Supporting Georgia to advance their NAP process

Project Overview

Sep 2015
Georgia submits its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the Paris Agreement
Feb 2016
Georgia makes official request to NAP-GSP for support with advancing the NAP process and integrating climate change adaptation into national and subnational development plans
Oct 2016
A NAP orientation workshop is held to introduce key stakeholders to the NAP process
May 2017
Georgia ratifies the Paris Agreement
Sep 2017
A Stocktaking Report and preliminary road map to advance the NAP process in Georgia are developed

Country background, Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement

Georgia is a country in the south-eastern part of Europe, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It is home to dozens of lakes and rivers, vast swamps and glaciers, and its climate ranges from humid, subtropical and maritime in the west to semi-desert in parts of the east. The negative consequences of climate change are already visible in Georgia. The main indicators are increasing temperatures, shrinking glaciers, sea level rise, the reduction and redistribution of river flows, decreasing snowfall, and an upward shift of the snowline. More extreme weather events like flooding, landslides, forest fires, and coastal erosion are increasing in frequency. All these processes cause significant economic losses and human casualties. 
 
Georgia is listed as a lower middle-income economy by the United Nations and is ranked 70 out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index (2018). The country exports citrus fruits, tea and grapes, and is also known for its distinct winemaking tradition. A changing climate will significantly impact these agricultural industries. Recent years have brought both droughts and heavy rainstorms, each wreaking their own damage on infrastructure and agriculture. The coastal zone is also considered extremely vulnerable due to rising sea levels, tidal waves, floods, underwater currents, and river sediment deposits, all being intensified due to climate change. 
 
Georgia has a number of policy documents and strategies that directly address climate change impacts, the reduction of risks of hazards, and means to safeguard economic development plans in-line with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The Socio-economic Development Strategy of Georgia highlights climate change issues as a national priority through 2020. Georgia also committed to its pledges to the Paris Agreement, which it ratified in May 2017. Its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the UNFCCC stipulates that the country will develop its first NAP to be more prepared for the adverse effects of climate change. Agriculture is named as one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change and the country's limited capacity to adapt is also recognised as a key challenge, culminating in the following adaptation objectives: (a) national capacity to develop adaptation strategies; (b) policy makers’ capacity for adaptation planning; (c) capacity of communities to reduce their vulnerability to adverse impacts of future climate hazards; and (d) capacity of national health system to manage long-term climate change-sensitive health risks. These are also listed as priorities within the document. 

 

How has the NAP-GSP supported to date?

 

Conducted a mission to Georgia

 

The NAP-GSP undertook a mission to Georgia in October 2016 and organised peer-to-peer meetings with key stakeholders as well as holding a NAP orientation workshop. The meetings and the workshop were designed to introduce key stakeholders to the NAP process, advance understanding of the current climate change adaptation initiatives, and gauge the best entry points to advance the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation interventions into national and subnational plans. 
 
 

 

Developed a Stocktaking Report 
 
Informed by the mission and the assessment of the climate change adaptation interventions taking place in Georgia, a Stocktaking Report was produced to provide a roadmap for the NAP process, identify key entry points, and provide recommendations for the development of a NAP. The following actions were suggested to address the key gaps, challenges and barriers to rolling out the NAP: (1) a vigorous initiation of the NAP process is required to meet the increasing climate change impacts in Georgia; (2) the approach of the various government entities for dealing with climate change adaptation issues need to be consolidated; (3) strategies relevant to sectoral climate change adaptation processes and capacity building should be finalised and will be critical if a comprehensive mainstreaming is to be achieved; (4) a climate database of forecasts and vulnerability assessments should be established; (5) all possible sources of funding need to be identified and pursued; and (6) an effective monitoring and evaluation system needs to oversee the planning and implementation processes.
 
 

 

Country Initiatives