Phnom Penh, 26 September 2024 – The National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD)/Ministry of Environment, Cambodia and UN-Habitat launched a new four-year, USD 10 million project titled “Increasing Climate Resilience through Small-Scale Infrastructure Investments and Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Vulnerable Communities in Kampot and Koh Kong Provinces,” funded by the Adaptation Fund.

The inception workshop was presided over by His Excellency Chuop Paris, Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment, and Ms. Odicea Angelo Barrios, Human Settlements Officer of the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Many participants from line ministries, sob-national officials from Kampot and Koh Kong Provinces, and other UN agencies, development partners and NGOs also attended the event. In total, 94 people (including 26 women) participated in the workshop to witness the project launch.

The inception workshop served as a platform for sharing the project’s work plan, implementation arrangement, and clear roles and responsibilities among stakeholders. Key topics included an overview of the project’s Environmental and Social Management Plans, which are designed to ensure that all interventions are not only effective but also sustainable and ethical. The event emphasized the importance of transparency and cooperation, as all stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to tackling climate-related challenges in Cambodia.

Ms. Barrios welcomed the participants by emphasizing the importance of cooperation and partnership with the NCSD/MoE, local authorities and communities from two target provinces to work on a sustainable environment and climate change.

“This project is very essential and serves as a good model for coastal communities to build climate resilience through capacity building and small-scale infrastructure to adapt to climate change,” said His Excellency Chuop Paris, Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment.

Ms. Long Sona, the national project manager, presented the project’s overview and work plan to the participants. He addressed that this ambitious initiative addresses Cambodia’s suffering from climate change, particularly in the coastal provinces where communities regularly face flooding, saltwater intrusion, and other extreme weather events. These recurring challenges have highlighted the need for stronger climate resilience and adaptive capacity, notably for the most vulnerable urban dwellers.

The project’s overall objective is to support climate resilient and adaptive development and increase capacity for climate variability/change adaptation of target communities living in Kampot and Koh Kong Provinces. The project is structured around the following three components:

Component 1: Increasing coping capacity by promoting climate-resilient small-scale infrastructure,

Component 2: Adapting to current impacts of climate change through recovery of coastal ecosystems, and livelihood improvement and diversification, and

Component 3: Building capacity and knowledge sharing to reduce vulnerability to climate change.

With close collaboration among relevant stakeholders, the next step of the project is to roll out activities, such as capacity-building activities targeting communities and sub-national authorities, mangrove ecosystem restoration, constructing resilient housing, livelihood diversification, and rehabilitating/renovating small-scale infrastructure including water reservoirs and canals.

As Cambodia continues its efforts to build climate resilience, this project represents a significant contribution to safeguarding the future of vulnerable communities in these coastal provinces.

“The workshop was presided over by the Secretary of State to conclude with full agreement on the project work plan and proceed among the stakeholders, enabling the official implementation of project activities. We will work closely with NCSD/ MoE, local authorities, and communities to achieve the project objectives,” said Mr. Vanna Sok, UN-Habitat Cambodia.