Rwanda’s Climate Adaptation MEL System in the Human Settlements and Transport Sectors: Technical report assessing adaptation outcomes

The Ministry of Environment in Rwanda has implemented a climate adaptation monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) system to assess adaptation outcomes in the human settlement and transport sectors. This initiative aims to evaluate progress against Rwanda’s nationally determined contribution (NDC), with a focus on monitoring the resilience of infrastructure and communities to climate change impacts. Rwanda’s updated adaptation NDC identifies seven key indicators in the human settlement and transport sectors, but only three primary indicators have been selected for detailed assessment:

Percentage of rural population living in clustered settlements: This indicator helps understand the adaptation challenges and benefits for rural communities.
Access to water and sanitation services: Reliable access to these services is crucial for health and well-being, especially under climate change.
Reduction in the length of roads vulnerable to floods and landslides: Roads are vital for connectivity and economic activities, therefore their resilience to climate impacts is critical.

The assessment gathered empirical evidence from the field using varied methods, including a literature review, interviews, and field visits with residents and stakeholders to collect qualitative data on adaptation challenges and benefits.

This report is divided into five main sections. The introduction serves as Section 1, providing an overview of the work program. Section 2 justifies the selection of indicators related to adaptation outcomes. Section 3 outlines the methodological approach used to evaluate adaptation outcomes. Section 4 focuses on assessing adaptation outcomes within the human settlements and transport sectors, highlighting the benefits and challenges encountered in achieving the expected results and impacts of the NDC adaptation initiatives. The report concludes with Section 5, which presents the conclusions and recommendations.

Read the related briefing notes in this series on Rwanda’s adaptation MEL in the sectors of Human Settlements and Transport:

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