Environment, climate changes in focus of OSCE-supported Ecological Activism School in Podgorica
The OSCE Mission to Montenegro in partnership with the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and the Ozone NGO, on 10 October 2014 in Podgorica, supported the second panel discussion of the Ecological Activism School. The focus of this regional discussion was the role of civil society in creating and implementing public policy on climate change.
Some 40 participants from the national environmental authorities, civil society, NGOs, Aarhus Centres, media, academia and parliamentary political parties took part in the panel. Experts from six countries of the region - Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Croatia and FYR of Macedonia also shared good practices.
“The impacts of climate change are numerous and the OSCE recognizes the need to engage in facilitating a dialogue and raising awareness on disaster risk reduction and adapting to climate change,” said Alyn Roberts, Senior Political Officer at the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.
Daliborka Pejovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, said that the Second National Communication Strategy is being drafted and will provide clear guidelines on how to improve existing environmental policies in the next 30 years. She emphasized that much more needs to be invested in regional co-operation and civil protection at the municipal and EU level.
The discussions identified the need for continuous efforts and co-ordination in strengthening regional co-operation in adapting to climate change.