A project to strengthen the capacity of Bhutan’s National Environment Commission (NEC) will also help the coordination of water resources management among relevant ministries and agencies, ahead of the eventual establishment of a single body.
The Japan Special Fund, financed by the Government of Japan and administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is providing a $700,000 grant for building up the capacity of Bhutan’s National Environment Commission (NEC). The NEC is the designated national authority for climate change issues and handles projects that are eligible to avail of carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol. However, it currently lacks the staff and other capacity for developing mitigation and adaptation measures that can counter climate change.
Bhutan’s rivers are the backbone of the economy, with exports of hydropower-generated electricity accounting for more than 40% of national revenue, while 70% of the population lives in rural areas and depends heavily on irrigated agriculture. Climate change threatens to have a serious impact on river flows.
It will also boost the ability of NEC to adequately assess and promote hydropower and other renewable energy projects suitable for availing of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol, and for potential carbon trading.
The project will also boost NEC’s ability to expand Bhutan’s access to financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation projects. The assistance will be coordinated with the work of other civil society groups and donors, including Danish International Development Assistance, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and United Nations Development Programme.
The Government of Bhutan will provide $50,000 equivalent for the project, which has a total cost of $750,000. NEC is the executing agency, with the work to be carried out over 18 months, with an expected completion date of September 2011.
Project information: Assistance for National Environment Commission’s Clean Development Mechanism Unit
Source: ADB, 25 Jan 2010
