Coordination mechanisms can be clustered in the following way: (a) intergovernmental councils (b) inter-ministerial/agency national councils, (c) government experts groups, (d) donor coordination mechanisms, (e) experts and stakeholder coordination groups, and (f) consultation mechanisms. A brief overview of coordination mechanisms within the countries is presented below (see also table): (a) Intergovernmental councils – application of this mechanism in the South Caucasus remains challenging; however, there is a need for some sort of coordination of activities among the countries on climate change adaptation, which is acceptable to all the three counties, and which should be considered to ensure appropriate and feasible regional assessments. (b) Inter-ministerial national councils – in two countries this mechanism of decision-making and coordination exists, and governments should further ensure its proper functioning. (c) Government experts group – are created for implementation of particular projects or initiatives. (d) Donor coordination mechanisms – this mechanism addresses environmental protection in general, for example, the one in Georgia is led by the EU Delegation in Georgia; however, such an approach to coordination is not feasible as it does not offer specific coordination mechanisms and is weakened by a lack of government backing. (e) Expert and stakeholder coordination groups – these are present in all initiatives and projects, and some ministries do organised regular consultations with stakeholders; however, this mechanism cannot function properly within given non-institutionalized mandates and current ways of sharing information. (f) Stakeholder consultation mechanisms - as mentioned above, relevant agencies should establish a system under which all interested stakeholders will be able to: a) receive advice and obtain vulnerability assessment methodologies; b) select the best available experts for different issues – this can be done through setting up a roster of experts (as has been done in Armenia where the names and contacts of experts are publicly available); and c) receive advice, within their mandate and interest, on areas where climate action is more appropriate. Establishment of this mechanism may require capacity building within governmental structures, as climate change offices do not currently have sufficient time nor capacity to implement this. Moreover, if this mechanism is to function properly, all other mechanisms described above, will require proper support to improve their functional efficiency.

Year: 2015

From collection: Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the South Caucasus Mountains

Cartographer: GRID-Arendal/Manana Kurtubadze