MANILA (Philippines). On 17-19 October more than 1,000 scientists, government officials, representatives from civil society and businesses, as well as development partners from 60 countries are meeting at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila for the 6th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum. Participants are sharing and discussing urgent adaptation solutions to build resilience against the adverse impacts of climate change.
The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum is the flagship event of the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN). The forum gives delegates the opportunity to forge partnerships and share learnings from actions, cutting edge science, and practical solutions that will strengthen resilience.
“Climate change resilience is imperative for the Asia-Pacific region. We have no choice but to adapt,” said UN Environment Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Ms Dechen Tsering. “Fortunately, here in Asia, we have the tools and insight to do so. The APAN Forum builds partnerships to share this knowledge.”
Recently Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC. The report stressed that the pathways limiting global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedent transitions in all spheres of human lives.
“We need to find solutions to pave the road for a resilient society, economy, and ecosystem using platforms from Asia and the Pacific,” said Mr. Yasuo Takahashi, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs of Japan’s Ministry of the Environment.
With the support of "Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin (CAMP4ASB)" project, the representatives of Central Asian countries are also took part in the forum. In particular, there was an overview presentation on how climate change affects transboundary water resources in Central Asia and cooperation of Central Asian countries in addressing common challenges caused by climate change.
The participants highlighted value of the forum for cooperation and knowledge exchange between Central Asia and Asia-Pacific region. Attracting high number of organizations, experts, planners and practitioners that specialize in climate change adaptation across Asia, the forum serves as a unique platform for knowledge sharing on key issues related to climate change adaptation.
Photos are provided by the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network