by MS Arguelles

Legazpi City (23 October) -- Its all systems go for the National Conference on Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) +2 slated on October 26-28, this year at the Diamond Hotel in Malate, Manila.

Albay Governor Joey Salceda, lead convenor of the conference, said national and local environment managers will hold a second round of talks on the gains of the first NCCA conference after two years of concerted efforts among government and private sectors and assessment of national and local policies translated into actions in the light of international development.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will keynote opening of the 3-day conference, while Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, Heherson Alvarez, Presidential Adviser on Climate Change, Senator Loren Legarda, chair of th Standing committee on Climate Change and German Ambassador Christian Ludwig Weber Lortsch as resource persons.

Salceda said participants from national agencies and local governments, academe, non-government organizations and other interest groups will be informed of the developments in domestic and international policy discussions on climate change, particularly adaptation as it relates to disaster risk reduction and mitigation.

He added the conference, with a theme "Moving Forward on Albay Declaration 2007", aims to identify the Philippine Strategic Framework on Climate Change Adaptation.

The conference will also provide a venue for knowledge sharing on CCA and disaster risk management and give a thematic platform of Regional Development Council (RDC) cooperation towards common agenda in moving forward CCA and DRR and management initiatives.

It will also look into the progress of international policy discussions on CCA and DRR and management and the country's action agenda on CCA on technology transfer, financing, capacity building and research and development.

The second conference is organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the provincial government of Albay, National Economic and Development Authority and the Republic of Germany the funding institution.

Manuel Rangaza, Executive Director of the Centre for Initiatives and Research on Climate Change Adaptation (CIRCA) said it is expected that the NCCA +2 would list the various CCA best practices and science-based information.

A consensus would also be drawn with national, regional and local governance framework strategies for the Philippine Strategic Framework on Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).

Rangaza said the framework will be consistent with the international commitment for sustainable development, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the CCA framework in the United Nation Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) and the implementation of the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA).

Salceda said Albay has spearheaded the First National Conference of Climate Change Adaptation in October 2007; the conference brought the concern on CCA exploring concrete adaptation options to address the potential impacts of Climate change and discuss the policy implications for local government units.