@gmail.com

24 Marina Coetzee NUST Senior Lecturer marina.e.coetzee@gmail.commcoetzee@nust.na

25 Sarafia Ashipala MAWF sarafiashilimela@gmail.com

26 Martha Shikomba NPC National Development Advisor

mshikomba@npc.gov.na

27 Vincent Nowaseb NCSRT Manager: Biotechnology

061-2417007 vnowaseb@ncrst.na

28 Elizabeth Harases Air Namibia Elizabeth.Harases@airnamibia.aero

29 Fred Koujo City of Windhoek Manager: Environmental

061-2092090081-1402460

kfr@windhoekcc.org.na

30 Padelia Ndjaleka MET Project Assistant 081-1294734 ndawapeka@gmail.com

31 Mwala Lubinda DRFN

32 Edison Hiwanaame

NAMPOWER Environmental Officer

Edison.Hiwanaame@nampower.com.na

33 Maria Newaya Meat Board of Namibia

marianewaya@nammic.com.na

34 Margaret Angula UNAM Senior Lecturer: Geography, History and Environmental Studies

061-2063894 mangula@unam.na

35 Beuulah Boois NBC ukaruaihe-upi@nbc.na

36 Martha Naanda UNDP Programme Head 061-2046228 martha.naanda@undp.org

37 Simon Dirkse NMS 061-2877012 simondirkse@gmail.com

38 Paulus Ashili MET Senior Conservation Scientist

081-3991249 paulusashili80@gmail.com

39 Sion Shifa MET Senior Conservation Scientist

081-2781707 sionshifa@yahoo.com

40 Jonathan Kamwi MET Chief Conservation Scientist

081-2044179 mutauk@yahoo.co.uk

Annexes | 53

Name Institution Position Telephone E-mail

41 Samson Muhapi Global Energy CEO 061-227456081-4747609

smuhapi@gmail.com

42 Shimweefeleni Hamutwe

MME-CSP Project Project Manager 081-1700569 ghamutwe@yahoo.com

43 Ngatuuane Tjipueja

Meat Board of Namibia

Marketing Assistant

061-275858 mrkassistant@nammic.com.na

44 Hannes Holtzhausen

MFMR Chief Fisheries BiologistSub-division EnvironmentNatMIRC: Swakopmund

064-4101155081-2554440

Hannes.Holtzhausen@mfmr.gov.na

45 Immanuel Nghishoongele

MME Deputy Director inghishoongele@mme.gov.na

46 Bernadette Shalumbu

DRFN Researcher 081-2964043 bernadette.shalumbu@drfn.org.na

47 Martin Schneider DRFN Executive Director 081-2460379 martin.schneider@drfn.org.na

48 Laimi Onesmus Red Cross Society Acting Director of Programmes

061-413750 laimi.onesmus@redcross.org.na

49 Kali Ndamona NSA Executive: Department of Economics

061-4313200 NKali@nsa.org.na

50 Alex Mudabeti NSA Manager: Department of GIS & Coordination

061-4313271081-1254616

AMudabeti@nsa.org.na

51 Olavi Iita Ministry Urban & Rural Development

Deputy Director: Financial Management

061-2975311081-2471478

oiita@murd.gov.na

52 Pentric Gowaseb Ministry of Health of Health and Social Services

Chief: Public Hygiene

081-2951158 pgowaseb@gmail.com

53 Benson Ntomwa Ministry of Health of Health and Social Services

Deputy Director 081-1225400 bntomwa@yahoo.com

54 Tomas Amutenya Ministry of Gender Equality & Child Welfare

Chief Development Planner: Research Sub-division

081-2910390061-2833200

Tomas.Amutenya@mgecw.gov.na

55 Naville Geiriseb MWT Transport Economist

ngeiriseb@mwtc.gov.na

56 Natangwe Nekuiyu MWT Assistant Engineer 081-2072171061-2088421

nnekuiyu@mwtc.gov.na

54 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Annex 8: Ongoing and planned CEE initiatives supported by development partners

Funding Source

Implementing Entity

Government Entity Duration Amount

(US$) Status Children/Youth Reflected?

1. Project Title: Scaling up community resilience to climate variability and climate change in northern Namibia, with a special focus on women and children (SCORE)

GEF UNDP Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF)

2014-2016 3.05 million Approved 2014

This project aims to strengthen the adaptive capacity and reduce the vulnerability of 4,000 households (80% of which are female-headed) and 75 schools to droughts and floods in northern Namibia, by scaling up climate-smart livelihoods. It has direct focus on women and children. It also aims to mainstream climate change into national agricultural strategy or sector policy, including adjustments to budgets for replication and up-scaling.

2. Project Title: Concentrating Solar Power Technology Transfer for Electricity Generation in Namibia (CSP TT NAM)

GEF UNDP Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) andMET

2013-2016 1,718 million

Approved 2013

The main objective of this project is to increase the share of renewable energy resources in the Namibian energy mix, by developing the necessary technological framework and conditions for the successful transfer and deployment of CSP technology for on-grid power generation, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Although it makes no reference to children, it focuses on providing solar power technologies to rural schools.

3. Project Title: Strengthening the Capacity of the Protected Area System to Address New Management Challenges (SPAN Project)

GEF GEF MET 2011-2015 4 million Approved 2016

This project has no specific focus on children, but provides greater conservation security for protected areas systems and for a network of communal conservancies on communal lands.

4. Project Title: Empower to Adapt: Creating Climate Change Resilient Livelihoods through Community Based Natural Resource Management in Namibia (CBNRM)

GCF EIF Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), MET, MME

5 years 10 million Approved 2016

This project benefits children in an enabling way for a climate-change-based Natural Resource Management System in Namibia. Rural communities are empowered to respond to climate change, and this empowerment is attained by means of raising awareness, adaptive capacity development and low-carbon rural development, with reference to woman-headed households and children.

Annexes | 55

Funding Source

Implementing Entity

Government Entity Duration Amount

(US$) Status Children/Youth Reflected?

5. Project Title: Small Grants Programme – community-based projects to raise resilience and adaptive capacities

GEF Ongoing since 2008

401 million The key areas of this project are climate change mitigation and adaptation, nature conservation in terms of biodiversity, protection of international waters, reducing the impact of persistent organic pollutants and deterring of land degradation.

6. Project Title: Integrated Water Resources Management in Central-Northern Namibia (Cuvelai Basin) and in the SADC Region – Phase III: Transfer of a Multi-Resource-Mix (CuveWaters Project)

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research

MAWF 2006-2015 15,5 million There is no direct reference to children and the youth, but this project focuses on providing support to countries affected by large variations of water availability – drought and floods. In the same vein, it focuses on empowering affected communities in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin of north-central Namibia to become more resilient to severe climate impact.

7. Project Title: Namibia’s Third Biennial Update Report (BUR3) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

GEF UNDP MET Closed 352,000 Approved 2017

The focal areas of this project are:zz reduction of climate change vulnerability;zz protection of carbon sinks and biodiversity in protected areas; andzz improvement of sustainable land management of productive landscapes and seascapes.

The project involves investment in energy, renewable energy, sustainable transport and climate-smart agriculture to mitigation. Its focus is mainstreaming adaptive measures by reducing the vulnerability of people, livelihoods and the natural environment to the adverse effects of climate change.

8. Project Title: Namibia’s Fourth National Communication to the UNFCCC (NC4)

GEF UNDP MET Closed 500,000 Approved 2016

This project stimulates low-carbon economy and the building of resilience for climate change mitigation, by means such as renewable energy projection, sustainable forest management and promotion of community-based adaptive measures.

9. Project Title: Sustainable Management of Namibia’s Forested Lands (NAFOLA Project)

GEF UNDP MAWF, MET 2014-2019 4.446 million

This project aims to reduce pressure on forest resources by facilitating the policy and capacity enabling environment for the uptake of improved practices within agriculture as well as in livestock and forestry management in the community forest areas, particularly in the hotspots and community forests.

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Funding Source

Implementing Entity

Government Entity Duration Amount

(US$) Status Children/Youth Reflected?

10. Project Title: Namibia Coast Conservation and Management Project (NACOMA)

GEF MET 2006-2016 6.825 million

This project focuses on mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into development planning and management for the coastal zone, and on addressing the increasing anthropogenic threats to fragile coastal ecosystems in specific relation to uncontrolled economic activities.

11. Project Title: Namibia Protected Landscape Conservation Areas Initiative (NAM PLACE Project)

GEF UNDP MET-DEA, MLR, MAWF

2011-2016 4.5 million This project provides for: establishing protected Landscape Conservation Areas (PLCAs); ensuring that land uses in areas adjacent to existing Protected Areas are compatible with biodiversity conservation objectives; and ensuring that corridors are established to sustain the viability of wildlife populations.

12. Project Title: Resource mobilisation for effective implementation of the updated biodiversity strategy in Namibia

BMUB/GiZ

MET 2013-2017 3.45 million This project supports the Namibian Government to mobilise financial resources for the conservation of biodiversity and climate change. It provides support for ecosystem services and their integration into national governance processes. It contributes to the increase of secure and diversified adaptive livelihoods for local people who depend on natural resources.

13. Project Title: Biodiversity Management and Climate Change

GiZ MET 2012-2020 6.6 million This project provides policies, strategies and practices relevant to biodiversity and climate change. It has additional focuses on contributing to increasingly secure and diversified livelihoods for the local people who depend on natural resources.

14. Project Title: Promotion of Competitiveness of the Namibian Economy

GiZ Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development (MITSD)

2014-2017 7.075 million This project promotes the establishment of new firms and facilitates for the growth of existing ones, focusing on improved local value addition, and employment and increased income opportunities for improved livelihood.

15. Project Title: Construction of a Demonstration Green House Using Alternative Methods

EIF 2015 11, 000

16. Project Title: Falkenhorst Micro Drippers and Shading for climate smart agriculture

EIF 2014 11,000 This project aims to reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment. In terms of mitigation, it focuses on the negative impacts of traditional agricultural practices on soils, water supply and the atmosphere. With adaptation it focuses on strengthening agriculture’s resilience through team work to make changes in agricultural practices and predictive environmental conditions. It also promotes food security, thereby improving the livelihoods of smallholder farming communities.

Annexes | 57

Funding Source

Implementing Entity

Government Entity Duration Amount

(US$) Status Children/Youth Reflected?

17. Project Title: Climate Resilient Agriculture in three of the Vulnerable Extreme northern crop-growing regions (CRAVE)

GCF EIF MAWF 2017-2022 10 million Approved 2016

This project concentrates on the vulnerability of Namibia’s northern small-scale subsistence farming communities to climate-related challenges exacerbated by drought and the rise in high temperatures. The project is aimed at scaling up and adopting adaptive measures such as conservation agriculture and micro-drip irrigation.

18. Project Title: Adapting to climate change in arid north-western Namibia by combating desertification

EU Agriconsult Namibia

2015-2017 100,000 The key work areas are to enhance Namibia’s climate change adaptation and mitigation through developing, testing and disseminating solutions and practices, and by implementing innovative technologies and energy efficiency solutions.

19. Project Title: Carbonized Encroaching Bush Briquettes

EU Cheetah Conservation Fund Namibia

2015-2016 60,000 This project is aimed at managing bush encroachment in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

20. Project Title: Creation of a coordination unit for the speedy implementation of the National Rangeland Management Policy and Strategy

EU Namibian Agricultural Union

2015-2019 744,438

21. Project Title: Facilitating climate change adaptation and agricultural development of small-scale farming communities in the Kavango Region.

EU U-landshjälp från Folk till Folk i Finland rf (UFF Finland) in partnership with the NNF and DAPP

2014-2018 998,391 This project provides for climate-smart agricultural methods, sustainable access to water, and agro-processing income diversification activities. The project is thus aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change. No reference is made to children and the youth, but children and youth are served by the focus on climate change interventions to help develop the capacity of local communities and improve their livelihoods.

22. Project Title: Adapting land use to reduce the vulnerability of indigenous San people in Nyae Nyae and N‡a Jaqna Conservancies to the impacts of climate change

EU Nyae Nyae Development Foundation of Namibia (NNDFN)

2014-2017 811,737 This project targets about 3,000 members of the San community which is the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The key objective of the project is to integrate conservancy, community forest and agricultural/rangeland management plans and activities in order to maximise food security and minimise and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Furthermore it aims to improve agricultural yields and prevent overgrazing and land degradation, while reducing the carbon dioxide (CO²) output caused by hot fires.

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Funding Source

Implementing Entity

Government Entity Duration Amount

(US$) Status Children/Youth Reflected?

23. Project Title: Strengthening the capacity of farmers to manage climate-related risks in northern Namibia

EU Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)

2015-2018 1,000,000 This project contributes to reducing the vulnerability of small-scale farmers in the northern regions of Namibia to adverse potential negative impacts of climate change through the promotion of Conservation Agriculture (CA) and complementary Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) as an adaptation strategy.

24. Project Title: Rangeland and Marketing Development Support Project (RMDSP)

EU Meatco Foundation

MAWF 2014-2017 1,000,000 This project aims to reduce the vulnerability of rural populations to the adverse impacts of climate change through further developing, testing and disseminating solutions and practices in rangeland, livestock and marketing, for climate change adaptation in the Northern Communal Areas of Namibia.

25. Project Title: Developing and testing a rangeland production early warning system with livestock farmers in Namibia

EU Agra Limited and Agri-Ecological Services

2015-2017 518, 223 This project is aimed at climate change adaptation and mitigation by enhancing the ability of livestock farmers to make rangeland management decisions based on timely and accurate information regarding the state and productivity of their rangelands, while reducing the farmers’ vulnerability to adverse climate change impacts including severe droughts.

26. Project Title: Improving Policy and Practice Interaction through Civil Society Capacity (CSO/SLM)

GEF Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), SARWA, Environment Development Action in the Third World (ENDA) and Equator Initiative (administered by UNOPS)

2012-2015 1,62 million The overall goal of this project is to improve the socio-economic development and livelihoods of rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa through Sustainable Land Management (SLM).

27. Project Title: Conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the Benguela Current Marine Ecoregion

GiZ Benguela Current Commission (BCC)

2014-2020 This project contributes to the sustainable management of the Benguela Current’s marine biodiversity and marine natural resources.

28. Project Title: Fighting rural poverty and enhancing resource sustainability with mopane worm domestication – Uukolonkadhi Community Forest

EIF 2014

29. Project Title: Support for the implementation of Caprivi Conservancies Anti-poaching Strategy – Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation

EIF 2015

Annexes | 59

Annex 9: Past and present community-based CEE initiatives funded by the GEF/UNDP Small Grants Programme

AOW Funding Source

Implementing Entity/Grantee Government Duration Amount

(US$) Children/Youth Reflection

1. COMDEKS ex-post landscape baseline assessment for Namibia Country project

Climate Change Mitigation

GEF Namibia Development Trust

2017-2017 25,000.00 This project contributes to mitigating the negative effects of climate change for landscapes and land-use practices. It evaluates achievements at landscape level through the use of indicators for resilience in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes.

2. Gwanamene San Community food security and livelihood improvement project

Climate Change Adaptation

GEF Gwanamene San Community Project

2016-2018 45,000.00 The main aim of this project is to improve the living conditions of the target beneficiaries, who include the extremely vulnerable (including woman-headed households and the poor), in their social and skills development with alternative livelihood projects, while enhancing climate change resilience and variability.

3. Rangeland and marketing development support programme as climate mitigation and adaptation for northern communal areas – Ohangwena Region

Land Degradation

GEF 2017-2019 49,909.59 This project aims at improving rangeland management, basic livestock management and cropping practices, marketing training and support for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The training, based on vaccination plans, joint planning and budgeting, is provided to farmers within the target community.

4. Improving livelihoods in Iipumbu ya Tshilongo landscape through the use of solar power as a renewable source of energy

Climate Change Adaptation

GEF Pandeni Amakutsi Project (OIKE)

2016-2018 47,250.00 This project focuses on the provision of financial and technical support to projects that conserve and restore the environment, while enhancing people’s wellbeing and livelihoods. The SGP demonstrates that community action can maintain the fine balance between human needs and environmental imperatives.

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AOW Funding Source

Implementing Entity/Grantee Government Duration Amount

(US$) Children/Youth Reflection

5. Solar electrification of a rural community in Namibia: Satamab Suid

Climate Change Mitigation

GEF Omaheke Community Development Foundation

2017-2019 50,000.00 This project aims at providing rural disadvantaged communities with an empowering, community-based solar electrification model. The project targets approximately 100 households in the community of Satamab Suid in Erongo Region.

6. Renewable energy to pump water for human and animal consumption and tree planting

Climate Change Adaptation

GEF Otjozonyati Community Based Organisation

2016-2018 3,000.00 The overall aim of this project is to develop cost-effective renewable energy, while enhancing the capacity of local communities, improving their livelihoods and empowering them to become more resilient to severe climate impacts. This is done by providing access to clean energy and potable water, and by improving energy efficiency and land-use practices for local communities including women, children, pensioners and people with disabilities.

7. Micro-drip system trials in Hardap Region

Climate Change Adaptation

GEF Falkenhost Micro-Drippers

2013-2015 50,000.00 The scope of this project is to provide cost-effective renewable energy to improve food security and facilitate income generation through the use of micro-drip irrigation systems, while also empowering the community members or target community to become more resilient to severe climate challenges. It targets 30 households (of which approximately 40% are woman-headed and include children) in about 15 villages.

8. Okombahe community-based micro-drip systems

Climate Change Adaptation

GEF Okombahe Micro Drippers

2013-2015 45,000.00 This project focuses on providing energy-efficient technologies for houses within the community. 30 micro-drip irrigation systems are set up at household level in order to increase food security and income generation. Community members are provided with materials and training on setting up the drip systems and irrigation processes.

Annexes | 61

Annex 10: Namibia’s energy generation and access situation – facts and figures

The data and graphics in this annex are taken from Von Oertzen (2013, unpublished), the original source being the National Population and Housing Census of 2011.

Figure 1: Urban versus rural electrification in Namibia

Figure 2: In 2011, about 20 TWh of energy was generated in Namibia. The chart below shows the proportion that each source of energy contributed.

62 | Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Namibia – Final Report (2018)

Figures 3(a) and (b): The use of candles and electricity for lighting in homes/buildings. Only 14% of rural homes use electricity for lighting, while some 55% use candles. The balance may use other alternatives such as paraffin/kerosene lamps, gas lamps and battery-generated lighting devices.

Annexes | 63

Figures 4(a) and (b): The use of wood and/or charcoal versus electricity for cooking. A large majority of 87% of rural homes use wood and/or charcoal, and small minority of only 7% use electricity. The balance may use alternatives such as gas.

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Annex 11: Namibia’s energy generation and access situation – financing and investments

Institutions  US$ (millions) Remarks

Kongalend Namibia (Micro-medium lender with strong presence in climate-smart agricultural sector)

4,675,119 A renewable-energy trust fund that provides small loans for renewable energy installations, solar home systems, water pumps and solar water heaters (geysers).

Development Bank of Namibia (State-owned entity with autonomy to raise funds, take equity stakes and enter PPPs)

59,270,998 Financing of renewable-energy projects such as the Omburu Sun Energy project of InnoSun Energy, a locally registered company established after InnoSun signed a power-purchase agreement with NamPower in December 2013 to generate 4.5 MW capacity for NamPower. The bank has provided N$464 million for the Ministry of Mines and Energy's REFIT renewable-energy programme, and N$200 million in biomass energy generation. At the time of writing in 2017, the bank is invested in six renewable-energy projects.

Agricultural Bank of Namibia (AgriBank – a state-owned entity supporting growth and diversification in the agricultural sector, and land resettlement)

2,139,461 Investment in various Green Scheme projects, such as the Etunda Orange River and Sikonde Green Schemes, including loans to farmers.

AGRIBUSDEV (Private entity)

5,388,273 Investments in irrigation for various Green Schemes, such as Etunda, Hardap, Kalumbezi and Ndongalinena Green Schemes, and for Shadikongoro Green Scheme Irrigation and Sikonda Green Scheme Projects. Green Schemes are aimed at increasing food production and hence food security to raise local-level resilience.

HopSol Energy (Private entity)

21,394,612 Development of a solar PV power generation at Aussenkher in southern Namibia, and provision of solar energy to 2,500 households in Otjiwarongo.

Olthaver & List Energy (Private entity)

4,199,683 O&L Energy’s subsidiary, Organic Energy Solutions, harvests invader bush to produce wood chips which in turn create heat energy for clients such as Namibia Breweries Limited and Ohorongo Cement.

Woermann Brock Retail and Wholesale Group (Private entity)

2,377,179 Installation of solar-power generation technology at most of the group’s country-wide facilities.

Stimulus Equity Company (Private entity)

1,980,983 Capital investment for 67.7% equity acquisition in Khomas Solar Saver limited, a renewable energy, financing and installing service provider private company.

TOTAL INVESTMENTS (US$) 101,426,307

Annexes | 65

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