UN Environment interview with Dr. Pema Cheophyel, Director of the Bhutan Trust Fund of Environmental Conservation, the designated National Implementing Entity on benefits, opportunities and challenges of accreditation to the Adaptation Fund. The Bhutan Trust Fund of Environmental Conservation was among 21 aspiring and accredited National Implementing Entities from Asia-Pacific and East European countries who joined the Access to Adaptation Finance Seminar, which took place 23-25 August 2016 in Mumbai, India. Bhutan is among eight countries being supported by United Nations Environment Asia Pacific for accreditation to the Adaptation Fund. The interview took place during the seminar.
Q 1. Why is accreditation to the Adaptation Fund important for your country?
Accreditation to Adaptation Fund is very important to Bhutan as it is situated in the Himalayan range and a Least Developed Country. The effect of climate change is impacting us in a big way. Recently, Bhutan has been experiencing flash floods and erratic weather conditions that, directly or indirectly, affect the livelihood of our people. The glaciers are retreating at an alarming rate and it is critical for people living downstream to learn to adapt to these drastic changes; appropriate interventions will have to be brought to these people. Development is also placing greater demand on the natural resources-water, forests, eco-systems which need to be protected for healthy living and sound and sustainable methods for their utilization are the need of the hour.
Moreover, the Trust Fund through its endowment fund supports environmental protection for social well-being but the funds we have are not enough. The funds we will get when accredited will supplement and complement the funds we have for disaster mitigation, reducing carbon emissions, watershed management, capacity development and enhancing the capacity of people to adapt to the effects of climate change through sound and appropriate interventions.
Further, through the support we receive for accreditation and accessing the fund on our own, we expect to build our own capacity and set up the required institutional arrangements. This will be of help in accessing other similar climate finances such as the Global Climate Funds and the Global Environment Facility.
Q 2. What adaptation priorities will Adaptation Fund support in your country?
Disaster management and risk reduction from Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, flash floods, forest fires and landslides, livelihood support in the changing environment due to climate change, watershed and water resource management, smart urban transport systems to reduce emissions, changed agricultural system, etc.
Q 3. What are some of the challenges or difficulties you are facing in the accreditation process?
Fulfilling the criteria like the Environmental and Social Safeguards and Internal Control System was a challenge. Being a small and compact organization, it was not necessary for us to have our own internal control system such as an Internal Audit as this is outsourced. I think the process and requirements are too lengthy and arduous.
Q 4. What is working and what is not working for you?
Bhutan is a politically stable country and this is an advantage. It has sound policies and legislation and is an environmentally conscious country. What is not working is having to provide documents for accreditation like Environmental and Social Safeguards. As mentioned earlier, being a small organization, we don’t have the mechanisms in place to produce such documents as our audits are outsourced.
Q 5. Will accreditation help you secure access to other types of climate finance?
Maybe. We are hoping that at least, it would help put us in the fast track mode. We recommend collaboration among climate finance agencies such as the Global Environment Facility, the Global Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund to synergize their accreditation processes so that countries need not repeat the same process.
Q6. What advice would you give to other countries applying for accreditation?
Take it step-by-step and thoroughly study the requirements. Discuss and learn from organizations that already have completed accreditation.
As direct access offers a lot of opportunities for a country, choose your implementing entity strategically. In other words, designate one that has the greatest potential to become accredited to multiple financing windows, such as the Global Environment Facility, the Global Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund, as the accreditation processes for these financing windows are more or less similar.
For further information: http://web.unep.org/un-environment-and-partners-advance-developing-countries%E2%80%99-readiness-access-climate-finance
