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VOL. 28, NO. 22, Feb 20, 2009 (Falgun 09 2065)
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Raising Awareness
The participants of two-days National Awareness Raising Workshop on Climate Change discuss various issues regarding the climate change
By KESHAB POUDEL in Dhulikhel
Although climate change is going to affect many sectors in Nepal including health, water resources, agriculture and forestry, there is very little awareness on the impact of the climate change among the stakeholders at government and other levels.
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Experts Meet: Raising Awareness |
Organized by Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and United Nations Development Program, over 54 participants representing various ministries, departments of the government and stakeholders from non-governmental and international non-governmental organizations discussed the issues of climate with the international and national experts to launch the mitigation as well as adoption strategy for the future.
Inaugurated by Minister of Environment, Science and Technology Ganesh Shaha, one of the aims of the national awareness raising workshop on climate change was to raise the awareness of policy makers and build their capacities on four pillars of the Bali Road Map (Adaptation, Mitigation, Technology and Finance) and Investment and Financial Flows ( I and FF) of the four key sectors identified by the government of Nepal to address adaptation (Agriculture, Health, Water and GLOFs) and Mitigation (Forests).
" Nepal is very valuable to climate change as the rising temperature is going to affect our snow in the Himalayas, the life line of country's water system," said Minister Shaha. "The discussion in the workshop will help us to draft the programs for future."
The two day workshop, among others, had technical sessions dealing with the four pillars of the Bali Road Map as well as on the methodology to asses (I and FF) of the four key sectors identified by the government of Nepal to address adaptation( Agriculture, Health, Water and GLOFs) and Mitigation (Forests).
The workshop had technical sessions dealing with the four pillars of the Bali Road Map as well as on the methodology to assess I and F flows in Nepal. These presentations were made considering the international context, supplemented by national experts, who shared the outcomes of the four national issue papers on the topics of agriculture, forestry, water and GLOFs and health. The participants, through the working group discussions during the technical sessions of the workshop had discussed the key issues under adaptation and mitigation for the sectors as identified by the government of Nepal.
"The government is preparing a long term strategy to cope with the effects of the climate change. This workshop helped a lot to generate awareness among various stake holders," said Umesh Kanta Mainali, secretary to the ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.
Supported by UNDP, the program is first of its kinds. "Workshop seeks to build a bridge between national and international efforts and to facilitate national and international efforts and to facilitate a national dialogue on climate change. We are able to achieve the key messages about how to approach the investment and financial flows assessments and how to co-ordinate ministerial views relevant to the Bali Action Plan negotiations and how to further develop and refine a national position," said Bhujung Dhamaji, Climate Policy Specialist, UNDP NY HQ.
At a time when Copenhagen summit is coming closer, these kinds of exercise will help to prepare Nepal's proposal focusing on Nepal's need.
"We are very much aware that you all the participants make a lot of contribution to make the workshop success. There were number of presentations focused on Agriculture, Forest, Water and GLOFs and Health followed by group discussions and group works," said Purushotam Ghimire, joint secretary and head of environment Division of Ministry.
Although there is no adequate data to prove that Nepal's ongoing extreme weather pattern has anything to do with climate change, Nepal has been facing some extreme weather pattern in last few years.
"Climate change is reality now but the understanding about the climate change among the stakeholders is very low," said Batu Krishna Uprety, chief Environment Assessment Section, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.
"As Nepal has already entered into a stage to prepare the NAPA, the country will be in a position to present its case for fund," said Vijay Singh, ARR, and UNDP.
Facilitated by internationally renowned experts like Bhujung Dhamaji of UNDP, Ainun Nishat of IUCN, Herman Carlino of Argentina and Kanna Sreelakshmi of India, the workshop also saw expert papers on Nepal by Bal Krishna Prasai, Adarsha Pokharel, Dr. Bandana Pradhan and Arun Rijal.
