Cambodia is ranked as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. This is explained by a lack of infrastructure and poor adaptive capacities. The country is particularly affected by floods and droughts. Climatic events are hurting the most vulnerable but also a large section of the population: there are over 2 million farming households, or over 8 million people that rely heavily on the climate. In the last few years, the Royal Government of Cambodia has developed a responsive policy framework, with over 21 state agencies under the helm of a National Climate Change Committee, administered by the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Environment. With this framework, the latest National Strategic Development Plan streamlines sectoral climate change strategies and action plans to guide the future of the country’s climate change response in the next decade. All eyes are now turned on the local government structures: How can the country manage this cross-ministerial approach at the local level where it matters most?

UNCDF, the UN capital investment agency for the world’s 49 least developed countries, provided Cambodia with an early set of answers to this question. Working with the National Deconcentration and Decentralisation Secretariat, UNCDF has pioneered a bottom up approach to climate change planning that can now be used and replicated to channel a large array of climate resilient approaches by relying on the national financial systems, at district and commune level
The Local Climate Adaptation Living project of UNCDF launched the LoCAL Government Climate Change initiative in 2012 - covering 3 Districts and 15 communes in Takeo province. The project is now in its second phase, scaling up to a second province and to other countries in the world

Climate Change must be tackled from all angles and it must be done well, right from the start. This is the message of the latest video of the Climate Change Department at the Ministry of Environment that reveals key beneficiaries of LoCAL. The video explain how this cross cutting issue can only be tackled using a multi faceted approach at national level. Over 19 line ministries are actively involved in the National Climate Change Committee and this cross sectoral approach is captured in the first Cambodia Climate Change Strategic Plan (CCCSP) 2014-2023. The UNCDF was present from the very start of this cross sectoral response together with the National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development Secretariat (see video of Ngan Chamroeun on NCDDS site) and pioneered an innovative way to bridge the national policies with sub-national structures acting at the grassroots. This experience will be a key to bring the national level plans to fruition at sub-national level.