[ 23 March 2009 ]

A consultative workshop to discuss a draft National Climate Risk Management Strategy and Action Plan has been held jointly by National Emergency Management Agency and UNDP project ‘Strenthening the disaster mitigation and management systems in Mongolia’ on 23 April, 2009.
           
Opening the workshop, Mr. M. Enkhbold, Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia underlined the importance of addressing the risks associated with climate change and its consequences in Mongolia. “An increase of average annual temperature in Mongolia is three times higher than the global average annual temperature rise over the past 100 years” he said. Emphasizing the negative impact of climate change on the livelihoods of many Mongolians, especially herders and farmers, whose life is highly dependent on nature and natural resources, Deputy Prime Minister stressed the importance of concerted efforts in mitigating impacts of climate change.

Ms. Debora Comini, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative has also stressed, “climate change will increase people’s vulnerability through environmental degradation, reduced water supply, food insecurity and changes to livelihoods”. Further emphasizing the inseparable link between disaster and climate risk, Ms. Comini said that according to the statistics of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Risks, 75 percent of all disasters are related to extreme weather changes.” As Mongolia is a country extremely prone to natural disasters, addressing climate change risks is of priority importance in Mongolia. “Within this context, UNDP is continuing to support the National Emergency Management Agency through the project for Disaster Strengthening, co-funded by the Government of Luxembourg”, underlined Ms. Comini.

"National Climate Risk Management Strategy and Action Plan" developed by 15 leading experts proposed innovative and essential options of climate change adaptation to reduce disaster risks and improve preparedness and prevention through utilizing modern technologies, fostering community participation and enlarging ownership opportunities.

The strategy implementation activities will be integrated into MDG-based National Development Strategy, National program on Combating Desertification, Agriculture and intensified animal husbandry promotion program, Virgin land III campaign, Ecologically-clean products program, National water program, Food supply, safety and nutrition, Livestock fodder program, A healthy Mongolian program and other relevant sectoral programs.

“For the strategy and its implementation plan to serve as a starting point to address the risks associated with climate change and its consequences, we should ensure it will not be kept locked in a closet, the way many programmes end up when there is a change of government. In order to avoid this, we are suggesting options to link the strategy’s actions to the functions of existing institutions, which should retain coordination responsibilities during any government” noted Ms. Comini.

Participants of the workshop, comprising more than 90 stakeholders representing President’s Office, Parliament, ministries, aimag governors, government and non-governmental agencies, academia, UNDP and other international organizations have extensively discussed the draft strategy and its action plan and proposed priority recommendations to be reflected in the document. The Strategy and Action Plan will be submitted for endorsement to the Government of Mongolia.

***