Download Support development/review of sub-regional climate change action

Mountains and climate change
adaptation
Short update from Carpathian Convention
and UNEP
EIONET- Meeting, Copenhagen, 14 June 2016
Mr. Matthias Jurek
UNEP Regional Office for Europe, Vienna Office – Secretariat of the Carpathian
Convention
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Environmental challenges in mountains
Extractive industries
Transport
Hydropower/
Infrastructure
Tourism
Climate change
Waste
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UNEP’s portfolio on mountains
Climate change
Env. Governance
EBA Mt. Flagship Project, REGATTA, Cc and adaptation in the
Alps, Climate change in the Carpathians etc.
Carpathian Convention, transboundary institutional mechanism:
Caucasus scientific network, ICSD (Central Asia), Africa
Ecosystem
Management
ECOPOTENTIAL – use of Earth of Observation in Protected Areas,
Great Apes Partnership Survival (GRASP)
Chemicals and
waste
Global Mountain Waste Outlook, extractive industries/mining
(South East Europe)
Environment
under Review
Assessments, Atlas, policy briefs, UNEP-Live, etc.
Global Mt. Partnerschip, SDGs/Post-2015 and mountains,
collaboration with global MEAs (UNFCCC,CBD,UNCCD)
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“Climate change action in developing countries with fragile
mountain ecosystem from a sub-regional perspective”
Duration: 2014-2017, Total: 1.75 Mio. EUR co-financed by Austria (UNFCCC FSF)
Objective: Support to mountainous developing countries to integrate mountain
specific climate change adaptation into relevant development
policies/plans/strategies  from a sub-regional perspective
- Understand climate change vulnerabilities and impacts (synthesize information)
- Analysis of relevant policies and frameworks and bottlenecks
- Trigger policy action from a sub-regional perspective
- Inter-regional exchange of experiences with other mountain regions (in
particular regional mechanisms: Alpine and Carpathian Convention and
HKH/HICAP)
Main Outputs:
 Participatory assessments (synthesis) related to climate change and adaptation
 Establish (inter)-regional cooperation platforms and support
development/review of sub-regional climate change action plans/strategic
agendas etc. in context of relevant institutional mechanisms
Targeted regions: East Africa, Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia, Andes
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Partners (not exhaustive):
Launch of
“Mountain Adaptation Outlook
series” high-level side event
COP21, Paris, Int. Mountain Day
Current state (synthesized) of knowledge and information related to climate change and
adaptation in targeted mountainous sub-regions:
2015: Balkan, Caucasus
2016: (Tropical) Andes, East Africa, Central Asia
2017 (planned): Hindu Kush Himalayas, Carpathians
UNEPs inter-regional project “Climate change action in developing countries with fragile
mountainous ecosystems from a sub-regional perspective” (funded by Government of
Austria)
Identified priority action towards promoting/development of mountain agenda on the
sub-regional level (implementation of Rio+ 20 outcome!)
Participatory governmentally owned approach (East African Community, Interstate
Commission for Sustainable Development, etc.)
With support of the Government of Austria and further cofinancing support by Government of Norway
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CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES WITH FRAGILE MOUNTAINOUS
ECOSYSTEMS FROM A SUB-REGIONAL
PERSPECTIVE
METHODOLOGY for producing sub-regional
MOUNTAIN RESPONSE ASSESSMENTS
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Objectives of the Assessments
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•
•
•
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State and trends of climate change
Vulnerability of mountain ecosystems to climate change
Climate change adaptation policies and strategies
Policy gap analysis
Priority areas for future action
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Strong visualization products
Strengthening the science – policy
interface
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Next steps
Building on Series of Regional Mountain Adaptation Outlooks:
Interregional
Regional
Regional/
national
o Share of experience and knowledge between mountain regions
(following same methodology used for outlooks)
o Establish (inter)-regional cooperation and dialogue and foster
development of projects based on experience exchange:
Mountain cluster within GAN Network?
o Support development/review of sub-regional climate change
action plans/strategic agendas etc. in context of relevant
institutional mechanisms (e.g. High Andean Initiative, EAC, ICSD)
to guide further coherent development of activities & initiatives
o Catalysing concrete follow-up action (project ideas, etc.)
promoting climate change adaptation in mountains using financial
and technical assistance programmes and facilities
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Concrete opportunities/ongoing
ideas with mountain focus
• Azerbaijan: “Strengthening Capacities to Assess Climate Change
Vulnerability and Impacts in Azerbaijan’s Mountain Regions”
(CTCN)
• Azerbaijan: “Strengthening capacity and practice on climate
change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning in more
vulnerable regions of Azerbaijan” (AF)
• Georgia: “Technical assistance for assessing the feasibility of and
building capacity in Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in
Georgia’s mountain regions” (CTCN)
• Georgia: “Safeguarding climate-resilient local tourism and related
infrastructure in mountain regions through ecosystem-based
adaptation” (GCF)
• Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan: “Promoting sustainable
livelihoods and green infrastructure in Central Asia mountain
regions under climate uncertainties using an Ecosystem-based
approach“ (ICI)
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The Carpathian Convention and cc adaptation
• Working Group on climate change adaptation
• Towards implementation of Strategic Agenda
• “Future imperfect – climate change and adaptation in the
Carpathians”
• Strong cooperation with EEA: contribution to Platform on
adaptation
• Future possible revision of Framework Convention: inclusion
of Article on climate change adaptation (COP 5, 2017)
• Strong cooperation with Alpine Convention based on MoU
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Some food for thoughts …
• Mountains as “sexy” topic and many areas relevant for
sustainable mountain development (incl. donors interest)
• Within UN system UNEP as recognized leading organization on
mountains and climate change
• Great potential for expanding activities building on UNEP’ s
experience and knowledge (incl. EBA Mountain flagship project)
• Strengthening regional/ inter-regional cooperation
• Possible inclusion of mountain cluster within GAN?
• Potential areas for future work: urban EBA in mountain areas,
Food water energy nexus in mountains (agriculture, hydropower)
loss and damage, strengthening drr-adaptation linkage, etc.
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Thank you for your attention
Contacts:
Mr. Matthias Jurek
Programme Manager
ROE/UNEP Vienna SCC
[email protected]
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