The Philippines is among the most at risk to natural hazards in the world according to the World Risk Index released in 2011.  Its level of risk is not only because of the country’s exposure to natural hazards but because its current coping and adaptive capacities have not been fully developed to the level that will significantly reduce vulnerabilities to natural hazards, particularly to the changing climate.

Over the past years, the Philippines, knowing how vulnerable it is, have crafted a Climate Change Law (Republic Act 9729) that paves the way for the crafting of a National Climate Change Adaptation Plan and the Local Climate Change Action Plans. Over the past years, there has been a repackaging of development programs, projects and activities so they can aptly and distinctly be identified as adaptation or risk reduction initiatives.  Many local government units who have made this attempt know that their plans will be eventually pass the test of climate resilience. So a current question among local government units of the Philippines is “what are the more appropriate and context-specific adaptation options available for their local respective local government units?”

The Adaptation Knowledge Platform is a UNEP initiative to provide a sharing and learning venue that facilitates knowledge building on climate change adaptation in and among Asian countries like Cambodia, China PR, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Nepal, , Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the Philippines — the focal countries for this initiative. The initiative seeks to develop adaptive capacities by supporting research and capacity building, policymaking, information assimilation, generation, management and sharing at the local, national and regional levels as the institution works with existing and emerging networks and initiatives.  The workshop will specifically bring together selected Local Government Units and other stakeholders to help facilitate a sharing on the state of Climate Change Adaptation in Local Government Units and facilitate a process of crafting of a Local Government Climate Change Adaption Capacity Development Strategy that can possibly complement existing initiatives of regional, national and local institutions.

Workshop Objectives

At the end of the two-day workshop, it is envisioned that participants will have

  •  a better appreciation of the climate change challenges and the state of climate change adaptation in local government units (LGUs);

  • Engaged in dynamic knowledge building process to better understand the nexus between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, the evolving analysis of vulnerabilities, and the pathways to resilience through adaptation options

  • Contributed to the crafting of a Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Capacity Development Strategy

Expected Workshop Output

  • Identified mechanisms for engagement of the LGUs and other Stakeholders in the Regional Adaptation Knowledge Platform

  • Indicative Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Capacity Development Strategy in the Philippines

Expected Workshop Outcome

  • An Adaptation Knowledge Platform among Local Government Units and other stakeholders in the Philippines that engages with the Regional Knowledge Platform

  • Identification of adaptation governance and policy, capacity building, processes and structures that will enable LGUs to develop climate resilience

Workshop Design

The Workshop will be divided into 3 parts:

  • Understanding the State of Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines:  the National Government Perspective

  • Understanding the State of Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines:  the Local Government Perspective

  • The Adaptation Imperative:  Perspectives from the Scientific Community and Community-based Practitioners

Read more: http://www.climateadapt.asia/events/Workshops%20/view/25 : http://www.climateadapt.asia/events/Workshops%20/view/25

TAGS:

  • Climate change