Abstract:
The Department for International Development (DFID) is seeking to understand the state of climate information and services in South Asia, and considering possible intervention options aimed at strengthening the gathering, use and application of weather and climate information across the region for better decision making and responses around weather and climate risks. This scoping work aims to identify where DFID could build on other relevant initiatives globally and regionally,1 providing a step change in the use of climate information to support poverty reduction and promote socio-economic development, with a particular focus on protecting poor and vulnerable communities, especially women and girls. Proposed options will be orientated by the range of interests, needs and demands from across the DFID Asia Regional Team’s core countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh), Burma and South East Asia (where there is a strong case for doing so). Likewise, the options will focus on where the opportunities (i.e. best returns) are greatest for DFID to engage on: (i) information delivery (ii) communications (iii) regional coordination/cooperation (iv) decision making/responses.