274
a sister event in 2017 with members of the Tanzanian Parliament, where evidence
was presented to encourage legislators to ensure gender-responsive climate change
policymaking. In addition to these parliamentarian engagements, representatives of
the MSPs have also participated in other high-level policy engagements organized
by partner organizations.
With growing evidence of their efficacy and acceptance by stakeholders, the
MSPs have become increasingly institutionalized. In Uganda the national Climate
Change Department is establishing a climate change MSP at the ministry, department and agency levels—independently of the PACCA project—to operationalize
article 6 of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) on capacity building. In Tanzania, the district government of Lushoto
has formalized the incorporation of the MSPs into their district frame and has
replicated the MSP model in villages, appointing “ambassadors” who monitor
and report on their respective activities. Furthermore, officials from MALF-EMU
have expressed interest in using the MSP model and acknowledged MSPs as central to national climate-change policy planning and to the scaling up of CSA in the
country (Okiror and Cramer 2017). Further research will be needed to assess the
levels of funding provided to these MSPs and what affects the availability of funds
has on their operation, efficacy and perceived legitimacy.
23.4 Implications for Development
Through a case study in Uganda and Tanzania, this chapter has examined the role
of MSPs in influencing climate change policy processes. MSPS foster the sharing
of information among diverse stakeholders and allow participatory approaches for
influencing policy recommendations across multiple governance levels. We argue
that these MSP interventions can help build an enabling policy environment for
climate - change adaptation and mitigation policy, as evidenced by the scenarioguided policy planning processes, CSA participatory zonal planning exercises and
multiple policy reviews and consultations. With specific reference to the role of
MSPs in fostering CSA science-policy dialogue, the results of the questionnaire
highlighted the need for greater knowledge-sharing among stakeholders. Findings
from the social network analysis suggest the importance of platform composition
in the knowledge-exchange process. Furthermore, concrete policy action such as
budgeting for tangible CSA projects at the local level (e.g., Lushoto, district MSPs),
recommending specific packages of CSA water-efficient technologies for enhanced
adoption (Tanzania, national MSPs) and mainstreaming CSA and climate change
in district development plans (Uganda, Tanzania district MSPs) exemplifies the
role that continuous science-policy interaction through MSPs can have in influencing policymaking.
While these MSP processes have succeeded in enhancing CSA science-policy
dialogues and promoting evidence-based policy outcomes in East Africa, addiM. Acosta et al.
a sister event in 2017 with members of the Tanzanian Parliament, where evidence
was presented to encourage legislators to ensure gender-responsive climate change
policymaking. In addition to these parliamentarian engagements, representatives of
the MSPs have also participated in other high-level policy engagements organized
by partner organizations.
With growing evidence of their efficacy and acceptance by stakeholders, the
MSPs have become increasingly institutionalized. In Uganda the national Climate
Change Department is establishing a climate change MSP at the ministry, department and agency levels—independently of the PACCA project—to operationalize
article 6 of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) on capacity building. In Tanzania, the district government of Lushoto
has formalized the incorporation of the MSPs into their district frame and has
replicated the MSP model in villages, appointing “ambassadors” who monitor
and report on their respective activities. Furthermore, officials from MALF-EMU
have expressed interest in using the MSP model and acknowledged MSPs as central to national climate-change policy planning and to the scaling up of CSA in the
country (Okiror and Cramer 2017). Further research will be needed to assess the
levels of funding provided to these MSPs and what affects the availability of funds
has on their operation, efficacy and perceived legitimacy.
23.4 Implications for Development
Through a case study in Uganda and Tanzania, this chapter has examined the role
of MSPs in influencing climate change policy processes. MSPS foster the sharing
of information among diverse stakeholders and allow participatory approaches for
influencing policy recommendations across multiple governance levels. We argue
that these MSP interventions can help build an enabling policy environment for
climate - change adaptation and mitigation policy, as evidenced by the scenarioguided policy planning processes, CSA participatory zonal planning exercises and
multiple policy reviews and consultations. With specific reference to the role of
MSPs in fostering CSA science-policy dialogue, the results of the questionnaire
highlighted the need for greater knowledge-sharing among stakeholders. Findings
from the social network analysis suggest the importance of platform composition
in the knowledge-exchange process. Furthermore, concrete policy action such as
budgeting for tangible CSA projects at the local level (e.g., Lushoto, district MSPs),
recommending specific packages of CSA water-efficient technologies for enhanced
adoption (Tanzania, national MSPs) and mainstreaming CSA and climate change
in district development plans (Uganda, Tanzania district MSPs) exemplifies the
role that continuous science-policy interaction through MSPs can have in influencing policymaking.
While these MSP processes have succeeded in enhancing CSA science-policy
dialogues and promoting evidence-based policy outcomes in East Africa, addiM. Acosta et al.