Due to increased attention the is being paid to climate change and its consequences on natural, social and economic conditions at the global, regional and national level, a meeting was organized on 25 October 2021 within the NAP project for relevant institutions to share their experiences in the process of assessing the capacity of the institutional, planning and program environment for climate change adaptation. This is also the first consultative event in the process of NAP preparation and is focused on activities aimed at assessing the capacities of public, private and civil sector organizations that have a role to play in the context of climate change adaptation or that should potentially prepare strategies and define actions for climate change adaptation.

Climate change already poses serious and numerous risks for economies, societies and ecosystems. Reducing these risks requires efforts to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation), in combination with measures to improve resilience to the consequences caused by increased concentration of these gases (adaptation).

The aim of the aforementioned meeting was to bring together stakeholders who have competence and interest in planning and implementing climate change adaptation measures, who are interested in issues related to adaptation or whose activities could be affected by climate change in the future. In addition, NAP and related processes were presented in the meeting, with a focus on capacity assessment and training program activities, as well as current activities to revitalize the National Sustainable Development Council and its Climate Change Working Group.

The planned approach, as well as the expected results of the process were presented during the meeting (including the assessment of the institutions’ capacities and the training program). Open space for discussion and presentation of stakeholders was also provided to obtain information about responsibilities and/or interest in adaptation matters, previous experiences in the field of climate change, with a special focus on adaptation issues, as well as participation in climate change related projects. A conclusion was reached that the work on capacity assessment and implementation of training programs should continue, and that relevant public or organizational policies, plans, programs, strategies, laws and by-laws should be improved.

The meeting was organized within the implementation of the “Enhancing Montenegro’s capacities to integrate climate change risks into planning” project, which is supported by the Green Climate Fund and provides assistance to Montenegro to prepare its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and includes activities aimed at assessing and strengthening adaptation planning management, institutional coordination, and technical capacities in different sectors. By creating institutional, planning and programmatic environment for adaptation at the national and sectoral level, which this project will contribute to, Montenegro will be able to identify risks and vulnerabilities caused by climate change and use this information to inform the process of planning climate change adaptation and plan proper adaptation responses. This project will help Montenegro lay the foundations for systemic and iterative adaptation planning through identification of climate risks and adaptation opportunities in order to establish a well-defined planning process that will lead to improved growth of resilience in the four key sectors defined by this project – agriculture, water, tourism and health. This strategic approach will, among other things, strengthen the position of Montenegro in relation to its development partners, international funding sources and the private sector.