Tin Ponlok speaks at the workshop on climate change adaptation plans for least developed countries in the Asia-Pacific region on July 12. MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is holding a four-day workshop from July 12-15.
The workshop will focus on the National Adaptation Plans (NAP) for least developed countries (LDCs) to address climate change in the Asia-Pacific region, the ministry said.
Chaired by Tin Ponlok, secretary of state of the Ministry of Environment, the workshop is being attended by leaders of the environment ministry and relevant ministries, as well as representatives from the UNFCCC, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), development partners and 17 LDCs.
Sixty international observers are also in attendance.
Ponlok said at the opening of the seminar that Cambodia was as at risk to climate change as any other country in the region, and adaptation activities played an important role in reducing climate change vulnerability and contributing to improving people’s livelihoods.
He said Cambodia had included 13 green and climate activities into its post-Covid development and economic recovery strategy.
Important outcomes of the 26th Summit of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) had prioritised adaptation activities and had mobilised funds from developed countries for their implementation, he added.
“LDCs must do more activities to turn the funding support commitments into actual action via technical and budget assistance through adaptation programmes,” Ponlok said.
He said that the ongoing war in Ukraine had exacerbated the vulnerabilities of least developed countries.
The effects of climate change, Covid-19 and the war have hampered efforts to achieve sustainable development goals, while globalisation and multilateralism were changing, which was likely to affect how countries worked together to address global issues such as climate change, he said.
“In this context, it is important for all of us to refine our development strategies towards a greener and more resilient approach to external economic or geopolitical shocks, especially related to food security and energy,” Ponlok said.
Paul Desanker, representative of the UNFCCC, thanked the Cambodian government, in particular the Ministry of Environment, for co-organising the important workshop, despite the difficult circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“UNFCCC supports Cambodia and other least developed countries in developing adaptive action plans and related techniques to improve people’s livelihoods and respond to climate change,” Desanker said.
According to the Ministry of Environment, the four-day workshop aims to support the group of LDCs in developing and updating the roadmap for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
Best practices and experiences will be shared to identify technical assistance in organising project proposals to obtain financial support from the GCF and other climate funds.
The workshop will discuss these points, as well as LDCs’ implementation of adaptation activities, appropriate technology and improving knowledge.
