A workshop held on September 26 in Toliara, Madagascar, aimed to familiarize regional actors with the country’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP), discuss how to best disseminate the available tools and resources for adaptation, and gather feedback to ensure the successful implementation of the plan’s adaptation actions. This event was organized by the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development through the National Bureau on Climate Change Coordination (BNCC) and REDD+, with the support of the NAP Global Network.
In May 2022, Madagascar reached an important milestone in its efforts to adjust policies, systems, and practices to withstand the impacts of climate change by finalizing and submitting its NAP to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
In building this document, the Government of Madagascar held several consultations with regional stakeholders. Together they identified the Southwest of the country to be a priority region in the NAP given the particularly destructive and expensive climate impacts that are felt in this area.
“Madagascar is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change,” said Rajafetra Setraniaina Abraham, Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development of Madagascar. “If we consider only the southwest region, we observe that rainfall is decreasing, storms are intensifying, planting season is disrupted, yields are decreasing, and drought is intensifying.”
The success of Madagascar’s NAP relies on the continued collaboration and support from regional stakeholders, which adds to the significance of holding this meeting in the southwestern city.
Working together on climate change adaptation to strengthen the development of the country
Gathering in the conference room of Hotel Moringa, a wide range of regional actors were ready to learn more about Madagascar’s NAP process. These participants were involved in adaptation processes in the Southwest, including technical officers in the government’s regional branches for key sectors, financial partners, civil society organizations, researchers, and more.
To kick off the meeting, Secretary General Abraham welcomed participants to the session and highlighted the importance of adaptation in Madagascar. He identified the NAP document as a tool that provides guidance and sets priorities to help Madagascar face these damaging effects of climate change.
“We welcome suggestions and comments to improve the way we work to further the development of the country,” concluded Abraham, encouraging participants to engage in the session’s discussions.
Keynote presentations were then held by Lovakanto Ravelomanana, Coordinator of the BNCC and REDD+, Marcellin Lalason, head of Adaptation Service at the BNCC, and Jeannin Ranaivonasy, a national climate change expert and coordinator of this meeting. They introduced key steps to the NAP process, summarized priority action points, and went through the different national programmes supporting the NAP process.
As regional stakeholders became more informed about Madagascar’s NAP process, their suggestions and concerns raised in the Q&A portion related to:
- The engagement of local communities;
- Adaptation in the livestock sector and the impacts of climate change on grazing;
- Introducing resilient agriculture practices when farmers are already overwhelmed;
- The implementation of actions identified in the NAP;
- The specific roles and expectations of regional actors.
The active participation in this workshop demonstrates a strong interest in the implementation and governance of Madagascar’s NAP process, as well as the mobilization of key resources. Updating the NAP on a regular basis was identified as a priority and inputs were provided to improve the dissemination of the NAP.
This regional workshop was supported by the NAP Global Network via its Country Support Hub with funding from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.