Formulating NAP In Nepal

In Nepal, governmental and non-governmental organisations are implementing NAPA-prioritised adaptation actions. MoPE is implementing Nepal Climate Change Support Programme (NCCSP), popularly known as LAPA project, in 14 most climate vulnerable districts of mid- and far-west Nepal.

Issue Name : Vol.9,No 20,May 6,2016 (Baisakh 24,2073)

Author: Batu Uprety, NAP Team Leader of Nepal.

Publisher: New Spotlight News Magazine.

http://www.spotlightnepal.com/News/Article/Formulating-NAP-Nepal

Nepal launched the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) formulation process in September 2015 with a view to promote in-country preparations to address medium- and long-term adaptation needs. Recently, resources are mobilised to expedite government-led NAP formulation process with financial support from UK Aid through the Oxford Policy Management and technical support from ACT and Practical Action.

On 30 April 2016, the Ministry of Population and Environment (MoPE) – the focal point for UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- organised a two-day orientation workshop to develop a common understanding on NAP process. Intensive interactions amongst participants provided options to make Nepal's NAP practical and implementable. Opening the workshop, Ram P. Lamsal, Joint-Secretary at MoPE and UNFCCC focal point, considered this initiative a 'corner stone' for capacity building, enriching the process, and identifying priorities. Naresh Sharma, NAP Coordinator at MoPE, informed about the previous initiatives on the NAP process and urged to extensively utilise adaptation knowledge and lessons learnt from the on-going programmes and projects. Gehendra Gurung from Practical Action informed that the technical NAP team has a greater responsibility to further identify and propose ways to address adaptation deficits.

In December 2010, Parties to the UNFCCC decided in Cancun, Mexico, to establish a process to enable LDCs to formulate and implement NAPs, building upon their experience in preparing and implementing the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA). Between 2011 and 2015, Parties decisions sufficiently urged for NAP formulation in the LDCs. As of April 2016, two LDCs (Burkina Faso and Cameroon) shared their NAP through the NAP Central of the UNFCCC. Parties have also made decisions that LDCs should be supported through the LDC Fund and the Green Climate Fund to formulate and implement their NAPs.

Signed by 175 Parties to the UNFCCC, Kamal Thapa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, put his signature on the Paris Agreement on 22 April 2016 at New York. Article 7 of the Paris Agreement calls upon Parties to engage in adaptation planning processes, including a process to formulate and implement the NAPs. The Paris Agreement calls, inter alia, for assessing climate change impacts and vulnerability with a view to formulate nationally determined prioritised actions, taking into account vulnerable people, places and ecosystems.

LDCs prepared NAPAs based on Parties decision in 2001 in Marrakesh, Morocco to address most urgent and immediate adaptation needs. LDCs are implementing their NAPA-prioritised adaptation actions to build adaptive capacity of the climate vulnerable communities with support from LDC Fund, bilateral and multilateral sources. In Nepal, governmental and non-governmental organisations are implementing NAPA-prioritised adaptation actions. MoPE is implementing Nepal Climate Change Support Programme (NCCSP), popularly known as LAPA project, in 14 most climate vulnerable districts of mid- and far-west Nepal. Knowledge generated and lessons learnt from LAPA implementation and other initiatives will greatly contribute to identify and prioritise Nepal's adaptation options and needs to address climate change impacts in the medium and long terms. Experiences of the NAPA preparation, enhanced knowledge on climate change adaptation in the recent years, study findings, stakeholders' concerns and consultations, and implementation of adaptation actions will help in making Nepal's NAP practical, easy to understand and implementable to address medium- and long-term adaptation needs of the poor and climate vulnerable communities and ecosystems.

NAPA largely focused on understanding climate change and building adaptive capacity. NAP aims at reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience; and facilitating the integration of climate change adaptation, in a coherent manner, into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, in particular development planning processes and strategies, within all relevant sectors and at different levels. Parties have issued initial guidelines for NAP formulation in 2011 and LDC Expert Group (LEG), as per its mandate, has developed NAP Technical Guidelines (building on initial guidelines) to assist LDCs in the NAP formulation and implementation processes.

Nepal is planning to prepare its NAP through thematic working group (TWG) approach as experienced during the NAPA preparation. A total of 7 sector TWGs (agriculture and food security; forests and biodiversity;water resources and energy; human health; climate-induced disasters; urban settlement and infrastructure; and tourism, natural and cultural heritage) and 2 cross-cutting TWGs (gender and social inclusion; and livelihood and governance), led by the senior government official of the concerned ministries, will be actively engaged in processes while formulating Nepal's NAP. Multi-stakeholder engagement in the NAP process is expected to build country capacity in addressing climate change impacts, faced by different sectors, poor people and ecosystems.

The NAP process will provide ample opportunities to integrate climate change adaptation (CCA) into national to local instruments such as policies, strategies, plans, programmes and activities of all relevant sectors. It will equally enhance understanding on CCA, develop ownership and ultimately contribute to reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, build adaptive capacity and resilience, and make social and economic development climate-resilient.

The article is the property of New Spotlight News Magazine.

Examining Climate Change Adaptation

Adaptation is the option left to the poor and climate vulnerable communities of Nepal.

Issue Name : Vol.9 No 22, June 3,2016 (Jesth 21)

Author: Batu Uprety

URL:http://www.spotlightnepal.com/News/Article/Nepal-NAPA-Adaptation-examining-climate-change

Publisher: New Spotlight News Magazine.

Nepal's Finance Minister, in his budget speech on 28 May 2016, has emphasized strengthening national capacity to harness the international climate change finance in order to implement activities to reduce climate change impacts and adapt. As Nepal makes negligible contribution of greenhouse gas emissions, it is natural to prioritize programs to reduce impacts of climate change on people, livelihoods and resources and develop capacity of the climate vulnerable communities to adapt and build resilience to climate change impacts. This signals the urgency for building capacity at systemic, institutional and individual levels to address climate change effects in such a way that it contributes to improve our livelihoods.

Adaptation is the option left to the poor and climate vulnerable communities of Nepal. It should be considered as a 'development agenda' and a 'survival strategy' for poor people and their livelihoods.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) provides the least developed countries like Nepal opportunities to adapt to climate change impacts. Developed countries have made commitments to provide technical and financial support to the LDCs with focus on adaptation and capacity building. The Paris Agreement equally focuses on climate change adaptation. In view of the need for technical examination on adaptation, Parties to the UNFCCC in December 2015 at Paris decided to 'launch, in the period 2016-2020, a technical examination process on adaptation' (TEP-A) for enhanced pre-2020 actions (on adaptation). This process has a clear objective of identifying concrete opportunities for strengthening resilience, reducing vulnerabilities, and increasing understanding to implement adaptation actions.

This TEP-A has functions of: (i) facilitating the sharing of good practices, experiences and lessons learned; (ii) promoting cooperative action on adaptation; (iii) identifying actions, including actions that could enhance economic diversification and have mitigation co-benefits; and (iv) identifying opportunities to strengthen enabling environments and enhance the provision of support for adaptation in the context of specific policies, practices and actions. The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) provides opportunities to reduce vulnerability, and integrate adaptation into new and existing policies, strategies, plans and programs.

The first technical examination meeting (TEM) of this process was held in Bonn on 24-25 May 2016 to discuss policies, actions and concrete opportunities in implementing adaptation actions and understand its benefits. This meeting was organized by the Adaptation Committee of the UNFCCC and supported by the Secretariat. This meeting focused on reducing vulnerability and mainstreaming climate change adaptation, including the process to formulate and implement NAPs. It discussed on gaps, needs, challenges, options and opportunities for the implementation of adaptation actions on the ground. The meeting also discussed on enhancing adaptation actions and supports, including opportunities and options for accelerating the implementation of adaptation actions, policy frameworks and institutional arrangement and enhancing multi-level governance, including stakeholder engagement.

This TEP-A also provided an opportunity to share experiences, good practices and learning on on-the-ground adaptation actions of Nepal and provided additional opportunity to interact with participants to inform on the accomplishments of LAPAs. The multi-level coordination mechanisms on climate change in Nepal (Village/Municipality level climate change coordination to Climate Change Council, chaired by the Prime Minister) was considered a unique approach in coordinating and integrating climate change adaptation options at different levels – local to national levels. Furthermore, Nepal has ensured multi-stakeholders coordination through the Multi-stakeholder Climate Change Initiatives Coordination Committee (MCCICC), established in 2010 and represented by the relevant government institutions, associations of the local bodies, NGOs and CBOs, academia and research institutions and development partners supporting implementation of climate change activities in Nepal. Nepal's experiences on coordination arrangement from local to highest political levels provide opportunities to realize country-driven approaches.

Adaptation is basically 'for the' poor and climate vulnerable 'people, by the people and to the people'. Nepal's LAPA promotes identification, prioritization, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of adaptation actions by the people for themselves. In Nepal, NAPA provided a basis to identify most urgent and immediate adaptation actions/options and these options have been localized through LAPA framework. Nepal now understands 'what worked and what did not'. Now time has come to delegate necessary authorities to local level in order to ensure integration of adaptation options into new and existing initiatives. Experiences of NAPA preparation and LAPA implementation is expected to influence the NAP formulation process. The Ministry of Population and Environment, UNFCCC focal point, has initiated NAP formulation process with financial support from UK Aid through the Oxford Policy Management and technical support from ACT and Practical Action.

In a nutshell, TEP-A provided opportunities to further understand adaptation as context-specific priority. Multi-stakeholder engagement is a pre-requisite for the design and successful implementation of adaptation actions. Enhancing the role of media will contribute to share both good and bad practices and minimize malpractices on adaptation. Also enhancing dialogue and consultations between policy-makers and practitioners will contribute to realize the issues and maximize benefits. More emphasis should be given to share bad or 'failure' practices. If we continue to shy to share failures, we will repeat mistakes. It demands for more documentation and redoubling of our efforts to implement climate change adaptation actions on-the-ground. We need to adopt successful and effective adaptation options. For this, NAP will provide medium and long-term options.

The article is the property of New Spotlight News Magazine.