This document summarizes the essential elements of developing region-based climate change adaptation and resilience building policies. It discusses how comprehensive development plans that reduce dependency and vulnerability can form the basis for successful adaptation. It also notes that adaptation and mitigation must be bottom-up processes that involve community participation and awareness building. Effective adaptation strategies also require complementary top-down processes like policies, legislation, and incentives. Overall, the document argues that concurrent, harmonized plans and actions across participating countries are needed, along with aligned coordination and capacity building.

1. FAO FINAL WORKSHOP
ANKARA DEC.2015
TCP/SEC/3402 3-3
M. BINHAN GANIOGLU POLICY ADVISOR

2. ESSENTIALS OF REGION BASED CLIMATE CHANGE
ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE BUILDING POLICIES
• Country/region specific comprehensive development
plans and dependency /vulnerability reduction strategies
are the basis of assurance for regionally harmonized and
successful Climate Change adaptation and streamlined
Sustainable Development
• Climate Change and consequent sustainability focused
mitigation and adaptation axis are seen as bottom up
processes due to the required awareness building and
participatory involvement of the communities
• The essential, complementary, top to bottom process
would require effective, measurable and adjustable
adaptational strategies, policies and legislations equipped
and supported with appropriate rules, guidelines,
subsidies and incentives

3. ESSENTIALS OF REGION BASED CLIMATE CHANGE
ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE BUILDING POLICIES
• The Policy makers are expected to take the necessary
decisions and actions to assure resilience of the sectors
and the sustainability of livelihood activities as well as
the social and economical well being of the
communities
• Robust and information based, objective focused
policies and assurance of subsequent participatory,
regulated, harmonized and monitored implementation
of relevant laws and actions are essential
• Usually, legislative alignment in a country, let alone a
region, is a timely process and, naturally, being an
internal governance issue, needs to be approached
accordingly

4. ESSENTIALS OF REGION BASED CLIMATE CHANGE
ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE BUILDING POLICIES
• Climate Change resilience building in even the most
developed countries is still a slow process due to multi
parameter evaluation, validated information based
planning, effective mainstreaming and synchronized
implementation requirements of the issue
• A comprehensive Regional Fisheries Climate Change
Resilience Building Action Plan needs to aim at
supplying the decision and policy makers, as well as the
public, with extensive insight to the issue, supported
with a logical planning strategy that could be
harmoniously adopted and adjusted nationally and
locally

5. ESSENTIALS OF REGION BASED CLIMATE CHANGE
ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE BUILDING POLICIES
• Concurrent and harmonized plans and actions
are the desired strategy of a regional action
plan, so, clearly, assurance of synchronized
and aligned coordination, as well as a
balanced infrastructure and capacity building
within and among participating countries
stands out as a prerequisite

6. POSSIBLE REGION BASED POLICY SUGGESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
• High level and wide spread support for a regional Action Plan
by the decision makers of the participating countries would be
the prerequisite
• Consequently, regional as well as national and local resilience
and capacity building actions can be initiated in accordance
with a rational sectoral Climate Change Action Plan integrated
into the general policies and relevant legislations of the
respective countries
• Appropriate and timely policy decisions in accordance with an
action plan and consequent acts and regulations in line with an
implementation timetable would be the next step
• In order to achieve this objective, it would be advisable to
initiate a regional consensus to develop sectoral, mainstreamed
and integrated CAP's as part of the National/Regional Climate
Change Strategies and Communications (which is being done in
some of the targeted countries for certain sectors and issues)

7. POSSIBLE REGION BASED POLICY SUGGESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
• The action, initially at regional and national levels, and
focused at vulnerable and/or potential sectors,
communities and activities, could be integrated into a
comprehensive Climate Change act or decree which
will enable putting into force of respective regulations
at multi operational levels to cover holistic mitigation
and adaptation aspects
• The sectoral climate change action plan, while
emphasizing the local conditions, strengths and
weaknesses, but simultaneously calling for regionally
coordinated, planned and adapted development and
assistance schemes in light of the world-wide best
practice examples, is the first step for the assurance of
sustainable development in the fisheries

8. POSSIBLE REGION BASED POLICY SUGGESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
• Therefore, a regional Climate Change fisheries action plan
(CAP), needs to focus on the aim to satisfy;
 Local, national, regional and global resilience
planning,
 Reduction of socio-economic vulnerabilities,
 Satisfy trade and health requirements,
 Initiate a general awareness for waste reduction,
 Promote efficiency, blue-growth, basic food security
and safety instruments,
 Encourage participation in preservation of ecological
integrity while assuring future socio-economical
sustainability

9. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION
QUESTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS