To ensure coordination of activities by the full range of stakeholders involved in implementing specific MEAs, Bulgaria has developed National Coordinating Committees (NCCs) for the MEAs that require them (namely Climate Change and Desertification). As with other similar working groups and committees, NCC participants include various relevant ministries, NGOs, and representatives from businesses. The NCCs meet on a regular basis to exchange information, resolve conflicts, and plan coordinated activities.
The National Committee on Climate Change is a policymaking body in which all relevant government institutions are represented. The Deputy Minister of Environment and Water chairs the Committee, which is responsible for:
- monitoring the implementation of the National Climate Change Action Plan;
- assessing the progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
- adjusting the Action Plan to take into account changing conditions in the State;
- tracking violations; and
- developing compensatory measures to reach the objectives of the Action Plan.
This Committee has a significant role in coordinating activities and making policy, considering the large number of governmental bodies and other public institutions involved in issues related to climate change.
In early 2003, Bulgaria established a National Coordinating Council to coordinate, facilitate, and monitor implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Minister of Environment and Water chairs the Council. The Council coordinates the activities of the different stakeholders in addressing desertification. It also is responsible for elaborating a Soil Law, a Soils, and a National Action Plan to Combat Desertification. Following its establishment, the Council has adopted a work plan and schedule for its activities. It has also elaborated mechanisms for financing, management, and evaluation of its activities.
For more information, contact Boryana Kamenova at bor@moew.government.bg