National launch of the Climate Smart Governance (CSG) Dashboard and the policy dialogue on CSG Dashboard applications to strengthen national adaptation planning and climate investment in Sri Lanka

Climate change-induced extreme weather events have significantly impacted smallholder farmers in low and middle-income countries, jeopardizing their livelihoods and food security. With more frequent and intense erratic rainfall patterns, droughts, and storms, farmers face heightened risks of crop failure, livestock loss, and property damage. These events also disrupt agricultural cycles and threaten already scarce water resources. The cumulative effects of climate-related disasters perpetuate cycles of poverty and ultimately affect global food security. Transformative climate adaptation solutions coupled with equitable policies are critical to bolster the resilience of these vulnerable communities and safeguard global food security.

The Climate-Smart Governance (CSG) Dashboard supports countries in coordinated mid- to long-term adaptation planning. It supplies accurate data and analytics on climate vulnerabilities, governance capacities, and potential climate-smart interventions to strengthen national adaptation planning (NAP) at the national and local scales and achieve the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals. Organizations can utilize this up-to-date data to develop effective, well-coordinated adaptation policies; monitor and evaluate progress towards meeting adaptation goals; collaborate for effective use of resources; and share information on best practices and investment opportunities.

The CSG Dashboard was developed as part of the CGIAR initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR). ClimBeR aims to transform the climate adaptation capacity of food and agricultural systems in low- and middle-income countries by tackling vulnerability to climate change at its roots and supporting countries as they adapt and improve resilience, and build equitable and sustainable futures.

This workshop marks the launch of the CSG Dashboard in Sri Lanka and brings together the decision-makers of key policy-making and development organizations in the country.

Commencing in 2023, Sri Lanka’s National Planning Department and its Climate Change Secretariat collaborated with the CGIAR ClimBeR team to develop the Climate Smart Governance dashboard for Sri Lanka. The CDG Dashboard addresses the lack of timely, context-specific, actionable information necessary for local communities and planners to make informed decisions on climate adaptation interventions.

The CSG Dashboard was developed by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in partnership with Sri Lanka’s National Planning Department and the Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment. The platform is the first of its kind and serves as a facilitation planning tool for national adaptation planning, to bolster Sri Lanka’s resilience to climate change impacts and aims to foster better, climate-smart, and integrated decision-making processes. It has also been launched in Zambia and Senegal and is accessible to governments and communities worldwide.