Saturday, August 23, 2008

UN and Philippine Climate Change

The United Nations and the Government of the Philippines (GoP) signed a 3-year Joint Programme on "Strengthening the Philippines' Institutional Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change" with a USD 8-million funding from the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDGF).

UN Resident Coordinator Nileema Noble signed the Joint Programme Document (JPD) for the UN and NEDA Director General Ralph Recto.

The six participating UN agencies in the joint programme include: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN Habitat, International Labour Organization (ILO) and World Health Organization (WHO), as implementing partners NEDA, DENR, DA, DOLE, DTI, DOST, and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

The program is timely given the worldwide effects now being felt from global warming and climate change. The program will focus on Climate risk reduction; enhanced national and local capacity to develop, manage and administer plans, programs and projects addressing climate change risks; and coping mechanisms.

Specifically, the program will also determine the vulnerability of critical sectors of the Philippines to climate change and strengthen the country's adaptive capacity by enhancing the policy making, planning, programming and implementation capacities of key stakeholders, particularly the responsible national government agencies. - PIA

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