Climate Change is underlined in Lao Red Cross (LRC) Strategic Plan 2011-2015 as a “future trend” that LRC needs to take into consideration. The Strategic Plan notes that “Climate change, in particular, not only endangers lives and undermines livelihoods, but also threatens to exacerbate the gaps between rich and poor, and amplifies the inequities between women and men. In the region, emerging and other epidemic-prone diseases pose serious public health and economic threats to Lao.”

A key need identified is that “Lao Red Cross requires a stronger organization to meet new challenges in the coming years, like climate change adaptation, an increasing number of road accidents in the country, and new pandemics. There is a critical need to have trained and well-equipped emergency response teams throughout the country, and to strengthen partnerships at all levels to make communities stronger and more resilient in disaster preparedness and risk reduction”.

 

In September 2014, two staffs from the Lao Red Cross (from DM and Health departments) participated in the IFRC Southeast Asia Climate Change Master Training in Thailand. At the end of the training, they identified the following next steps to further take into consideration climate change issues within Lao RC programming:

• Organize a national training on Climate Change in Lao PDR
• Develop IEC materials on climate change
• Integrate climate change issues within CBDRR/CBHD methodologies
• Organize coordination  meetings with key partners (government, NGOs, PNS, etc.)

 

Following up to this, a national-level capacity-building on climate-smart programming training/workshop is organized in 5-8 April 2015 in Vang Vieng district, Vientiane province in Laos with following structure and objectives:

• 3-day training to enhance the skills of LRC staffs on climate change issues, including:
  • key concepts and terminology;
  • impacts on weather patterns;
  • impacts on health;
  • ways to adapt to, and mitigate, climate change; and
  • ways to educate and communicate with communities.

• 1-day workshop on tools development to integrate Climate Change issues within LRC tools and methodologies (including DM/DRR and Health)

 

Outcome documents:

• Report

Administrative documents:

• Concept Note
• Agenda
• Participant List