Policy

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Why is the Climate Change Working Group participating in policy issues?

 

Engagement of the Climate Change Working Group in policy dialogue with the government of Vietnam, international actors and other stakeholders is a pre-requisite for achieving the Climate Change Working Group's objectives. It aims to create an interface between non-governmental organisations and concerned external actors (government / donors / private sector / others) for coordination, dialogue and advocacy in relation to climate change response and policy nationally and sub-nationally.

 

What are non-governmental organisation priority policy issues post COP15 (the 15th conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)?

  • Support government in the development of climate change responsive socio-economic development strategy / plans and sectoral action plans for climate change adaptation and mitigation which are inclusive of the poorest and most vulnerable.
  • Support government costing and access to sufficient adaptation resource allocation for Vietnam.
  • Community and ecosystem-based adaptation to start now, based on available science, local knowledge and participatory vulnerability and capacity and gender analysis. 
  • REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) mechanisms in Vietnam should incorporate social standards, safeguards and accountability monitoring mechanisms which protect the rights and livelihoods of forest dependant communities.
  • Policies for use of carbon credit finance should allow for covering costs of adaptation and of delivering global emissions reductions.
  • Improve financial management mechanisms for external funding of climate change responses with strong coordination between government agencies, government and donors, non-governmantal organisations and private sectors
  • Support government efforts to explore innovative and cost effective ways to move towards a low carbon economy

 

How does the Climate Change Working Group engage in policy?

 

The Climate Change Working Group provides non-governmantal organisations with a space to learn and discuss about key national and global policy issues, through which plans for coordinated action and non-governmantal organisation's voices are made. Climate Change Working Group coordination allows for information sharing on events and non-governmantal organisations representation in policy forums with government, donors and other stakeholders. The Climate Change Working Group does not attempt to present a unified non-governmantal organisations voice, but to ensure that common messages with consensus are communicated and diversity of non-governmental organisations opinion is respected.

 

Policy actions to 2010:

  • National Target Programme to Respond to Climate Change (NTP-RCC): Non-governmental organisations provided comments to the National Target Programme (NTP) drafting committee in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) on the 5th Draft NTP Report - English / Vietnamese. Non-governmental organisations' contributions focused on low-carbon technology (WWF/SNV), addressing vulnerability and risk assessments (Oxfam), and community-based adaptation and civil society participation in climate change (CARE). 
  • Action plan of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD): Non-governmental organisations supported the ministry of agriculture and rural development to get provincial inputs for the development of the integrated national framework action plan, through conducting three regional consultative workshops.
  • Community Based DRM program (MARD): Non-governmantal organisations have been working with Natural Disaster Mitigation Partnership (NDMP) to mainstream climate change adaptation within disaster risk reduction projects.
  • Consultative Group Meetings (CG): Non-governmental organisations have made statements (including a 2008 non-governmental organisation statement on climate change) to Consultative Group meetings focusing on climate change, including a) addressing the vulnerabilities of poor people by developing community-based adaptation measures building on existing local knowledge and participation; b) recognising the supportive role of civil society in responding to climate change; and c) recognising the value of forests in mitigating climate change and providing environmental, social and poverty reduction benefits.
  • REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation): RECOFTC and SNV are working closely with the government to develop Vietnam’s reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation policy and mechanisms. RECOFTC provided several trainings for government and non-governmental organisations. The mitigation thematic group developed key policy messages on REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and  Degradation) for non-governmental organisations in 2009.
  • Global policy – towards COP15:
    • Two participants attended the civil society “Accra Caucus” which allows for Southern voices to be heard in the global REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) dialogues, including in COP15 meetings.
    • Four international non-governmental organisations provided inputs to the government of Vietnam in the negotiation for a fair and safe post-2012 climate deal in Copenhagen through a series of trainings coordinated by the United Nations and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
    • The climate change working group hosted meetings before COP15 to enable non-governmental organisation participants to meet each other and to meet with official delegates and after COP15 to hear feedback of the experience and where to next from the United Nations, CARE International and other participants.