About Us - CCWG

What is the Climate Change Working Group?

 

The Climate Change Working Group was established in February 2008 in recognition of the fact that Vietnam is likely to be significantly affected by climate change and that non-governmental organisations are well placed to support localised responses. The working group provides a forum for International and Vietnamese non-governmental organisations to actively participate in the climate change debate. The working group also plays a significant role in facilitating information, resource-sharing and coordination among non-governmental organisations currently engaged in addressing climate change across a number of sectors and themes. Working group membership is open to all interested non-governmental organisations, and others, who are supporting efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change in Vietnam.

 

Climate Change Working Group members:

  • learn about what others are doing in response to climate change
  • access and share information
  • coordinate interaction with other actors
  • share contacts, resources, events, capacity
  • have a representative voice in policy making and other climate change fora

 

The Climate Change Working Group holds regular monthly meetings which are open to all and ensures information is shared on events and workshops attended. Meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 2pm, at the NGO Resource Centre.  Climate Change Working Group members interact through open monthly meetings, thematic group meetings and a mailing list.

 

Join Our Mailing List here to receive updates, invitations to events and share information. For further information contact the Climate Change Working Group through Working Group Chair Pham Cam Nhung - WWF at [email protected], Support Coordinator Tuan Anh at [email protected]

 

Climate Change Working Group goals


The Climate Change Working Group seeks to contribute to reducing the vulnerability of poor people in Vietnam to the impacts of climate change through non-governmental organisation coordination, advocacy and capacity building for environmentally and economically sustainable and socially just responses to climate change.

 

Key objectives of the Climate Change Working Group

  • Coordination: coordinate and share non-governmental organisations initiatives and knowledge on climate change in order to maximise impact and minimise overlap through providing forums for International non-governmental organisations and Vietnamese non-governmental organisations to interact.
  • Advocacy: provide a structure for non-governmental organisations to develop common advocacy agendas on climate change and build relationships between non-governmental organisations and decision-makers (government/donors/private sector/others) for coordination, dialogue and advocacy in relation to climate change responses and participation in policy processes nationally and sub-nationally.
  • Capacity Building: ensure non-governmental organisations in Vietnam have access to information, training, current events and funding opportunities in climate change and provide support as feasible to individual non-governmental organisation climate change activities.

 

Climate Change Working Group thematic activities:

 

Awareness and Behaviour Change

  • Raise awareness and understanding on the issue of climate change with events and materials for a range of audiences
  • Raise awareness and increase the capacity of media and press agencies to report on climate change news and developments

 

Adaptation

  • Build capacity of non-governmental organisations to analyse vulnerability, access methods and guideilnes and facilitate community-based adaptation
  • Influence government policy and support for community based adaptation and financing

 

Mitigation

  • Contribute to the development of national climate change mitigation strategies that address social equity and biodiversity conservation
  • Promote the use of pro-poor standards in carbon markets and REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation)

 

Policy

  • Engage in policy dialogue with the government of Vietnam and provide the Climate Change Working Group expertise where appropriate to ensure pro-poor responses to climate change
  • Support the implementation of the National Target Program to Respond to Climate Change (NTP-RCC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Action Framework and integration of climate change into socio-economic development plans
  • Engage with international donors to achieve appropriate adaptation financing

 

How does the Climate Change Working Group operate?

 

The Climate Change Working Group is guided by its Terms of Reference (TOR) and managed by a chair and a core group who ensure communication to group members and organize monthly meetings and annual planning for the working group. Core members since 2008 include: the NGO Resource Centre; Oxfam Great Britain; CARE; CRS; SNV; RECOFTC; EMW; WWF; Challenge to Change and SRD. The core group also leads and coordinates the Climate Change Working Group policy engagement work.

 

The Climate Change Working Group activities are led by three thematic groups: Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Awareness and Behaviour Change and Climate Change Mitigation which coordinate agreed Climate Change Working Group networking, information sharing and capacity building activities in these areas. Thematic groups meet separately to exchange relevant information and ideas and provide updates to the core group. All groups produce minutes and other publications on events hosted or Climate Change Working Group initiatives.

 

The Climate Change Working Group hosts meetings on the first Thursday of every month at 2pm, at the NGO Resource Centre. Meetings are open to all members, and interested International and Vietnamese non-governmental organisations, and any other interested agencies. The monthly meetings enable information to be shared on issues, past and future events and opportunities. Proposals from the core group, thematic groups and annual plans developed in February each year are collectively agreed through these meetings.

 

Further Reading

Note: minutes and presentations for meetings of the Climate Change Working Group and its sub-groups, and other publications, after July 2009 are posted in the Publications section of the Working Group's section of the NGO Resource Centre website.