Cambodia steps up fight against climate change
Report
from UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Published on 08 Apr 2019 — View Original
By Omar H. Amach

PHNOM PENH, 8 April 2019 - Considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change, the Royal Government of Cambodia is taking major steps to improve its resilience and reduce its disaster risk with support from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

To build Cambodia’s resilience and protect its economic and social gains from climate-induced disasters, the country is upgrading its disaster risk management system and a key part of this effort is the development of the new Strategic National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction 2019 – 2023. The strategy development kicked off with a multi-sectoral workshop in Phnom Penh that brought together line ministries, the UN system, NGOs and representatives of civil society.

“Cambodia has made impressive development gains, and we need to protect these. The new DRR strategy requires the full engagement and commitment of all sectors in Cambodia to ensure our development goals are not delayed by disasters”, said Dr. Nhim Vanda, Senior Minister in Charge and Permanent Vice President of NCDM. “

Economic growth in Cambodia over the last decade has helped lower the poverty rate sharply from 48 per cent in 2007 to 14 per cent in 2014. However, many of these gains are being threatened by the country’s vulnerability to climate change as Cambodia is likely to experience an increase in temperatures, longer droughts, and more frequent tropical storms, according to a USAID report.

Cambodia is already experiencing more flooding in its wet season and longer droughts in the dry season, both of which threaten the livelihoods of 80 per cent of Cambodia’s population who rely mostly on subsistence crop production. In 2016, the country experienced a severe drought that Prime Minister HE declared as the country's worst disaster in 100 years, and in 2018 wide-scale floods affected more than 100,000 families

The country is currently in the midst of another drought and a surge in high temperatures which have affected more than 20,000 hectares of rice fields in 13 provinces, according to Cambodia’s National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM).
https://reliefweb.int/report/cambodia/c ... ate-change

Calling Cambodians to put a check on COVID-19
Source(s): United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
By Kelsea Clingeleffer, Results Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Consultant

Information is critical in a crisis – but not all information is equal. How the phone-based early warning system EWS1294 in Cambodia is being activated as an information and communications channel for arresting the spread of COVID19.

When it comes to disasters, access to accurate, timely and relevant information is lifesaving.

This has becoming increasingly apparent as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds around the world and is no less in Cambodia, a country on the cusp of calling a national emergency to halt the spread of the deadly virus.

Here, an early warning phone service known as ‘EWS1294’ is emerging as a key communication tool in the Government’s COVID-19 outbreak response.

Designed by NGO People in Need (PIN) Cambodia and named after the government-supported mobile short code ‘1294’, EWS1294 was originally designed as an early warning system for impending natural hazards such as floods or storms.

Once activated, the system sends a free voice message in Khmer language to all subscribed users within a specific geographical area.

It is a practical means for communities to receive alerts. According to a 2016 study, more than 96% of Cambodians report owning a phone, and more than 99% are reachable through some sort of phone.

Supported by UNICEF and the UN Development Programme, the system is now being used as a means of communication between the Ministry of Health and communities nationwide. COVID-19-related alerts are being relayed by Provincial Committees for Disaster Management. Sixty callouts made in the first week reached over 129,000 people across 19 provinces.

In recent months, an EWS1294 Facebook page has acquired over 47,000 followers. The account has posted on topics including hygiene, using masks and social distancing. The posts have attracted a total of 26,768 likes, comments and shares.

One post reached 162,219 users, demonstrating how social media can be used to spread information beyond the borders of a single page.

Information via traditional methods, such as written notices, doorknocking and word-of-mouth, can sometimes be missed by the most vulnerable, including those who live in remote locations, the elderly, or those who are illiterate.

Delivering updates by both phone and social media help ensure these populations receive the advice they need, particularly when that advice is changing rapidly.

Jeppe Mariager-Lam, Technology and Innovation Manager for People in Need, captures the exponential impact of early warning services like EWS1294, “If you receive a phone call you will not tell just your own family but your neighbors and your neighbor’s neighbors. Potentially by just calling one phone number you can warn a whole village.”

The UN Development Programme has been supporting implementation of the EWS1294 system in Sihanoukville, Koh Kong, Kampot Cham, Tboung Khmum, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Kandal, and Phnom Penh. Combining this with support from other partners, the system is expected to have national coverage by mid-May 2020.

The UN Development Programme is actively working alongside ministries, organisations and communities to respond to and support COVID-19 recovery. As of publication, 117 cases had been officially registered in Cambodia, with the Government working hard to educate people on the disease and to limit its spread, including restrictions such as closing gyms and postponing Khmer New Year.
https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/71250

Cambodia launches disaster information-sharing system
The Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) has launched a new information-sharing system to safeguard vulnerable citizens from floods and natural disasters amid the rainy season.
VNA Wednesday, July 22, 2020 18:26

Phnom Penh (VNA) - The Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) has launched a new information-sharing system to safeguard vulnerable citizens from floods and natural disasters amid the rainy season.

Areas along the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers are identified as higher-risk locations.

Speaking at the launch of the Platform for Real-time Information Systems (Prism), NCDM first vice-president Kun Kim said improving Cambodia’s disaster response was necessary to avoid accidents affecting citizens.

He announced that several new measures will be taken, including “early warning of impending floods, preparing forces and materials to save vulnerable people.

All relevant departments and authorities at all levels will be required to use the Prism system, the NCDM said, adding that relevant parties, especially sub-national authorities, must prepare their disaster response strategies promptly.

The rainy season starts from June, so at this time experts cannot predict exactly what will happen during the rainy season this year. They can only estimate that serious flooding is likely to occur between August and September, when evacuation sites and resources must be prepared.

Last August, nearly 8,000 families and some 8,000ha of agricultural land in eight provinces were affected by flooding and strong winds./.
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/cambodia-laun ... 178996.vnp

Lack of historical disaster data a thing of the past for Cambodia

Source(s): United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
By Kelsea Clingeleffer

In Phnom Penh, a consultative workshop on Data Reporting for Monitoring Indicators of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Cambodia has brought together ministries for a more data-ready future.

More than 60 participants from key line ministries -- including from the National Committee for Disaster Management; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Ministry of Public Works and Transport; and the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology as well as provincial counterparts -- attended to develop a greater understanding of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) and how the framework aligns with a recent update of the Cambodia Disaster Loss and Damage Information System (known as ‘CAMDI’).

“In order support to disaster risk reduction planning and build resilience against disasters, especially for human life, infrastructure, and agricultural productivities, all data from disaster effects and damages must be recorded and analyzed,” said His Excellency Lam Leng Huot, Deputy Vice President and Secretary-General of the National Committee for Disaster Management in his opening remarks.

The CAMDI database was first developed in 2015 under the National Committee for Disaster Management with support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). A total of 7,800 records of disaster events from 1996 to 2013 were input into the database, allowing an overarching view of disasters across almost 20 years.

However, there were challenges in keeping this data updated and so in 2019, UNDP endeavored to improve the relevancy and accuracy of the data to allow effective disaster management and risk reduction.

Mr. Sophal Sam, the Disaster Damage and Loss Database Consultant behind the update, described the importance of having this information. “Historical data is important because it provides a better analysis of trends in disaster loss and impacts. We want to see where disasters used to happen and whether it happened again, whether damage is the same or whether it not. By using these trends, we can make plans to prepare and reduce disaster loss and damage in those places.”

Mr. Chhum Sovanny, UNDP Project Analyst, described one of the key objectives of the workshop – the aligning of the database within a global framework. “The update will allow CAMDI to be in line with the Sendai Framework. This initiative is part of the UNDP regional project on the Global Center for Disaster Statistics (GCSD), in cooperation with Fujitsu and Tohoku University in Japan.”

“The global database support provided by UNDP and GCDS ensures that disaster management authorities at the country-level are equipped with readiness to record local level disasters and use the data for Sendai reporting and monitoring. This is part of UNDP's commitment to strengthen capacities for disaster statistics in the country, and help governments move along the path of greater digitalization,” said Mr. Rajesh Sharma, UNDP Global Disaster Risk Information Specialist.

Consistent with the Sendai Framework, CAMDI data should be able to be disaggregated by hazard, sex, age, disability, income, and geography, which will ensure that vulnerable groups can be easily identified and targeted.

The workshop provided an opportunity for discussion on who would be responsible for, and the processes of, ensuring that data are updated in the future.

The CAMDI database will also align with Cambodia’s Disaster Risk Reduction Framework (2019-2030) and National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction (2019-2025), which states that one of its priorities is the establishment of a National Disaster Management Information System (DMIS). Having accurate information is a crucial component of this, making CAMDI an integral part of Cambodia’s disaster management future.

The work is also part of the UNDP-supported ‘Strengthening Climate Information and Early Warning Systems in Cambodia’ project, funded by the GEF-Least Developed Countries Fund.
https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73192

Enhancing Early Warning Systems in Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Published 3 August 2021

Weather and climate conditions over the Indochina Peninsula, including Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), make it one of the most vulnerable regions on the planet. Climate change and variability add a layer of uncertainty with more intense dry seasons, wetter monsoons, intensifying floods and storms, and rising sea levels. The 2020 storm season was one of the most active in history, with Typhoons Molave, Goni, and Vamco making landfall just three weeks apart, resulting in severe flooding, landslides, and loss of life and damaged property across the region.

A new project in Cambodia and Lao PDR was announced last week by countries engaged in the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative. The four-year, US$ 5.5 million project is led by national institutions and will enhance their capacities to provide hydrometeorological, early action, and response services to vulnerable populations in Cambodia and Lao PDR. These efforts are being supported by WMO, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and the World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (WB-GFDRR). Expected completion is July 2025. The project builds upon ongoing initiatives in the region and actively engages with key regional stakeholders.

Dr. Pedro Basabe, Senior Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Rapid Response Advisor, and Head, SDC-HA Hub for Southeast Asia and the Pacific said, “Without people-centred multi-hazard early warning systems, disaster impact will continue to increase. The new CREWS project in Cambodia and Lao PDR is welcome and expected to fulfil this task by further developing institutional and technical capacities, coupled with sustainable coordination mechanisms, methodologies, tools and communication to reach the last mile, while improving people preparedness capacities. Switzerland through its SDC regional Hub in Bangkok is pleased to support this activity while contributing to the implementation of the Sendai Framework target G and the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER).

Through the duration of the project, the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs) of both countries, with support from regional partners, will address current gaps across the four pillars of their early warning systems: Risk Knowledge, Monitoring and Warning Services, Dissemination and Communication and Response Capability.

The official launch of the project is planned to take place in October 2021 and will bring together key national and regional participants in the project.
Full article: https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/en ... c-republic

I can point them in the right direction to a few natural disasters.
Easy. no need to leave the country.