Over the last two months, CUTS International, with partners across the East African Community Partner States have been conducting training workshops, under the theme “Climate, Food, Trade: Developing Coherent Policies and Programmes”.
Over the last two months, CUTS International, with partners across the East African Community Partner States have been conducting training workshops, under the theme “Climate, Food, Trade: Developing Coherent Policies and Programmes”. This free training course leading to a merit certificate has been designed to help key stakeholders of climate change; food security and trade develop coherent programmes and policies cutting across the three areas. The trainings were also conducted alongside the 6th National Group (NRG) Meetings throughout the region, which focused on the theme “Sustaining Improvements in Climate Food Trade Policy Coherence”.
Developed in four manuals, the training programme introduces the key concepts of climate change, food security and trade and their interrelationships in the policy processes, and real life consequences. Secondly, it looks at regional decision making and policy frameworks in place while the third module, it examines the agreements and intuitions in place concerning the agriculture, climate and trade linkages. Finally, the last module presents a simulation exercise designed as a unique experience of engaging with others on promoting more coherent policies and programmes.
The training programme is part of CUTS International’s project “Promoting Agriculture, Climate, and Trade linkages in the EAC” (PACT EAC) that aims to contribute to development of more holistic responses to the challenges of climate change on food security by unlocking the potential of trade. The training were developed and delivered in conjunction with the Arusha-based the Trade Policy Training Centre in Africa (Trapca).
Upon successful completion of National Trainings in Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya, regional stakeholders, comprising of the Ministries of East African Community, Trade and civil society as well as academia, with regional focus on agriculture, trade and food security issues were convened in Nairobi, Kenya for the Regional Training Workshop from September 11-13, 2014. This was specifically to deliver the manuals from a regional dimension in order to build capacity for regional engagements on the three issues of agriculture, climate change and trade.