MANILA, Philippines?Philippine agencies have a low capacity to adapt to climate change, according to a self-assessment workshop conducted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

According to NEDA consultants, the workshop marked the first time that the UNDP?s capacity assessment framework was adopted in relation to climate change.

Noel C. Duhaylungsod, a climate change expert, said the framework that was developed in 2005 had been used in other development themes such as disaster response, but the Philippines was pioneering its use for a longer-term problem.

The assessment involved officers and employees of national agencies, provincial governments and civil society networks, ranking their own capabilities on a scale of 1 (very low) to 5 (very high).

Ratings

A rating of 2 represents ?low,? 3 means ?medium,? and 4 means ?high.?

The workshop found that nine national service agencies have an average rating of 2.61, which means that while they have the capacity to adopt to climate change, this is neither planned nor implemented.

These agencies include the departments of agriculture, education, health, interior and local government, labor and employment, national defense, and public works and highways.

Also included are the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology.

Based on the agency people?s rating of themselves, the least capable to adapt to climate change were the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of National Defense (DND).

The DND was found to have minimal capacity in engaging in a multi-stakeholder dialog, assessing a situation and creating a vision and mandate, and formulating a policy and strategy.

The DoH also rated low in providing, managing and implementing a budget on climate change initiatives, as well as in monitoring and evaluating such initiatives.

Climate-proof land use

Sheila Encabo, program coordinator of the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) Fund, said the objective of the exercise was to ?localize? and mainstream climate change adaptation in the plans of local governments?in particular the use of lands that may be hazardous for structures and dwellings.

?The aim is to climate-proof land use for local governments and also the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan,? Encabo said.

MDG goals

?Disasters like the recent typhoons will make meeting the MDGs [a greater] challenge,? she said. ?It makes climate change adaptation, which is longer term, all the more imperative.?

The MDGs refer to the country?s commitments to the United Nations, which comprise eight goals that touch on basic social issues and must be achieved by 2015.

These goals include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, providing primary education services to all, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing the incidence of death among children, improving maternal health, fighting diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing a strategy for global cooperation for development efforts.