Phnom Penh, 16 June 2016: Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) agreed to pilot climate change integration into its budget plan for 2017 with the aim of strengthening climate proofing of infrastructure projects both national and sub national. An inception workshop for this initiative brought together 20 people including representatives of planning, budget and technical departments of MPWT, General Secretariat of the National Council for Sustainable Development (GSSD) and Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA).

This meeting was led by H.E. Vasim Sorya, MPWT’s Director General of Administration and Mr. Ma Chansethea, GSSD’s Department Director of Administration, Planning and Budget.

H.E. Vasim Sorya fully recognized the importance of climate change integration into the infrastructure sector while the exposure to climate impacts, including drought, flood and temperature is increasing. He requested the technical working group of concerned departments to review the possible integration of climate change into annual planning and budget 2017 or 2018.

Key result of meeting are:

• Department of Road and Department of Sub National Infrastructure are selected to conduct climate-sensitive cost benefit analysis of 3-4 projects, and integrating this analysis to support national budget projects for the second half of 2016 and 2017;
• Decided to integrate climate change into budget strategic plan of MPWT for 2017 with technical support from GSSD/CCCA;
• Provide training and capacity development to technical staff of concerned departments on cost-benefit analysis for investment projects affected by climate change.

The following day, a similar inception workshop was held for Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, in a meeting led by Mr. Khlok Sam Ang, Director of Planning Department, MoWRAM and Mr. Ma ChanSethea from GSSD, with the aim of strengthening climate-proofing of irrigation infrastructure, as well monitoring and forecasting of climate impacts. Representatives of MoWRam technical departments and budget department were also present. Three pilot projects have been identified for climate-sensitive cost benefit analysis in 2016, and MoWRAM staff will be trained on the methodology for this. GSSD/CCCA will also assist MOWRAM to explicitly include climate change in their 2017 budget submission.

These two sectoral initiatives are part of a broader cooperation between GSSD and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to improve climate change integration in the national budget process.