NAP helps Botswana build adaptive capacity

The recent National Adaptation Plan (NAP) expo hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and Environment brought stakeholders together to deliberate on interventions and measures to create a resilient Botswana, and showcase the works of the service providers, and to facilitate stakeholders between different countries. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Philda Kereng noted that this was made possible through the support of the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility to mobilise stakeholders and help them explore various opportunities in the environment landscape. “This was also a platform for countries to exchange ideas and also share best practices and lessons learnt in the environment sector, as the world transitions to being more environmental and creating key interventions to tackle urgent issues such as climate change and adapt to the new environment,” she said. She explained that the NAP process would assist in building the country’s adaptive capacity and resilience and facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation into relevant policies, programmes and activities. “Particular attention will be given to development planning processes and strategies,” she added. Climate change has many negative impacts and in continued mitigation efforts, the national economy, as obliged by its commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Government both recognise the need to treat climate change adaptation as an urgent development issue and integrate it into development planning process. The NAP Framework was developed to comprehensively address adaptation and ensure its holistic mainstreaming. The strategic document provides guidance to the design and implementation of the NAP process, and also represents the next stage in the development of Botswana’s NAP, following the Botswana Climate Change Response Policy draft created in 2016. The strategic document also highlights the potential institutional arrangements based on existing government structures that will enhance the coordination of efforts through vertical and horizontal integration during the implementation of NAP processes. Botswana submitted its initial communication to the UNFCCC, providing a useful tool for decision-making on national climate change impact assessment, adaptation, and mitigation planning. Since the development of the NAP Framework, Botswana has achieved a significant milestone in the climate change adaptation sphere.