Representatives from Asia and the Pacific gather to focus on NAP
Submitted by esther.lake@undp.org on 19 October 2016
20 October 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Government ministerial representatives from 17 Asian and Pacific countries met to consider National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), which address the long–term climate change challenges for the region. Adapting to climate change is a high priority for countries in the Asia and Pacific, where the economic and social costs of climate change are likely to be substantial in many critical areas – such as agriculture, food security, livelihoods, health, access to water and infrastructure.
To support countries to address these long-term development challenges, the joint UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Environment (UNEP) National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP), together with the Korean Environment Institute (KEI), brought together more than 40 delegates from ministries of environment, planning and finance from Asian and Pacific countries to help to advance their National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes. The training workshop was held following the Asia Pacific Adaptation Forum in Colombo. Other UN agencies, such as World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also collaborated in this training.
Delegates shared experiences in adaptation planning, and worked towards the development of more resilient plans for the future, during this two-day workshop from 20-21 October 2016 at the Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo.
“This workshop assisted my country to gain a better understanding of the technical issues, strategies, steps, tools and options presented in the NAP process,” said Charlotte Naumi Pihigia, Natural Resources Officer, Ministry of Environment, Niue.
This workshop was part of a series of UNDP and UNEP-supported activities aimed at supporting developing countries in their NAP processes, through technical and institutional support, and facilitating regional exchange and learning, building on ongoing and complementary adaptation initiatives, which will be implemented by our programme partner agencies and national governments.
Further information:
- National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process is led by the Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and aims develop NAPs as a means to identify medium- and long-term adaptation needs and implement appropriate adaptation strategies.
- This meeting is convened by the National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP) – which is coordinated by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) – together with other UN partners and collaborating organisations, with support from the Global Environment Facility (The GEF).
- The NAP-GSP is assisting countries to identify technical, institutional and financial needs to integrate climate change adaptation into ongoing medium and long-term national planning and budgeting.