Participatory climate risk assessment manual: West Africa WACA

The manual provides practical guidance for designing and implementing participatory climate risk assessments and locally led adaptation processes. It supports country teams, facilitators, and local partners to engage communities in identifying climate risks, understanding vulnerabilities, and codeveloping adaptation actions that strengthen livelihoods, safeguard human rights, and build long-term resilience.

Climate risk assessments are central to WACA’s approach. They help:

• Integrate indigenous and gender-informed knowledge ensuring solutions are inclusive and responsive to vulnerable groups.
• Surface precise, place-based risks and livelihoods linkages that top down analyses can miss, improving the targeting of livelihoods interventions.
• Identify feasible local adaptation actions that align with local priorities and capacities, reducing maladaptation risks.
• Build community ownership and trust, increasing uptake and sustainability.
• Improve accountability and transparency by making decision processes visible and collaborative.