Training on climate change vulnerability and risk assessment

Organizers: NEC, UNDP and ICIMOD, under the auspices of the RGoB-GCF-UNDP Project: Preparation of a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for Bhutan, with a focus on the water sector

Background

This joint training programme on climate change vulnerability assessment is being offered as part of Bhutan’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Readiness Project (2019-2023). The second outcome of the NAP Readiness Project focuses on enhancing technical capacity for the generation of climate scenarios and impact assessment. The National Technical Working Group (NTWG) comprises of officials from government agencies, academia, civil society organizations, and the private sector, who identify and appraise adaptation options for various sectors, provide data and information, and oversee the drafting of the NAP document. NTWG, therefore, act as a crucial link between the project and the respective sectors.

As part of the first NAP of Bhutan, climate change risk assessments have begun for prioritized sectors – water, forests and biodiversity, health, and agriculture. This training will provide skills to the TWG members to ensure the assessments are conducted appropriately and will help them validate the reports.

The training content has been developed after assessing the existing skills of the TWG members around climate change adaptation. Experts from Bhutan and ICIMOD will be delivering this training through a “mixed mode” consisting of lectures, case studies, group work, and presentations.

Objectives

• Create in-depth understanding among participants regarding different approaches to climate change vulnerability assessment based on the IPCC 5th Assessment Report’s risk framework
• Provide exposure to participants and particularly the NAP Technical Working Group (TWG members) on the use of vulnerability assessment tools in sectoral assessments
• Enable participants to identify climate hazards and contribute to their understanding of future climate change scenarios related the key sectors prioritized in the first NAP for Bhutan – agriculture, forests and biodiversity, water, and health