Sub-Regional Workshop for GEF Focal Points in Asia Bangkok, Thailand 7-8 April 2009 Leveraging National Communications to integrate Climate Change into Development policy

OUTLINE  Key climate change threats in the region  Role of National Communications (NC)  How to use the potential of NC projects to integrate climate change into development and sector policies

Rising Temperatures Climate Change impacts 1.5º 6º6º Changes in: - Rainfall - Soil evaporation - Physical geography, landscapes - Sea level - Extreme weather - Ecosystem distribution/composition

Climate Change impacts (cont.) PUBLIC HEALTH Increasing incidents of infectious, water-borne and vector-borne diseases, heat stress & mortality, additional public health costs AGRICULTURE Less predictability in crop yield, changing irrigation demand, growing risk of pest infestations FORESTRY Changes in forest composition, extent, health & productivity WATER RESOURCES Variability in water supply, quality and distribution. More competition and cross-border conflicts over water resources COASTAL SYSTEMS Erosion, inundation, salinisation, stress on mangroves, marshes, wetlands ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Loss of habitat, species and protective ecosystems, migratory shifts

Key vulnerabilities

Decreasing cereal yields (-30%) due to water stress Declining water availability per capita Increased abundance & toxicity of cholera 30% of Asia’s coral reefs lost in next 30 years Small glaciers disappear around m SLR: 2500 km 2 of mangroves lost, 1000km 2 of cultivated land turned into salt marshes, >20,000 km 2 of Mekong delta flooded. Increase in diarrhoeal diseases in times of flooding & drought SLR in major Deltas by 2050: Huanghe: 70-90cm, Changjiang: cm, Zhujiang: 40-60cm Increasing forest production and risk of forest fires 6-10% more irrigation water needed for each 1ºC of warming Declining productivity of grass- lands, declining milk yields and increasing risk of animal diseases Continued retreat of Lena delta ( m per year) due to thermo-erosion Double CO2: 40% decrease in rice yiels in irrigated lowland areas Key vulnerabilities (cont.)

The Initial National Communication (INC) process was important because:  The INC was the first effort to summarize information about a country’s contribution to global warming, and its key vulnerabilities  The INC has generated awareness about Climate Change issues  The INC was the first point of reference for many development partners to support CC mitigation and adaptation in a country What does this have to do with National Communications?

BUT:  The focus was seen on ‘International Convention reporting’ – Opportunities to channel information into non-environmental policy processes were lost  The INC was conducted by technical experts, with limited participation of other stakeholders from public and private sectors  Investigations and language was academic in nature and not very accessible

 Climate Change is more than environmental reporting – the SNC process is relevant for all policy segments  The SNC is a strategic policy support tool to highlight and communicate Climate Change priorities  Producing an SNC document not the end point. SNC information can be used to map socio- economic vulnerabilities, understand economic impacts of CC and frame follow-up measures Second National Communications (SNC): A second opportunity!

 Institutional positions and responses to climate change issues  Continued analysis and review of climate data to stay up-to-date on vulnerability dynamics  Inter-ministerial dialogue to address primary climate change concerns in national priorities  Integration of climate risk reduction into sectoral and development planning SNC should be a vehicle to inform and facilitate:

1)Ensure that the studies commissioned by the SNC team address relevant policy questions 2) Ensure that the SNC does not work in isolation in the Environment Department. Establish a platform to share SNC information with other departments. 3) Make sure the mitigation and adaptation studies of the SNC deliver information that is suitable for the definition of follow-up measures (e.g. further assessments, project formulation, fundraising) How can countries make full use of SNC potential?

4) Make sure the SNC highlights critical short-term and long-term policy challenges and proposes some options for priority sectors 5) Make sure the SNC process picks up existing capacity gaps and opportunities in the country to understand, analyze and address Climate Change issues 6) Make sure SNC work is complemented with targeted awareness and communication actions for public/private/policy stakeholders How can countries make full use of SNC potential? (cont.)

 Understanding and revisiting the scope of SNC work  Actively encouraging involvment and supporting input by relevant government institutions  Helping to make the SNC better visible  Having a concrete follow-up for the SNC in mind  Ensuring that all mitigation and adaptation assessments in the SNC maintaining a human focus Next steps

1. National Communications: process and outputs CC Adaptation and mitigation priorities identified 2. CC Adaptation and Mitigation platforms, plans and strategies Priority CC projects identified 3. Adaptation financing and carbon financing options explored to undertake priority measures Priority CC projects financed Leveraging National Communications - Summary Project lessons utilized in national / sector plans Informed allocation of public / private financing to resilient and low-carbon economic growth Institutional partnerships developed & strengthened Project lessons captured and analyzed (M&E)

Discussion  Which tangible steps can GEF focal points take to make SNC more relevant to policy making?  What role can GEF Focal Points play in linking priorities that emerge from National Communications with other GEF programming?