Cambodia holds Second National Forum on Climate Change

Monday, 03 October 2011

Cambodia's Minister of Environment, H.E. Dr. Mok Mareth, left, delivers his speech in the opening session of the Second National Forum on Climate Change on Monday, October 3, 2011. (UNDP/Sanghak Kan)

PHNOM PENH – Cambodia opened the second conference on climate change on Monday, with officials from the government and UNDP stressing the need for coordinated efforts to tackle the impacts of climate change.

In his opening remarks, UNDP Cambodia Resident Representative Douglas Broderick said such efforts should focus on building resilience of poor people in the Cambodian society who usually bear the brunt of impacts of the global warming.

“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,” he said.

The forum comes at a time Cambodia is struggling with a severe flooding in more than a decade.

The flood, which began in late last month, is the worst since 2000. Fourteen provinces around the Tonle Sap lake, along the Mekong River and in the northeastern part of the country have been affected. As of September 30, some 148 people were reported by the government to have died due to the flood, which has affected some 170,000 families.

Participants listen to the speakers during the event.
(UNDP/Sanghak Khan)

More than 270,000 hectares of rice field were inundated and up to 80,000 hectares of rice crop were damaged, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on national television TVK on Oct. 1.

“The situation is causing the hardship to the people who are losing their crops due to the flood,” he said.

The First National Forum on Climate Change was held in October 2009 to raise awareness of climate change as a development challenge and to trigger thinking about policy and action to respond to this global problem.

Taking place through October 5, the Second National Forum on Climate Change aims to facilitate a constructive policy dialogue among stakeholders to assist the country in formulating an effective national policy and strategic plan to address climate change.

Speaking in the opening session of the Second National Forum on Monday, H.E. Dr. Mok Mareth, Senior Minister and Minister of Environment, said many achievements have been made since the first forum, especially in strengthening capacity of the government’s institutions and conducting research to prepare strategic plan on climate change.

“Cambodia must prepare itself to exist under climate change scenario. This requires us to formulate new policy and adjust our strategy and practices in all socio-economic aspects to ensure sustainable development in the climate change context,” he said.

The Ministry of Environment is organizing the forum with support from the European Union, UNDP, Danish International Development Agency, Swedish International Development Agency, Oxfam and Denmark’s Dan Church Aid/Christian Aid.