Lessons learned from Climate change Resilience Planning

Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) Vietnam Component

Hanoi, October 18, 2011

Bach Tan Sinh, Vu Canh Toan, NISTPASS

Objectives

- Outline the key lessons from Phase 2 - Sharing experiences with individuals and organizations involved in relevant works,

Overview of the Program

Objectives

Build awareness and capacity on climate vulnerability and resilience

Provide tangible benefits to city partners including:

Vulnerability assessment Linkage of resilience measures to city development plans Scoping and collaboration on pilot activities Support for development of city adaptation / resilience action plans Support city proposals for external funding Support for implementation of city action plans

Establish regional network and support shared learning process (e.g. replication)

Overview of the Program

Scope

4 Countries

India (3 cities)
Indonesia (2 cities) Thailand (2 cities)

Vietnam (3 cities Can Tho, Da Nang and Quy Nhon)

Overview of the Program

Key partners

International and national partners

Local partners

Can Tho People Committee

Da Nang People Committee Binh Dinh People Committee

Overview of the Program

Timelines

Replication Engagement Scoping Implementation

Program Timing: Apr 08 - Dec 08

2009

2010

2011

2012

Beyond 2012

Present 6

Moving from phase 2 to phase 3

Organize: what, who, where Implement successful proposals Study Climate Impacts and Vulnerability

City Adaptation Action Plan

Select Priorities and Develop Proposals Analyze and Prioritize Options

Develop Resilience Actions

Replication Engagement Scoping Implementation

11/15/2011

Methodology - How did we draw lessons?

- Based on ACCCRN Program objectives

-Interprets the main achievements and process of different project activities using assessment criteria.
- Observations and documentation from the entire resilience planning process are the main evidence sources for this analysis
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Resilience Planning Process

-Iterative process -Multi-stakeholders -Top-down and bottom up
Implement successful proposals
Organize: what, who, where

Study Climate Impacts and Vulnerability

Select Priorities and Develop Proposals

Develop Resilience Actions

- Engagement of local
-communities

Analyze and Prioritize Options

Challenges 01
- Most of the resilience planning components are new
- Future climate and development trajectories are highly uncertain => Need new planning approach BUT

- Existing coping practices dominated by individual and sector oriented

- Existing planning focuses more: on top-down with limited participation; short and medium terms; more on results not process
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Challenges 02
BUT (cont.) - Local resources, awareness, understanding, and capacities are limited - Building capacity, introducing new thinking and methodologies is very time consuming - Cities are growing very quickly and have many urgent issues => lack of overall coordination, lack of time for serious consideration of CC issues - At the start of ACCCRN Phase 2, no city staff had been assigned to work on climate change as part of their job

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Capacity building 01

Cities have experiences in coping with natural hazards but not CC In the beginning, no or not clear understanding about CC Development planning has not taken into acount CC

Demand for capacity building are huge

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Capacity building 02

Making people work directly on resilience planning would be the best and fastest way to build their capacity. (HVCA, Pilot, Resilience

Planning , SLD3)

Training first but then transfer, and let local people lead. Promoting local ownership and ensuring the sustainability of the project
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Capacity building 03

Capacity building means not only on the technical aspect of climate change but also on the capacity to coordinate, to facilitate, to consult with and engage multiple stakeholders (Dofa example!)
Institutional memory build capacity for all stakeholders, much as much possible Local knowledge merits further attention in efforts to plan for future climate
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Capacity building 04

Capacity building is a long and iterative process

To be improved

More participation of private sector (better recognition from government and this sector) The whole methodology and tools package should be given to cities stakeholders earlier

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Promoting cross sectors and levels coordination 01

Driver of success: Commitment of local authority (SC, example of Can Tho) Cross sector and level coordination is a big gap

Leading agency/Leader of CWG is very important and needs

Not only technical capabilities, BUT very good understanding of integrated planning approaches; (ii) facilitation skills; (iii) ability to foster team work; (iv) good relationship; and (v)ability to communicate effectively across departments example of Quy Nhon 16

Promoting cross sectors and levels coordination 02

Risky to rely on only one person or small group of people. Needs to target to institutions rather individuals

(ex. not only Donre but CWG)

Need for a formal institutional arrangement to coordinate climate change activities CCCO Need to connect with national agencies and others stakeholders Participation of local communities in Resilience planning is also very important (HCVA, Pilot projects)
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Promoting shared learning 01

Promote networking and shared learning objective of ACCCRN

Main

SLDs has been used for engaging multi stakeholders across scales (also national), communities and organizational and disciplines boundaries, for ensuring multi-directional information sharing and exchange SLDs helped to build capacity for preparing, organizing and facilitating stakeholder consultations. Recognized by cities as one of the most innovative tools

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Promoting shared learning 02

SLD together with CWG has played as a platform for an informal network on CC Facilitation skill is one of the most crucial aspects not technical (ex. power relationship) Can Tho and Quy Nhon expressed their intention to apply and replicate this process in their work

Shared Learning Dialogueis a useful but time consuming process

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Conclusion 01

Resilience Planning in ACCCRN

Combine top-down and bottom up

Scientific and local knowledge Focus on process not only products Organizational, political and social aspects are equally important with technical aspects
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Conclusion 02

Implication for implementation of national policies

major demand for capacity building and awareness raising mobilizing multiple stakeholders, enabling a shared learning environment, engaging people to work with experts, and giving them the leadership role may be the most effective way to build their capacity Capacity mean: ability to coordinate and engage stakeholders, facilitate learning and sharing

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Conclusion 03

Implication for implementation of national policies

Very important to work closely with working with local people urgent need to have one neutral agency in charge of coordination - CC requires collective efforts going beyond any single institution need a community of practitioners on urban climate resilience.
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Conclusion 04
Improvement needed Engagement of the private sector (role of local government) Need an holistic view which looks both at the impacts of climate change and of development and a systematic approach to address the crosscutting linkages of sectors and levels. Look at the impacts of surrounding areas (sub-urban and rural areas) Absence of scenario planning in the resilience planning process Need more and more engagement with national agencies
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Dr. Bach Tan Sinh and M.sc. Vu Canh Toan, NISTPASS Tel. 84.4.39344102. Email: sinhanh@hn.vnn.vn and vucanhtoan_env@yahoo.com
http://www.rockfound.org/initiatives/climate/acccrn.shtml AND www.vietnamcityclimatechange.net
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