Climate Change Hot Spot Background Studies and Program Launch Études préliminaires - et lancement d'un programme - sur des zones cruciales au regard des changements climatiques The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report reported increasing evidence of greater vulnerability to climate change and its impacts on specific groups such as the poor and increased evidence of greater risk for low-latitude and less developed areas, such as in dry areas, large deltas and densely populated river basins. In response to these threats, many affected countries are already developing adaptation plans through various national policy processes. Furthermore, several research initiatives ranging from local, national to regional, continue to be undertaken with a view to finding appropriate sustainable solutions for adaptation by communities in such areas. It is also clear that climate change is now high on the political agendas of most developing countries, as evidenced by the increased participation by their policymakers at recent events organized under the hospices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the integration of climate change issues on the agendas of their national and regional economic development fora. 

The available knowledge on the most vulnerable regions identified by the IPCC and how to increase their resilience is insufficient to inform the development of robust adaptation plans. Until these gaps in the process are sealed, the communities in affected countries stand to confront greater risks, particularly to their climate sensitive livelihoods. 

It is against this backdrop that the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and IDRC are partnering to jointly invest GBP 35 million and CAD14 million respectively, through the seven-year Global Adaptation Research Program (GARP). The Program will focus on increasing resilience of the most vulnerable populations and their livelihoods in three "hot-spots", namely: the semi-arid regions of Africa and parts of South and Central Asia; low-lying deltas of South Asia and Africa; and densely populated river basins in South Asia. These hot spots have been selected for their combination of significant climate change impacts on the biophysical environment and high risks due to the presence of a large number of poor people with limited capacity to adapt. 

In the program design phase, the GARP needs to work from a robust foundation of strategic knowledge on the selected hot-spots. Therefore, the program will commission the services of key experts to contribute to three comprehensive background studies:
-	A review of existing research on biophysical impacts of climate change in the hot spots, 
-	A review of existing research on the social aspects of adaptation and resilience to climate change in the hot spots, including gender aspects, and
-	 A review of existing adaptation policy and practice in each of the hot spots.

To ensure that the studies are strong both in content and in methodological approach, each will include contributions from one or more content experts who will receive methodological guidance from a consultant with expertise in systematic review methodology.  

The final products of this process should be three high quality and publishable reports that will provide the background knowledge needed to support selected consortia in their design of timely and relevant research programs. Contributors to the studies will discuss preliminary results of the studies with stakeholders in a consultative workshop to be convened in Doha, Qatar as a parallel event at the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) of the UNFCCC. 

Methodology 
1.	Selection of consultants
For each study, one or more consultants will be selected as contributors through an open call. The GARP may choose to contract multiple applicants to work together on each of the studies to draw on complementary strengths in certain content areas and/or regions. To ensure methodological rigor and a clear and manageable approach to the studies in the timeframe required, a contract will also be issued to expert(s) with a strong background in systematic review methodology. The methodological expert will collaborate with and provide guidance to consultants with content expertise.  Clear Terms of References (TOR) will be developed for each consultant, highlighting the scope of expected analyses, the nature of envisaged collaborations and outputs, and roles for the consolidation of results into high-quality, publishable papers. 

2.	Preliminary webinar on systematic review methodology and ongoing methodological consultations
Early in the process, the methodological expert(s) will organize and conduct a webinar on systematic review methodology with contributors to the studies. The methodological expert(s) will continue to consult with content experts on an ongoing basis for the duration of the research and writing process, providing advice on methods for identifying and reviewing sources.

3.	Interim presentation of preliminary results
For the purposes of monitoring progress on the studies, each contributor will be asked to submit a short interim presentation on preliminary findings, emerging research questions, and research gaps. These will be reviewed by the GARP team, who will provide feedback to the contributors.

4.	Consultative workshop at COP18
A one-day consultative workshop will be convened as a parallel event to the COP18 of the UNFCCC in Doha, Qatar to not only take advantage of the presence of a global audience with interest on the hotspots and potential to input into the review process, but also to serve as the first formal introduction of GARP to the global climate change community. The goals of the workshop will be to solicit inputs from a range of invited experts engaged in climate change research in the three hotspots, to provide an initial opportunity for networking among potential proponents in the call for consortia, and to launch the GARP. This facilitated workshop will be attended by at least one contributor to each of the background studies, specially invited experts on the hotspots who will also serve as discussants/panelists, as well as other COP participants interested in the GARP.  One lead contributors to each study will briefly present on key preliminary findings, research gaps, and research questions to trigger a discussion with the audience. 

Following the consultative workshop with stakeholders, the contributors in attendance will attend an internal meeting with the GARP team to compare notes of the processes and outputs thus far, share ideas, receive guidance from GARP Team on the way forward, and discuss options for peer-reviewed publications.  

5.	Consolidation of results into three publishable papers
For each study, one consultant will be selected to lead the writing of a coherent paper for submission to an open-access peer-reviewed journal and to respond to any feedback from reviewers during the publication process. The papers will be reviewed by the GARP Team and members of the GARP Advisory Committee on Science and Outreach, and also by outside experts.   For each study, the lead writer will be first author on the paper, with other contributors having secondary authorship.

Calendar of Activities

Selection of contributors	(Early October 2012);
Webinar on systematic review methodology (Mid-October 2012)
Identification and review of sources, in consultation with methodological experts (October-November 2012)
Submission of interim presentations on preliminary results (Mid-November 2012)
Parallel event and internal meeting at COP18 (December 1-2, 2012)
Consolidation of papers and submission to GARP Team	Late (January 2013)
Provision of feedback on papers from GARP Team and Advisory Committee on Science and Outreach 	(Early February 2013)
Submission of papers to peer-reviewed journals (Late February 2013)
Respond to feedback from reviewers (March-May 2013)
Publication of background studies (Mid-2013) Il apparaît de plus en plus clairement que les pauvres et les régions de basse latitude et peu développées, comme les régions arides, les mégadeltas et les bassins hydrographiques à forte densité de population, ressentent plus durement les effets des changements climatiques. Plusieurs pays touchés établissent déjà leur plan d'adaptation, mais n'en savent pas suffisamment au sujet des populations les plus vulnérables et sur la façon d'accroître leur résilience.

Le CRDI et le Department for International Development (DFID) du Royaume-Uni collaborent à un programme de sept ans, le Programme mondial de recherche sur l'adaptation aux changements climatiques (maintenant connu sous le nom d'Initiative de recherche concertée sur l'adaptation en Afrique et en Asie, ou IRCAAA), afin d'accroître la résilience de ces populations vulnérables et de leurs moyens de subsistance.

L'initiative vise trois zones cruciales, à savoir les régions semi-arides d'Afrique et de certaines parties d'Asie centrale et d'Asie du Sud, les basses terres des deltas en Asie du Sud et en Afrique, et les bassins hydrographiques densément peuplés en Asie du Sud. Ces zones ont été choisies en raison de l'ampleur des effets des changements climatiques et du grand nombre de personnes pauvres ayant une faible capacité d'adaptation.

L'équipe de l'initiative a commandé trois études préliminaires (une par zone cruciale) visant à repérer les travaux de recherche existants sur les répercussions biophysiques des changements climatiques, les travaux de recherche existants sur les dimensions sociales et sexospécifiques de l'adaptation aux changements climatiques et de la résilience face à ces derniers, ainsi que les politiques et pratiques d'adaptation.

Il en résultera trois rapports contenant des données de référence dont les consortiums retenus pourront se servir pour concevoir des programmes de recherche pertinents. Les données préliminaires ont été examinées à l'occasion d'un atelier de consultation organisé en marge de la 18e Conférence des Parties à la Convention-cadre des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques (CCNUCC) qui s'est déroulée à Doha en 2012.