Desktop Study on - Regional Climate Change Adaptation ...

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Enhance the integration of climate change
concerns into relevant policies and strategies;
Mobilize resources, in particular grants, for
the implementation of these climate change
policies, programmes and legal instruments;
Promote the transfer of appropriate
technologies and conservation;
Coordinate activities concerning the
implementation of the UNFCCC and other
climate change international agreements;
Promote education, awareness raising, training
and information dissemination on climate
change for the general public;
Coordinate and oversee the implementation of
climate change projects; and
Promote international cooperation in the field
of climate change
The above-mentioned three coordination bodies are
linked in the following structure:
Action Plans and Programmes
supporting Climate Change
Adaptation
National Adaptation Program of Action
strategic plan
The development of the National Adaptation
Program of Action (NAPA) for Cambodia was led by
the Climate Change Project Committee of MoE as the
Executing Agency responsible for project planning,
overall management and outputs delivery (Ministry
of Environment, 2006, Resurreccion et al., 2008).
The NAPA was endorsed by the RGC in 2006. The
main objectives of the NAPA are 1) to understand the
main characteristics of climate hazards in Cambodia
(flood, drought, windstorm, high tide, salt water
intrusion and malaria); (2) to understand coping
mechanisms to climate hazards and climate change
at the grassroots level; (3) to understand existing
programmes and institutional arrangements for
addressing climate hazards and climate change;
(4) to identify and prioritise adaptation activities
to climate hazards and climate change” (Ministry
of Environment, 2006). The NAPA is divided into
three categories: (1) capacity building/training (2)
awareness raising/education; and (3) infrastructure
development, and it consists of 39 priority activities
including 20 projects for the water resources and
agriculture sectors (ibid). Among these activities,
20 projects are identified as high priority, of which
9 are related to water resources and agriculture
sector, 5 are coastal zone sector, 4 are health sector
and 2 are cross-sectoral projects. Listed here the
high prioritised projects in the agriculture, water
resources and coastal zone sectors:
Agriculture and Water Resources
Rehabilitation of a multiple-use reservoir in
Takeo province
Rehabilitation of multiple-use dams in Takeo
and Kampong Speu provinces
Development and rehabilitation of flood
protection dikes
Rehabilitation of upper Mekong and provincial
waterways
Water gates and water culverts construction
Safer water supply for rural communities
Development and improvement of small-scale
aquaculture ponds
Promotion of household integrated farming
Development and improvement of community
irrigation systems
Coastal Zone
Community and household water supply in
coastal provinces
Rehabilitation of multiple-use canals in Banteay
Meas district, Kampot province
Rehabilitation of coastal protection
infrastructure
Community mangrove restoration and
sustainable use of natural resources
Community based agricultural soil conservation
in Srae Ambel district, Koh Kong province
Medium Term Strategy for Agriculture and
Water 2006-2010
In the same year as the NAPA being endorsed, the
National Strategic Development Plan 2006-2010
(NSDP) was approved by the RGC. With its priority on
poverty alleviation and economic growth, the NSDP
particularly emphasised on enhancement of the
agriculture sector and placed the formulation of the
agriculture and water resources strategy as the first
priority strategy of the NSDP (Royal Government
of Cambodia, 2007). To fulfil this requirement,
the Medium Term Strategy for Agriculture and
Water 2006-2010 was established jointly by
donors and members of the Technical Working
Group- Agriculture and Water and approved by
two Ministries, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries and Ministry of Water Resources and
Meteorology in 2007 (Solar, 2009). Under the eight
key components of the strategy, climate change
issues were addressed in the component of “mobilise
natural resource water, land soils” as a basic strategy
for enhancement of the agriculture sector, including
assessment of climate change and potential of
surface and ground water for crop yields forecasting
and seasonal planning for agricultural production
(Royal Government of Cambodia, 2007).
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