Adaptation to climate change in the countries of - Mekong River ...

4. National policy responses to climate change
The following sections provide information on policy responses in each of the LMB countries
that specifically address climate change. It also describes other policies identified by the NETs
which relate to climate change, and which are relevant for the mainstreaming of climate change
issues.
4.1 Cambodia
Cambodia ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
on December 18, 1995 and acceded to the Kyoto Protocol on July 2, 2002. The country’s Initial
National Communication (MOE, 2002) was submitted to the UNFCCC on October 8, 2002. The
Second National Communication was initiated in January 2007 and is expected to be completed
in December 2009.
The primary policy framework for climate change is the National Adaptation Programme
of Action to Climate Change (NAPA) which was submitted in March 2007 to the UNFCCC
(MOE, 2006). The aim has been to develop a realistically achievable country-driven programme
of action and priority activities addressing the needs for adapting to the adverse impacts of
climate change. The climate hazards addressed by Cambodia’s NAPA are flood, drought,
windstorm, high tide, salt water intrusion and malaria.
The proposed NAPA projects are already justified by current climate conditions and would
contribute to national sustainable development regardless of the magnitude of future climate
change impacts on Cambodia. Under changing climate conditions, including higher frequencies
of climate hazards, the selected priority activities would be even more attractive. A total of 39
project profiles were developed, amounting to an estimated budget of US$130 million.
Other Cambodian policies and programmes do not fully integrate global policies on climate
change, but focus mainly on post-disaster emergency relief. Numerous Royal Decrees and
national laws are relevant to environment and sustainable development and climate change
response, but do not explicitly mention climate change. These include the Royal Decree on the
Creation and Designation of Protected Areas (1993), the Law on Environmental Protection and
Natural Resource Management (1996), the Forestry Law (2002), as well as actions related to
disaster management (National Committee for Disaster Management, 2002).
The negative impacts of climate change are only discussed briefly in national Socio-
Economic Development Plan, under goals and strategies for the environment, agriculture and
disaster relief. Other important national policy documents identified, which are relevant to
climate change, include the National Strategic Development Plan 2006 to 2010 and the National
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