Baseline climate change vulnerability index for Rwanda

Abstract

This report provides a first assessment of climate change vulnerability at the national level in Rwanda, and lays out a framework to enable Rwanda to answer the question: “How well have prior national investments succeeded in making Rwanda less vulnerable to the impact of climate change?” It is anticipated that this assessment will also provide knowledge or guidance about where to make new investments by providing key inputs for the targeting, formulating and evaluating of adaptation policies and will provide information that can be used in the design of new programs for adaptation and resilience, and to acquire additional resources for adaptation. This study, then, develops a baseline framework for the ongoing monitoring of Rwanda’s progress over time on addressing adaptation needs by developing a system to track data in key areas of national development, especially those that are particularly climate sensitive. The use of this framework and data tracking system is intended for policy maker and program designers with a reading on how well prior investments have succeeded in making Rwanda less vulnerable to the impact of climate change, and information that can be used in the design of new programs, the acquisition of additional resources for adaptation, and knowledge about where to make the new investments.