Remarks by Resident Representative Douglas Broderick at the launch of the Cambodia Human Development Report 2011

Excellency Keat Chhon, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Finance,

Excellency Dr. Mok Mareth, Senior Minister and Minister of Environment,

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

 

It is my great honour to be with you this afternoon as we launch the Cambodia Human Development Report 2011. It is a pleasure to be here on behalf of UNDP.

 

Many of you and the organisations you represent provided input and contributions to the development of this Report. On behalf of UNDP, I would like to express our gratitude for your generous contributions of time and expertise, as well as to our development partners for their active support of climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

 

National Human Development Reports have been produced for several decades in countries all over the world. They are in-depth, independent, nationally-owned policy analysis documents that provide important insights into the human impacts of issues and events currently affecting a country.

 

This is Cambodia’s seventh National Human Development Report. High quality research and analysis, coupled with a commitment to broad, collective ownership and respect for different viewpoints ensure that this Report’s findings and recommendations do not represent special interests, but belong to Cambodia and to the Cambodian people.

 

This report is an impressive example of such an impartial, evidence-based approach to examining a very important issue. While climate change is the focus of this report, it is the impact of climate change on rural livelihoods and on human development that are the real substance of the report. People and human development are at the centre of the analysis and recommendations.

 

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

 

Climate change for Cambodia is fundamentally a development challenge. Cambodia is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. This vulnerability does not necessarily come from high exposure, but rather from low adapting and coping capacities. These capacities can and should be strengthened, not only as part of a broader national response to the manifestations of climate change, but also to enhance the country’s ability to respond to all natural disasters and to lessen their impacts on the poor and the near poor.

 

Because climate change will require coping with higher degrees of risk and uncertainty, the Report encourages interventions described as “No Regrets” that will improve human development and adaptive capacity and will protect the rights and interests of the poor and vulnerable. The best approach to building resilient rural livelihoods in the context of climate change will be to adopt approaches that will provide benefits by addressing current development priorities. For example, establishing social safety nets and improving Disaster Risk Reduction efforts will provide immediate benefits in line with the Royal Government’s goals. At the same time, doing so will also strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations, improving their ability to respond to the potential impacts of climate change. But this also requires looking at long-term development objectives though a new lens,, and supporting the kind of informed, deliberative public debate and decision-making that can address the uncertainties and risks that climate change will bring.

 

Climate change is a source of particular, and increasing, vulnerability for the poor and near poor. The Report’s recommendations emphasise the need to address the structural dimensions of poverty and vulnerability rather than solely focusing on climate change adaptation. Regarding climate change as a source of vulnerability and a threat to the country’s development gains, the CHDR pays special attention to rural poverty and vulnerability. With the vast majority of Cambodia’s poor living in rural areas and depending on agriculture, understanding and responding to the root causes of rural poverty and vulnerability are essential to understanding the human development implications of climate change, and to developing the means to mitigate those effects.

 

For Cambodia’s rural populations, there are four key areas that require well-coordinated efforts to build climate resilience:

 

Water resources

Many of the effects of climate change will be felt through water. Thus, management of water resources is essential to building climate resilient rural livelihoods. An integrated approach to managing water resources will balance water availability and water demand, so that access to water resources among different uses and users can be equitable, economically efficient, and, most importantly, sustainable. Solutions will not only be found in building water infrastructure. Integrated water resource management requires looking at how we plan, ensuring we maintain the ecosystems – the watersheds, land and forests – that produce the fresh water on which we depend.

 

Agriculture

Climate change predictions suggest that temperatures will increase and seasons will shift. Farmers will need to adapt to both these sets of vulnerability factors to create more resilient rural livelihoods. While Cambodian farmers have always adapted, ensuring that they are able to respond to climate will require additional support from the State, NGOs, the donor community and the private sector.

 

Forest

Protecting forests – and thereby watersheds and land – can contribute to ecological protection, water resource management, sustainable land use and agriculture, and human health. REDD+ clearly has enormous potential for Cambodia. But for Cambodia to benefit from REDD+, it must put in place a system of monitoring, reporting and verification.

 

Fisheries

Dealing with climate change impacts on fisheries will require efforts at many different scales, including community and commercial fisheries. However, it will be necessary to refocus fisheries management on the level of broader landscapes and waterscapes.

 

These sectors are all interrelated and will require a comprehensive and integrated approach.

 

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

 

Our responses to climate change will need to transcend economic sectors, populations, and geographic boundaries. We are very pleased that this CHDR has fully embraced the values of this broad participation and multi-disciplinary approach, as evidenced by the very representative group here today, as well as by the inclusive process that created this Cambodia Human Development Report.

 

It is our sincere hope that this report will be a tool to bring to the climate change dialogue facts and policy recommendations that will help rural Cambodians to safeguard and improve their livelihoods to withstand the effects of climate change.

 

We look forward to continuing this fruitful collaboration and taking the next steps on this path together.

 

Som Awkun. Thank you.