National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Expo
The Third Interministerial Conference on Health and Environment hosted a regional NAP Expo, which aims to create an opportunity to discuss issues related to the formulation and implementation of NAPs, and to catalyze actions and support for the NAP process.
The objective of the NAP process, which was established under the Cancun Adaptation Framework (CAF), is to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience. It also seeks to facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation, in a coherent manner, into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, in particular development planning processes and strategies, within all relevant sectors and at different levels.
The NAP Expo in Libreville focused on how NAPs can be integrated into the Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular emphasis on the health sector, and what can be done by countries to develop climate resilient health systems. These plans are necessary as climate change affects the health and wellbeing of populations resulting from drought, flooding and other extreme conditions. In order to facilitate this integrated approach to NAPs, WHO together with stakeholders has developed supplementary guidelines for the development of NAPs, which were explained at the NAP Expo. In general, discussions around integration revealed a lack of integration between sectors. A coordinating committee will help to overcome this challenge. As mentioned by Julie Amoroso-Garbin of the UNFCCC, “the national committees established through the Libreville Declaration can serve to coordinate the mainstreaming process of health dimensions of NAPs. Country coordinating committees can also help with the dealing with the impacts of climate change, which impact us all.”
Discussions also looked more generally at progress related to NAPs. Countries reported that although most of them had started the process of formulating NAPs, they are struggling to take them further. One of the reasons for this is limited funding.
