Laamu Climate Change Forum

The LCCFs provide an opportunity to bring together partners in development to discuss and exchange ideas and knowledge on LECReD approaches to planning and development. 1. Raise awareness of the LECReD Programme, and LECReD concepts within Laamu Atoll and ultimately at a national level. 2. Contextualize LECReD into the local planning discourse on climate change adaptation and resiliency. 3. Provide a platform to stimulate two-way dialogue between key sectors and the local communities on policies, programmes, technical elements and traditional knowledge and coping mechanism on climate related issues. 4. Provide an avenue for academic debate on integrating climatic science and development planning. 5. Share good practices and lessons learnt from both national and international fronts, and promote successful climate change adaptation and resiliency development planning practices. 6. Build and strengthen networks to foster innovative and collaborative approaches to support LECReD-oriented planning and implementation. 7. Support climate activism 8. Provide a benchmark for future regional and national climate forums. As part of Output 1 of the LECReD Programme, the Laamu Climate Change Forum (LCCF) will be held once every quarter to discuss and identify sustainable local level solutions to address the development challenges and opportunities posed by climate change to the Maldives with particular emphasis on Laamu Atoll These Forums will be held thematically to reflect the core focus areas of the Programme, and will bring together development partners from the Government, independent institutions, the UN, the public and private sector and relevant scientific and academic bodies to partake in multi-sector dialogue. Given the vulnerability of the Maldives to the adverse impacts of climate change, the LCCFs offer platforms to deliberate and share experiences and knowledge in development planning geared towards innovation, climate change adaptation and resiliency. Further, it will stimulate and enhance understanding of the scientific elements influencing climate resilient development through academic debate. The LCCFs will ultimately identify opportunities presented by climate change to invest in green growth and sustainable livelihood opportunities to pave way for low carbon lifestyles. Structure of the Laamu Climate Change Forum The LCCF aims to create an engaging platform to strengthen networks and dialogue between Laamu Atoll Councils, Island Working Groups and targeted members of the public and relevant Government Ministries, Institutions, UN Organizations and Private Sector. The Forums will invite key technical personnel from relevant Government Ministries in addition to leading national and international experts, innovators, scientists and researchers in LECReD related fields. The main objective of these forums is to create partnerships for development based on collaboration, innovation and the cross-exchange of ideas and knowledge. The LCCF thus offers an avenue where people can come together to share success stories and lessons through learned experience in addition to providing an avenue for academic and scientific debate. Some of the proposed areas for dialogue are: • Global Climate Change: What is climate change and why is it important? • Food Security: How can sustainable food production and food security be achieved in Laamu Atoll? • Health Care: What are the potential impacts on human health due to climate change? • Sustainable Transport: How can existing transport modalities be geared towards a more sustainable future? • Water: What are the challenges for water management in Laamu Atoll and how can communities overcome these challenges? • Waste Management: How can waste be used as a resource for income generation, energy production and environmental education? • Energy: What is the energy outlook for Laamu Atoll and how can technology and climate resilient planning help power the future? • Economic Development: How can climate change be taken as an opportunity to foster green growth and development? • Innovative Solutions: Artificial coral growth in the Maldives. • Disaster Risk Reduction: What are the current and imminent climate induced risks to Laamu Atoll and what strategies can be used to mitigate these risks? • Research and Policy: How can scientific advances influence policy making? • Activism: How can we stimulate climate activism among school children and youth groups?/How can communities take positive actions in all aspects of their lives to combat challenges of climate change? Based on the objectives outlined above, the Forums aim to achieve the following outcomes: 1. Establish and sustain a partnership approach to drive LECReD planning. 2. Identify innovative policy options and actions for delivering LECReD-focused interventions. 3. Increase support for, and understanding of the benefits that LECReD can bring to local development planning. Stimulate academic dialogue on climate change. 4. Promote climate activism through shifting towards sustainable lifestyles. 5. Final report to feed into the formulation of the Local Development Plans. Mr. Ahmed Shifaz Deputy Programme Coordinator, LECReD ahmed.shifaz@one.un.org