Belmopan, October 23, 2018 – Stakeholders, government representatives and development partners yesterday gathered to take Belize one step closer to the finalization of their National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

This is the first NAP-related workshop in a series of workshops to be hosted by the UN Development Programme’s Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (UNDP J-CCCP) and the Government of Belize. NAPs outline how countries can achieve medium to long-term adaptation to climate change and are designed to balance priorities across sectors at local, sub-national and national levels. The J-CCCP supports the elaboration of a NAP which focuses on the agriculture and water sectors.

During yesterday’s workshop over thirty participants from various ministries, private sector entities and civil society organizations (CSOs) reviewed the NAP process, provided insight into existing climate change initiatives and challenges and worked toward prioritization of adaptation actions. It is expected that these actions will build on national strategies to ensure alignment with the existing United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) endorsed framework for NAPs.

The NAP process was created by the United Nations as an opportunity for countries to plan for sustainable development in the face of climate stress. The Paris Agreement calls on all countries to engage in NAP processes and in their implementation, UNDP’s Resident Representative for Belize, expressed his delight at UNDP being able to support the Government of Belize in this process. He said, “at this juncture, adaptation is crucial for Belize not only in addressing the physical impacts of climate change but also in positioning the country to secure donor and investment funding. UNDP is pleased to support this process toward the achievement of SDG 13, which speaks to climate action.”

J-CCCP is a regional initiative working in eight Caribbean countries to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, setting the region on a low-emission development path as well as to improve the region’s ability to respond to climate risks and opportunities in the long-run, through resilient development approaches that go beyond disaster response to extreme events.

For media queries, please contact:

In Belize [UNDP Belize]: diane.wade@undp.org | 501-822-2688/0467

In Barbados [Project Management Unit]: penny.bowen@undp.org | 1 (246) 467-6007 or 836-6008

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