Phnom Penh, 29 August 2018 – The Ministry of Environment, with support of the United Nations Development Progromme (UNDP) in Cambodia, organized the Inception workshop on Greenhouse Gases-Inventory and the Mitigation Actions for Cambodia’s first Biennial Updated Report under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Around 80 representatives from ministries, development organisations, and private sector companies joined the workshop.
“This event is a milestone for the Ministry of Environment and the National Council for Sustainable Development in our effort to mitigate the risks of climate change,” H.E. Sao Sopheap, Director of Cabinet of the Minister, highlighted.
To mitigate climate change, the Government needs to understand its causes. This is the aim of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the Monitoring Actions. The Inventory will collect data in an effort to estimate the emissions from all sectors: energy, industry, agriculture, forests and more. The Inventory also provides useful information that will give the Government a clear road map to reduce the country’s emissions. For example, knowing the percentage of carbon emissions from charcoal usage can encourage necessary steps to identify clean energy alternatives like solar panels or bio-charcoal.
“The inventory required by UNFCCC cannot be achieved without inclusive participation from all key stakeholders,” stated H.E. Sao Sopheap.
All signatory countries, like Cambodia, to the UNFCCC are required to report their carbon emissions records. The Green House Gas Inventory is a process that needs inputs from all sectors to verify and validate the estimation of emissions and to contribute to the government in establishing strategic lines of actions.
“UNDP is very pleased to be a key partner to the Royal Government of Cambodia in the fight against the climate change and to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said Mr. Nick Beresford, Country Director for UNDP in Cambodia.
Still, much work need to be done. In the coming weeks and months, Cambodia will need to strengthen technical capacities of professionals within each of the sectors to ensure the development of this process. With the Greenhouse Gas Inventory now in place, it falls to the Government and other key stakeholders, including those in the workshop today, to ensure international and domestic commitments on climate change are fulfilled.