This forum was in accordance with the commitment of parties, as stated in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), for the promotion and cooperation in the "exchange of relevant scientific, technological, technical, socio-economic and legal information related to the climate system and climate change, and to the economic and social consequences of various response strategies." Likewise, this activity could be considered as part of the education, training and public awareness component of the Convention as it contributes toward overcoming barriers to mainstreaming: the dearth of science-based information, of communication between the science and policy communities, of a knowledge base on successful processes and methods, and of financial resources/instruments.
Objectives
The Forum aimed to discuss an array of adaptation strategies on coping with the challenges in agriculture and food brought about by climate change; appreciate the requisites for an enabling environment to meet its challenges; understand mainstreaming approaches and challenges; identify appropriate entry points at both policy and implementation levels for integrating climate change adaptation strategies into development plans; identify financial instruments to fund efforts in mainstreaming; and explore possible partnerships between and among APAN, SEARCA, other APAN nodes, governments, and other development organizations to actively collaborate on research, capacity building, and other activities to mainstream adaptation strategies in the agriculture sector.
Participants
Around 33 representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, socio-economic planning agency, other agencies working on mainstreaming climate change adaptation, and universities in Southeast Asia participated in the Forum.