24-25 November 2021, 9am - 5pm AEST

Delivery: In-person (Diplomatic Academy, 44 Sydney Avenue, Forrest ACT).

Note that if in-person delivery is not practicable under COVID-19 government health requirements, the course will be delivered online 22-26 November 2021 at scheduled times (resulting in the same overall time commitment).

How to Apply: To express your interest in participating in this course, click the ‘Apply Now’ button and complete the short questionnaire. All applications will be reviewed for suitability, and applicants will be informed of the outcome of this review by email. Application close 5pm, Sunday 14 November 2021.

Course Conveners: Victoria Wheeler (Assistant Director, Climate and Development Integration Unit). Email Victoria.Wheeler@dfat.gov.au or
climate.integration@dfat.gov.au

Rachel England (ANU Course Convener). Email Rachel.England@anu.edu.au

Climate change is the most significant environmental, social and economic challenge of our time. Across the Indo-Pacific region, communities are increasingly challenged by the diverse and multiple physical impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, increasing frequency and intensity of cyclones, droughts, floods and storm surges, ambient heat waves, warming sea temperatures, and ocean acidification, and the resultant impacts on community cohesion and wellbeing. Climate change is also exacerbating many existing problems in the region, such as loss of biodiversity, pollution, regional peace and security, chronic poverty, gender and social inequality, humanitarian responses to natural hazards and pandemics, and inadequate essential services such as health care, education, infrastructure, social protection, and food and water security.

Committed to the United Nations’ 2015-2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, Australia is increasing its work to support its neighbours in the Indo-Pacific tackle these climate change challenges. Innovative and decisive action is needed across the Indo-Pacific to minimise the risks of climate change on people and places, to keep the Paris goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C within reach, and to shift to a sustainable, low‑carbon, net zero future. Australia, with decades of experience supporting countries and territories of this region to strengthen their health, social, environmental and economic security and stability, is in a strong position to continue supporting partner countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and build community resilience.

Two Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) policies outline Australia’s approach to tackling climate change abroad through Australia’s development assistance program – they are, Partnerships for Recovery: Australia’s COVID-19 Development Response (2020) and Climate Change Action Strategy 2020-2025. In line with these policies, DFAT seeks to integrate climate change adaptation thinking across the Department. DFAT’s Climate Action Strategy sets three climate objectives to make the best use of our development assistance:

• promote the shift to lower-emissions development in the Indo-Pacific region
• support partner countries to adapt to climate change, and to plan, prepare for and respond to climate related impacts
• support innovative solutions to climate change, including those that engage private sector investment.

In support of these objectives, this two-day short course is focused on climate change adaptation and integration opportunities in development across the Indo-Pacific.

Participating in this Course

We encourage DFAT and other government officials responsible for managing or delivering international climate initiatives in developing countries, with or alongside development assistance, to apply.

As a participant of this course, you will be presented with a series of lectures to expand your understanding of the climate change adaptation challenges of the Indo-Pacific (notably Pacific Island countries, Southeast Asia and South Asia) within a development context. The lecturers are selected academic and industry professionals from the Australian National University and elsewhere, who specialise in climate change adaptation and policy integration.

As a participant, you will also be facilitated through a variety of activities that are designed to explore a range of critical climate change considerations for Australia’s development program across different sectors and clusters. These include climate economics, food security, agriculture, tourism and governance, human security, health, water and sanitation, infrastructure, urban planning, gender equality and social inclusion. Through peer-to-peer learning and group-based discussions, you will share your experiences of working within Australia’s development program, and form a network of colleagues to support your ongoing efforts in integrating climate change adaptation thinking into your everyday work.

All participants will be asked to complete a Pre-Course Survey and a Post-Course Survey as part of this course. Confidentiality, privacy and consent information is specified on each survey form.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, it is expected that a fully engaged participant will have the following learning outcomes:

• Skills to integrate climate change considerations across the aid management cycle.
• A broad understanding of current and future climate change impacts in the Indo-Pacific regions (primarily Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Pacific Island Countries and Territories).
• Knowledge of a suite of social and natural science-based climate change adaptation and mitigation opportunities in these regions for a development context.
• A clear picture of the climate policy framework (domestic and international) that Australia’s development program operates within.

Learning Modules

The course is structured by eight learning modules and three interactive activities. Each module and activity is designed around particular sectors or clusters (see below) and embedded with cross-cutting themes, such as environmental sustainability, low-regrets adaptation options, nature-based solutions, social inclusion, governance, regulation/law enforcement, and breakthrough technologies.

Critical research, evaluation, interpretation and analysis skills are a focus of this course, as well an understanding of socio-economic impact models and skills to improve climate change adaptation-relevant regulatory oversight, policy intervention and service delivery.

Table 1. Themes of the modules to be delivered across the course.

* Modules are enhanced by Activities, Interactive Sessions, and Q&A sessions (not listed here). Module titles may change before the course begins to align with lecturer expertise and lecture content.

Workloads and Certificate

The course will either be delivered in-person as a two-day learning intensive in Canberra (preferred option), or online as a five-day less-intense course (if required by COVID-19 government health requirements). Participants will be required to watch a selection of videos from the DFAT online Climate Change, Energy and Environment Toolkit before commencing the course. Each learning module and interactive session spans 1-2 hours. As a guide, it is anticipated that each module will follow a format similar to:

• 30-45 minute lecture (or multiple mini-lectures in this timespan),
• 15-30 minute group discussion with the Lecturer, and/or
• 20-40 minute facilitated interactive session (applied learning, case studies).

Upon satisfactory completion of this course, participants will receive an ANU Certificate of Participation.

We look forward to seeing you in the course!