TA 7509 – LAO: Capacity Enhancement for Coping with Climate Change

The technical assistance (TA) would strengthen capacity of national and provincial government officials of Lao PDR to cope with climate change. The TA had included (i) capacity development, and (ii) implementing pilot activities on climate change in priority sectors including water, agriculture and forestry. The consultants undertook field visits and reviewed/assessed and compiled/collated data on current status and lessons / experiences that had been drawn from climate change activities and ensured that these were fully reflected on proposed activities. The TA was implemented in a fully participatory manner and regular consultation meetings must have been held with stakeholders. Consultants had also reviewed relevant documents such as National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, National Adaptation Program of Action, and National Disaster Reduction Strategy 2020, and information on agriculture, water, energy and waste management policies. Education, training, and public awareness-raising campaign: The TA included public awareness programs on climate change aimed specifically at youth, women, community leaders, and senior citizens. Training programs targeted government personnel in both national and provincial environmental management units to build skills in economics, policy making, planning, and budgeting related to climate change through learning-by-doing activities, staff exchanges, study tours, and participation in local and national training events and forums. Collaborative mechanisms for information dissemination and additional pilot activities: This output, under the leadership of WREA, will included (i) disseminating lessons from the TA both nationally and internationally; (ii) supporting regional advisory and information-sharing bodies such as forums organized by the Mekong River Commission through its climate change adaptation initiative; and (iii) designing additional pilot activities to allow eventual scaling up and replication of the TA outcomes.