Country’s experience in the frame of the UNFCCC National Communications Albania case

1. Country’s experience in the frame of the UNFCCC National Communications Albania case Pellumb Abeshi General Secretary Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration Albania Sub-Regional Workshop for GEF Focal Points in Europe and the CIS Dubrovnik, Croatia 11-13 February, 2009

2. Outline of presentation • Background on Albania and Climate Change • Scope of the Second National Communication • Key Players • Results and Achievement • Efforts to mainstreaming climate change… • Lessons learnt and recommendations

3. Albania and Climate Change • Albanian Agency for Protection of Environment (1993) as first effort for the integration of environmental policies in national development. • International conventions and protocols ratified to take responsibility and coordinate in the international level • UNFCCC in 1994 • Kyoto Protocol 2004 and in 2005 the Republic of Albania became Party of the Protocols a Non Annex I Party). • Legislation framework and strategy document focus on Climate Change initiatives; Establishing of DNA, based on the DoCM (2008) • First National Communication in July 2002; followed by a Technology Needs Assessment 2004 • Second National Communication: in-process • Stocktaking exercise completed in October 2004 • SNC project started in March 2005 • Planned to be finalized by March 2009

4. The Scope of Second National Communication in Albania • National GHG inventories (2000 and time series 1990 – 2000); • GHG emission trends and projections (2000 – 2025); • Policies and measures; • Climate scenarios (1990 – 2100); • Climate change impacts and adaptation; • Research and systematic observations; • Technology transfer and funding; • Education, training and public awareness

5. Institutional framework-Key players PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS • Ministry Of Environment, Forest and Water Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Protection of Consumers, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Public Work, Trade and Communication National Agency for Energy,, Institute of Statistics. PUBLIC ACADEMIA & RESEARCH INSTITUTES • Faculty of Natural Sciences (FoNS) is a potential provider of the technical expertise for GHG inventory and GHG mitigation analysis; Institute of Hydro-Meteorology (IHM) / The Team Leader role of V&A and significant technical expertise on V&A are provided by the IHM. The IHM is the main hydro metrological data provider. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS BASED IN ALBANIA UNDP ALBANIA/ UNDP holds the capacity of the Implementing Agency of all GEF funded Projects; UNDP provides technical support to the implementation process of the FNC • WORLD BANK (WB) is a potential innovative financing mechanism for carbon sequestration through its Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF) and other similar funds; • (REC)/ Collaborator regarding issues related to raising of awareness for climate change; Technical expertise regarding GHG inventory and abatement. PRIVATE SECTOR and NGOs Considered as a potential partner for public awareness activities, promotion of solar energy utilization, and data provider for GHG mitigation analysis exercise (energy section).

6. Key Findings Albania’s Key GHG emissions sources: • As per the FNC, Albania is a low GHG emitter (around 7m ton CO2 in 1994), where: • energy sector (44%) mainly due to the fuel combustion category, • agriculture (27.12%), • Land Use Change and Forestry (21.60%), • Waste (4.81%), and • Industrial Processes (2.96%) Mitigation potential • Energy: as the main GHG source has large abatement potential. Measures include • increase of energy efficiency, • increase and improvement of energy savings, • use of economic, regulatory and legal instruments for energy efficiency and saving. • Transport: Measures focus on the development of a sustainable transport • Forest: Main policy goal is forest preservation & development of new management options • Agriculture: Focus is to increase production efficiency by improving genetic parameters. The reduction of fertilizer amounts and development of ecologically - economically sustainable agriculture • In water: Construction of new infrastructure (irrigation/coastal); Maintenance or restoration of wetlands, marshlands and dune systems; Monitoring of the coastal area

7. Key Vulnerability issues • Increase in the frequency of extreme weather events (heavy rains, potential flood risk, strong winds, droughts) • Decrease in runoff, both annual and seasonal • A decrease of 20% in runoff a reduction up to 60% of power generation! • Increased energy demand for space cooling • Reduction of water supply; • Water quality problems (salinisation and water algae blooms) • Decrease of wetland area; • Increased risk of health related diseases; • Lost of species; • Reduced yields due to heat stress

8. Key Findings of the GHG inventory GHG emissions in CO2 eqv.

9. Efforts to mainstreaming… • While working under Second National Communication (SNC), efforts has been made to: • Address climate change into other strategies: • National Strategy for Development and Integration (NSDI); National Environment Strategy • Raise awareness among policy makers and stakeholders: • Address climate change to the environmental legislation; Climate Change Communication strategy; Carbon Finance strategy • While working under SNC exercise new resources have been mobilized on priority areas/technologies: • Carbon financing project; Albanian Program under Global Solar Water Heating Project • Adaptation project (Drini –Mati River Delta); Generate project ideas for CDM project • Carbon neutral territories; Public awareness projects

10. Lessons learnt • National Communication to the UNFCCC is NOT ONLY a reporting exercise; • National Communication is not a stand alone process; • National Communication is a mechanism to climate change mainstreaming • National Communication is a capacity building process; • National Communication helps in raising awareness on climate change

11. For more information on climate change activities in Albania: http://www.ccalb.org http://www.moe.gov.al Thank You!