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News OSS accredited as Regional Implementing Entity for the Adaptation Fund

The 21st session of the Adaptation Fund1 Board, which was held in Bonn (Germany) on 3-4 July 2013, adopted Decision B21/1 pertaining to the accreditation of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) – a Tunis-based intergovernmental organization operating in the Sahara-Sahel region – as a Regional Implementing Entity for the Adaptation Fund. OSS is the second institution in Africa and the world to obtain the status of RIE, after the West African Development Bank.

The independent Accreditation Panel, which recommended the Sahara and Sahel Observatory’s accreditation to the Adaptation Fund Board, examined the organisation’s procedures, notably aspects pertaining to governance, financial management (integrity, transparency and adherence to international standards). The Panel’s report2 notes, in particular, that “OSS is strong on the project management cycle including the budgeting and financial aspects. Independent audits and evaluations confirm this”. The report also indicates that “OSS has demonstrated that it meets the Fiduciary Standards of the Adaptation Fund”.The accreditation of OSS as a Regional Implementing Entity for the Adaptation Fund is a successful outcome of the procedures’ enhancement and upgrade process undertaken by the organization.

It also marks the beginning of a new momentum in the Sahara and Sahel Observatory’s work for the benefit of its member countries3. In practice, this means that the organization will seek to strengthen climate change adaptation in the Sahara-Sahel region and to improve access of its member countries to the Adaptation Fund.OSS specializes in environmental monitoring and the joint management of transboundary groundwater resources in African drylands.

Climate Change Adaptation constitutes an important component of its Strategy 20204.

The Adaptation Fund was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

Over the past two years, the fund has dedicated more than US$ 180 million to increase climate resilience in 28 countries5 around the world, including three OSS member States : Egypt, Mauritania and Senegal.

 

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1 https://www.adaptation-fund.org/
2 https://www.adaptation-fund.org/sites/default/files/AFB.B.21.4%20Report%20of%20the%20Accreditation%20Panel.pdf
3 22 African member countries: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Uganda, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Tunisia. The OSS also has 5 non-regional member countries, namely Germany, Canada, France, Italy and Switzerland.
4 http://www.oss-online.org/fr/strat%C3%A9gie5https://www.adaptation-fund.org/funded_projects/interactive

Contact information Jihed GHANNEM, Strategic and Institutional Communications Officer (email: jihed.ghannem@oss.org.tn)
Phone: +216 71 206 633
News type Inbrief
File link https://www.adaptation-fund.org/sites/default/files/AFB.B.21.4%20Report%20of%20the%20Accreditation%20Panel.pdf
File link local CP_OSS_AdaptationFund_2013_En.pdf (PDF, 128 Kb)
Source of information OSS
Keyword(s) adaptation
Subject(s) METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , TOOL TERMS
Relation http://facebook.com/groups/OSS Community
Geographical coverage Germany
Working language(s) ENGLISH , FRENCH
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