A Provincial Vision for China’s Adaptation - Workshop in Beijing

As the second phase of the Adapting to Climate Change in China project (ACCC) begins, a province-level seminar was held in Beijing, to communicate and discuss key adaptation action points with representatives from different provinces. The aim was to ensure that these adaptation action points are in line with the real situation of each province and lay the foundations for successful progress and implementation. The seminar was organized by its project management office (PMO), directed by INTASAVE Asia-Pacific, China office, with support by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the National Development and Reform Commission, China (NDRC).

Director General Su Wei from NDRC reviewed the cooperation between China and Switzerland in the field of climate change. He first reviewed the achievements the first phase of the ACCC project had made, and then expressed his expectations towards this next phase. Director General Su Wei hoped that experts, international organizations and local DRCs could use Phase 2 as an opportunity to carry out adaptation plans in specific prioritised areas.

Mr. Philippe Zahner, Development Counsellor, SDC shared Switzerland’s experience, remarking that Switzerland was the first country that passed the national climate change strategy. He briefly talked about their development model in the field of climate change and expressed his hope that they could lend support to China’s adaptation through their continued funding of the ACCC project, and learn more lessons from different provinces in China.

Dr. Rebecca Nadin, Project Director of ACCC and Regional Director of INTASAVE Asia-Pacific introduced the project with a welcome speech. As the project management team, INTASAVE Asia-Pacific will take charge of the ACCC implementation in the following 3 years. This is a continuation for INTASAVE on supporting climate change adaptation in China.

About ACCC

The Adapting to Climate Change in China (ACCC) project brings together Chinese policy makers, research and policy institutions, as well as international organizations and experts, to develop practical approaches to climate change adaptation policy planning. The first phase of the ACCC project (2009-2013) was designed as a “research-into-use” project, and focused on developing evidence-based climate change adaptation policy in China, at both the national and provincial levels. It made notable contributions to the formulation of the National Adaptation Strategy through building on cross-sectorial partnerships, capacity building work and scientific and policy advances. However, significant support is still required in order to achieve more in-depth and ambitious mainstreaming process on adaptive planning.

ACCC II (2014-2017) builds on the work of Phase 1 and aims:

• To mainstream climate change adaptation into development policies at national and provincial levels
• To support the formulation and implementation of integrated Provincial Adaptation Plans (PAPs) across priority sectors and share these experiences and lessons with other developing countries.

INTASAVE Asia-Pacific are the project implementers for Phase 2. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in partnership with China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Read more about ACCC at www.ccadaptation.org.cn

Or contact ACCC Communications Officer, Kay Zhang, at kay.zhang@intasave.org.cn