25 May 2023, Panama City – The Government of Panama has launched a new $3 million-dollar project to increase the climate resilience of the country through the development and implementation of a National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
The project, known shorthand as NAP Panama, will strengthen the governance and institutional coordination needed to accelerate adaptation action. It will particularly enhance the knowledge base regarding climate risks throughout the country, enabling better planning and implementation of effective adaptation strategies.
Climate change experts view National Adaptation Plans as one of the most important governance mechanisms for building climate resilience.
The official launch of the project in late May gathered government officials, UN agencies and civil society representatives in an event held in Panama City.
In a keynote speech, the acting Vice Minister of Environment, Domiluis Domínguez, said: “The project is the first of its kind in Panama to strengthen planning, governance and institutional coordination for adaptation. It is essential to operationalize a coordination platform and working groups to lead the adaptation planning processes in Panama”.
With $3 million of funding from the Green Climate Fund, the NAP project aims to streamline the country’s adaptation efforts through four thematic plans: water resources, agriculture and food security, infrastructure and health. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) will support the Ministry of Environment in the execution of the project.
Addressing the climate realities in Panama, Piedad Martin, UNEP’s Deputy Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said: “The main impacts of climate change in Panama are related to the increase in the number, intensity and variability of extreme precipitation events, severe droughts and high temperatures”.
These climate changes result in increased flood and landslide incidents, posing significant threats to the livelihoods of communities, and the country’s social and environmental health. Additionally, an increase in sea level poses a significant threat to a country that has almost 3,000 km of coastline and 1,500 islands.
The engagement of diverse actors is key to building an enabling environment for the development and implementation of the NAP. As such, the project's launch event featured a high-level panel comprising the Ministers of Health, Agricultural Development, Public Works, the National Secretary of Energy, and the Vice Minister of Environment in charge.
In her speech, Ligia Castro, Head of the Climate Change Directorate, highlighted the importance of mainstreaming climate change across all disciplines of academy and sectors of society to increase the capacity of all actors in the implementation of adaptation strategies.
"Climate change must be a crosscutting topic in all university degrees,” said Castro. “For example, we need our economists and finance professionals to play a key role in aligning public finances and leveraging private financing in order to meet the Paris agreement.”
With the launch of the new project in Panama, UNEP is now providing direct support to 23 countries to help develop their National Adaptation Plans for climate change.
To learn more about the project, officially titled ‘Building Capacities for the Development of the National Adaptation Plan in the Context of the NDCs Adaptation Themes in Panama (NAP Panama)’, contact marta.moneo@un.org. For more information about UNEP’s work in climate adaptation, visit us here.
