Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the Western Balkan Mountains

GOOD PRACTICES

Expert training on risk and vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning: urban planning and development sectors (Environment and Climate Regional Accession Network [ECRAN], European Commission – EC; European Union – EU) Urban adaptation in Montenegro and Serbia

exist in some cities (e.g. Pristina). However, in general national governments provide funds only for emergency situations, which makes it difficult for municipalities to carry out any major urban risk-reduction and resilience-building activities. Local authorities can only undertake such activities as part of other routine activities, such as land-use planning, using the respective departmental budgets. The ECRAN Adaptation Programme includes a series of workshops that will guide the National ECRAN Adaptation Teams through the different stages towards developing national climate Climate change can affect urban areas and spaces just as much as rural areas, with increasingly adverse impacts on energy supply and health. They furthermore affect social cohesion and call for intensive disaster risk management. The goal of the ECRAN Adaptation Programme is to enhance understanding about climate adaptation action in the urban planning and development sector among a core group of beneficiary countries’ representatives, supporting the creation of national climate adaptation policies and planning as a basis for action.

adaptation policies and legislation. This will be combined with regional technical training sessions that support beneficiary countries’ experts from selected technical areas in carrying out risk and vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning. The programme envisages three regional technical training workshops, each lasting for up to two days. The three priority fields that have been selected by the beneficiary countries for the training are: • Water Management • Urban Planning and Development, and • Energy. The training will incorporate options for reducing disaster risks related to climate change. ECRAN is financed by the EU and managed by the European Commission. For further information, visit http://www.ecranetwork.org

Key Policy gaps:

• Low financial capacity to address extreme events causing inaccessibility of services and disrupted communication at the local level • Low technical capacity to address extreme events causing inaccessibility of services and disrupted communication at the local level

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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