Theory of Change for the Area of Intervention ‘Climate Change
Adaptation’
Switzerland’s engagement for climate change adaptation enhances the adaptive capacity and resilience in partner countries through a combination of
interventions allowing to secure and improve living conditions and livelihoods of people affected by climate change.
How the terms are used in the assessment:
• CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION ¼ Avoiding the unmanageable.
Preventing, reducing or avoiding human-made greenhouse gas emissions, for
example by promoting renewable energies.
• CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION ¼ Managing the unavoidable. Increasing
resilience and capacity to cope with and adapt to the effects of climate change,
for example by improving early warning systems for extreme weather events.
Since there is no accepted standard methodology for the summative assessment
on portfolio level as requested in the mandate, the consultants applied an innovative
and adaptive approach to develop a suitable methodology. The finally applied
methodology covered the following three steps:
• Portfolio appraisal: In a first step, the consultants conducted an independent
appraisal of the portfolio, reviewing and developing an understanding of the
nature of all 508 projects, exploring the quality of available data, validating the
proposed climate change relevance of the projects and identifying suitable
clusters in reference to the proposed result chains. This resulted in a portfolio
of 423 assessable projects, categorized into six thematic clusters (energy, cleaner
production, natural resources, hazards, livelihoods, knowledge) and the funding
and grants to organizations as a separate cluster. Furthermore six countries
including 30 projects (five in each country) were identified for field visits and
in-depth studies. The selection had to consider the following criteria:
– Thematic balance: The selected projects had to include and balance interventions in the three Areas of Intervention (Enabling Framework, Adaptation and
Mitigation).
– Geographical balance: The selected projects had to include and balance
interventions in priority countries from different continents including the
former Soviet Republics/countries from Eastern Europe.
– Institutional balance: The selected projects had to include and balance projects
of SDC and SECO and reflect bilateral and multi-bilateral funding schemes.
– Performance balance: The selected projects had to represent strengths and
weaknesses/successes and challenges of the Swiss International Cooperation
in Climate Change.
– Time balance: The selected projects had to represent the whole observation
period, considering the increasing relevance of climate change in Swiss
International Cooperation over time.
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M. Egger Kissling and R. Windisch
Adaptation’
Switzerland’s engagement for climate change adaptation enhances the adaptive capacity and resilience in partner countries through a combination of
interventions allowing to secure and improve living conditions and livelihoods of people affected by climate change.
How the terms are used in the assessment:
• CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION ¼ Avoiding the unmanageable.
Preventing, reducing or avoiding human-made greenhouse gas emissions, for
example by promoting renewable energies.
• CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION ¼ Managing the unavoidable. Increasing
resilience and capacity to cope with and adapt to the effects of climate change,
for example by improving early warning systems for extreme weather events.
Since there is no accepted standard methodology for the summative assessment
on portfolio level as requested in the mandate, the consultants applied an innovative
and adaptive approach to develop a suitable methodology. The finally applied
methodology covered the following three steps:
• Portfolio appraisal: In a first step, the consultants conducted an independent
appraisal of the portfolio, reviewing and developing an understanding of the
nature of all 508 projects, exploring the quality of available data, validating the
proposed climate change relevance of the projects and identifying suitable
clusters in reference to the proposed result chains. This resulted in a portfolio
of 423 assessable projects, categorized into six thematic clusters (energy, cleaner
production, natural resources, hazards, livelihoods, knowledge) and the funding
and grants to organizations as a separate cluster. Furthermore six countries
including 30 projects (five in each country) were identified for field visits and
in-depth studies. The selection had to consider the following criteria:
– Thematic balance: The selected projects had to include and balance interventions in the three Areas of Intervention (Enabling Framework, Adaptation and
Mitigation).
– Geographical balance: The selected projects had to include and balance
interventions in priority countries from different continents including the
former Soviet Republics/countries from Eastern Europe.
– Institutional balance: The selected projects had to include and balance projects
of SDC and SECO and reflect bilateral and multi-bilateral funding schemes.
– Performance balance: The selected projects had to represent strengths and
weaknesses/successes and challenges of the Swiss International Cooperation
in Climate Change.
– Time balance: The selected projects had to represent the whole observation
period, considering the increasing relevance of climate change in Swiss
International Cooperation over time.
86
M. Egger Kissling and R. Windisch