Philippines

News - Energy and Environment for Sustainable Development

By Cai U. Ordinario
Reporter

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) for the Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR/CCA) in  Local Development Planning and Decision-making Processes project.

In a statement, the NEDA said the agreement tasks the CCC to prepare a Framework Strategy and Program on Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP), which is mandated under the recently passed Climate Change Act.

"[The NCCAP] will contain strategies and programs to address climate change and identify measures to promote convergence in initiatives of various institutions working on climate change and disaster risk reduction.  NEDA will release P5.6 million to the commission for the framework strategy and the NCCAP," the NEDA said.

The Aus$2.5-million project will be implemented by NEDA through its Regional Development Coordination Staff, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Australian Agency for International Development.

The project aims to raise the capacity of government and communities in addressing disaster and climate risks in an integrated manner by bringing awareness and understanding of DRR/CCA to the community level, and incorporating it into local-level land use and development plans.

"The project also includes the enhancement of multi-stakeholder cooperation by creating mechanisms for their participation," the NEDA added.

The project started in July 2009 and will run until June 2012. It stemmed from the previous NEDA-UNDP-EU project on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in Sub-national Development and Land-Use/Physical Planning completed in 2008.
Signing on behalf of the NEDA was NEDA OIC-Deputy Director General Marcelina Bacani.  The CCC was represented by CCC executive director Heherson Alvarez, a former environment secretary