Submission to the UN of 3rd National Communication Report on Climate Change, Reef Resilience & Coral Reef Restoration Preparatory self-assessment exercise starts |21 April 2017
Stakeholders, consultants from different sectors namely fisheries, agriculture, water conservation, health, biodiversity and forestry have started discussions to analyse the impact of climate change during the past few years on the mentioned sectors in preparation of Seychelles 3rd National Communication Report on Climate Change, Reef Resilience & Coral Reef Restoration to be submitted to the UN in 2020.
As a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which it ratified in September 1992, Seychelles has an obligation like other members to report on climate change and give details of activities it has undertaken in accordance with the UNFCCC. Seychelles has since submitted two National Communication reports ̶ on November 15, 2000 and April 14, 2013.
The two-day working sessions which started at the Eden Bleu yesterday is to start preparatory work to come up with the 3rd Communication Report expected to be submitted to the UNFCCC in 2020. The two- day working session is being supported financially by the GEG an UNEP.
The Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change Didier Dogley launched the two-day working session.
“Climate change poses great threats to us islanders and without healthy coral reefs many families will lose their livelihoods,” Minister Dogley pointed out.
He told everyone taking part in the discussion sessions to make the most of the opportunity to analyse the vast amount of information and data to identify gaps and shortcomings and to prioritise our needs while preparing the 3rd national communication report.
He said the objective is to improve on the 2nd report so that the 3rd report is of better standard and higher quality.
Minister Dogley said the whole exercise is also expected to further enhance national capacities and raise general knowledge and awareness on climate change and its effects.
“In addition it will strengthen and build national capacities for participation in different mechanisms related to greenhouse gasses mitigation and to fulfilling other commitments to the UNFCCC.
Wills Agricole, the principal secretary for Climate Change and the focal person for the UNFCCC, said Seychelles has done a lot of work in relation to climate change during the past few years but a lot more needs to be done namely in terms of data collection related to climate change which was previously a much bigger challenge. With regard to technical expertise in this area he said Seychelles has come a long way and all the consultants working on this 3rd report are Seychellois.