FutureWater in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank provided training on Climate and Disaster Risk Information Tools for Enhanced Decision Making from 14-15th February 2023 at Luang Prabang province in Laos.
Climate change and disaster risks present a serious and growing threat to sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. ADB’s developing member countries, such as Lao PDR, sustain major impacts from both climate change and disasters. Lao PDR is at high risk from floods and droughts, the impacts of which are set to increase with climate change. ADB has been supporting the government in finalizing the National Climate Change Decree and Disaster Risk Management Law. Recognizing that urgent action is required to support Lao PDR in strengthening resilience through climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, ADB has prioritized building climate and disaster resilience as one of its seven operational priorities under its Strategy 2030.
This capacity building aimed to improve understanding of the effective use of climate information and services to facilitate planning and decision-making under climate uncertainty. This training aimed to enhance technical capacity to generate, interpret and apply climate information in decision-making in sectors including agriculture, water, and energy. This training also incorporated disaster risk management as a key component of building overall resilience. The training focused on two sectors – food security and housing – to support risk-informed decision-making by enhancing the use of climate and disaster risk information through capacity building.
The participants for the training programme, 30 in total, are drawn from various organizations representing the provincial government (Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Public Works and Transport and Department of Labour and Social Welfare) and the national ministries (the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs). The training was officially inaugurated by the (Deputy) Director General of the Social Welfare Department, ADB Disaster Management Specialist, Department of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, and the Ambassador of the Austrian Embassy.
