Mainstreaming climate change resilience into development planning in the Gambia

This 2013 report by Isatou F. Camara, published by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), examines the integration of climate change resilience into the development planning of the Gambia. It evaluates the country's progress using a framework of three 'building blocks': enabling environment, policies and planning, and projects and programmes.

• The Gambia is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its low-lying geography, which threatens productive sectors including tourism, wildlife, forestry, and agriculture through rising sea levels.
• The government has integrated climate change into its primary development blueprints, specifically the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment 2012–2015 (PAGE) and the National Agricultural Investment Plan (GNAIP) for 2011–2015.
• Political will is demonstrated through high-level governance structures, including a National Environment Council and Disaster Management Council headed by the vice-president, and the enactment of the National Environment Management Act (NEMA) in 1994.
• The country's information services for climate change rely on a 'loose network' of independent research centres and focal points rather than a single coordinating entity. While a Global Change Research Unit (GCRU) was established in 2001, it struggled to maintain momentum due to a lack of a policy-relevant research environment.
• The Gambia has shifted its disaster management strategy from a focus on crisis response to a 'resilience-based approach' centered on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). This shift aims to address structural vulnerabilities and build the resilience of services, local economies, and infrastructure.
• Financial resources for climate change adaptation are currently inadequate. The government utilizes the national budget for some environmental and DRR work but has developed a resource mobilisation strategy targeting foreign investment and bilateral and multilateral development assistance.
• In August 2012, the Gambia submitted a project proposal to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for US$25.4 million (requesting US$8.8 million from the Least Developed Countries Fund) to strengthen early warning systems and climate services.

APA

Camara, I. F. (2013). Mainstreaming climate change resilience into development planning in the Gambia. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Gambia_PRESS.pdf

Chicago

Camara, Isatou F. Mainstreaming climate change resilience into development planning in the Gambia. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Gambia_PRESS.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Camara |first1=Isatou F. |title=Mainstreaming climate change resilience into development planning in the Gambia |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=April 2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Gambia_PRESS.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{camara2013mainstreaming, author = {Camara, Isatou F.}, title = {{Mainstreaming climate change resilience into development planning in the Gambia}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Gambia_PRESS.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }