Expériences des PMA en matière de rapports de transparence, 2e partie : pertes et dommages

Hello, thank you all for being with us today. We are about to begin this second webinar on the experiences of the least developed countries in presenting transparency reports on adaptation. On the one hand, there is loss and harm. On the other hand, today we will be talking about the latter. I will begin by introducing myself. My name is Fernanda Alcobé. I work in the climate diplomacy team . I work for the International Institute for Environment and Development. Welcome. We are delighted to co-organize this series with the PMA group. As I mentioned, I work for the International Institute for Environment and Development and we are delighted to be organizing this two-part webinar series with the LDC group on preparing good transparency reports. Last week, we welcomed Ambassador Suarez Barbosa, Chair of the LDC Group, who inaugurated this cycle and the session on adaptation reports. As I said, today we are going to talk about loss and damage reports. As you know, reports come from transparency. are the only instruments that allow the country to provide information to better understand, act and support the actors involved to avoid, minimize and combat the losses and damage associated with climate change. This cycle aims to offer ideas and concrete examples to the other countries that are here today. That's why we're recording this season. We also wish to encourage all those who have not yet sent their B and especially their section on harm, prejudice and adaptation. Today, we welcome extraordinary experts from Malaysia, Madagascar, and Zambia. I encourage them to turn on their cameras now and I will now feature them on my screen. I will be the moderator of this panel. Today we welcome Yamikani Idriss who comes from Mala and who is the chief negotiator for the group of least developed countries. He is busy at the moment, he will join us a little later. That's why I will be the moderator during this panel. We welcome Alenain, she is the head of the database service for monitoring and evaluation at the national office for climate change and RDD, plus everything at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. We also welcome Gamboué Santongé, who is the senior green economy officer at the business development department of the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment in Zambia. Finally, we welcome Annie Mapangare. He is the chief economist in the disaster management department . She comes from Malaoui and she was part of the team responsible for preparing the Mala BTR report and she notably worked on the section devoted to losses and damages. We encountered some difficulties with Gamboué. I think he's been disconnected. We'll try to find him. Perfect. Thank you so much. While we wait for Gaboué, I suggest we begin our questions with the linear. Thank you for being with us. Thank you Annie for being with us as well . First question. We will be discussing the loss and damage section in the BTR. This section is optional in the BTR, meaning that information on losses and damages does not necessarily have to be provided in the BTR. So why did Madagascar decide to include this information and what is its objective in doing so? Thank you very much, Father Landard. Hello everyone. As Fernanda said, my name is Alena, I come from Madagascar. I work at the National Office for Climate Change and REDD+. I was also part of the team that worked on Madagascar's first BTR, which was sent in March 2026. So, thank you very much for inviting Madagascar to participate in this webinar. It's a pleasure to be with you today. Before answering the question, I would like to provide you with a general overview of the context on the island of Madagascar. Madagascar is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. We are already facing stronger tropical cyclones, floods, droughts and coastal erosion. And these phenomena lead to great economic losses but also non-economic impacts which include loss of life, health problems, and damage to the biodiversity of ecosystems. Thus, it is this reality that encouraged us to integrate loss and damage into BTA number 1. Loss and damage reports are optional under the BTR, but Madagascar believes it is crucial to include this information. Indeed, this allows us to present a more complete, more realistic picture of the climate impacts affecting our country. As a least developed country, Madagascar considers the BTR a valuable opportunity to make a separate report on loss of damages in relation to dating, to document economic and non-economic impacts, to identify missing data and to strengthen national systems. The interpreter apologizes; the speaker cannot be heard . The interpreter apologized, the speaker's sound cut out credible information about Lena. We can no longer hear you. That is why we did not hear the last part of your intervention, the part that allowed you to give more explanations on the losses and damages and the importation of this type of information for your country. Could you repeat the end of your answer? I apologize, my connection isn't very good. As I said, as a less developed country, Madagascar sees the BTR as an opportunity to present a separate report on loss and damage, and credible information on loss and damage can help Madagascar put forward its needs and mobilize support on the financial, technical, and capacity-building levels. Thank you so much. It is indeed important to see all the advantages of reports, which are not just a burden, since these reports can present opportunities to meet the needs of a country. I see that Gamboué has joined us. Welcome. Can you hear us? Can you hear me, Gambou? Of course, I hear you. Of course, I'm on my phone but I can switch to my laptop. No problem. We know that the connection is not always optimal. And now we listened to Alena who explained why it was important to submit loss and damage reports. Why is it important to include this section even though it is optional? We turn our attention to Zambia. What losses and damages has Zambia faced? Were you able to present information on all the losses in the BTR? Thank you so much. Indeed, due to the slow pace of development, Zambia is suffering economic and non-economic losses and damages. These repercussions have affected our livelihoods, our ecosystems, our infrastructure and the well-being of the population. What are the main economic losses in Zambia? They will initially focus on agriculture. We have had poor harvests in particular due to droughts and prolonged flooding. The government had to declare a state of national disaster due to these drought episodes. This has also affected the resources available to us. This also has repercussions in the energy sector with a decrease in hydroelectric production due to low water levels in reservoirs. Infrastructure has also been affected by the floods, including bridges, schools and health facilities which have been damaged by floods and storms. There are also negative consequences for forestry, biodiversity, and tourism, with a decline in tourism revenue due to the decline in wildlife populations and the decrease in water flow at tourist sites such as Victoria Falls. During periods of severe drought, we also see non-economic losses. These losses are difficult to quantify in monetary terms, but they are nonetheless significant. These include human losses due to flooding and conflict with wildlife. There are other extreme weather phenomena. Because under those conditions, we know that animals tend to move towards communities. And this, therefore, leads to conflicts. Losses have also been recorded in cultural heritage and sacred sites. Community displacements have been noted, particularly in areas affected by flooding. We were also able to identify a loss of traditional knowledge and indigenous practices. We can also cite a loss of biodiversity, particularly threatened plant and animal species. Agriculture has also been severely affected due to the testing episodes. The farmers have lost a lot. The demand places a lot of effort on the local population and those practicing agriculture. These people find it difficult to turn away from this activity because they have practiced it all their lives. Now, we will ask ourselves whether all these losses were properly declared in the report in the interest of transparency. The answer is no. We are a developing country and I can say that not all losses and damages have been fully reported. Like many developing countries, Zambia's first report focuses primarily on greenhouse gas inventories , projects undertaken in implementing nationally determined contributions, adaptation measures, and the necessary support received. It should be noted here that loss and damage reporting is still in its early stages for the following reasons. There is not yet a standardized national database on this subject. It should be added that historical data on climate losses are scattered and fragmented between different institutions. Many non- economic losses are not regularly monitored. Economic losses are often only reported following a major disaster. This shows us the existing shortcomings. Excuse me, Gamb is intervening, Fernanda. Could you please move closer to the microphone so that the interpreters can hear you better ? Sorry to have interrupted you. I would also like to point out that the report therefore only provides partial information, relying mainly on available disaster statistics, assessments, adaptation to sector reports and national communications. It is now appropriate to mention the main challenges encountered when reporting losses and damages. Several obstacles hinder the implementation of a comprehensive loss and damage reporting system in Zambia. First and foremost, we have limited data availability, and an absence of long-term historical data series. We have a lack of reference information and inconsistent sectoral data collection. In Zambia, we have institutions that work on issues of loss and damage. Information is scattered and perpetuated among various institutions, including the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit , the Zambia Meteorological Service , the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, the Water Resources Management Authority , and the Statistics Agency of Zambia. So all these institutions are entities that fall under different realities and these given sets are often not harmonized. We also know of limitations in terms of methodology. There is currently no nationally recognized methodology for quantifying partridges in relation to climate. Furthermore, it is difficult to distinguish losses of climatic origin from other socio-economic factors. Finally, the guidelines relating to the assessment of non-economic losses are limited. Furthermore, we have limited capacity and few experts trained in assessing losses and damages. limited expertise in economic assessment and climate attribution and insufficient institutional coordination . We also face constraints in terms of funding. Resources are insufficient to conduct comprehensive assessments. Funding is limited for data collection and monitoring systems after a disaster. We also have faulty tracking systems . There is no centralized system for managing information related to loss and damage. The integration between disaster risk reduction systems and climate monitoring systems is limited. So, what could I recommend now? Excuse me for interrupting you again, Gambouet. I invite you to keep the intervention on the recommendations for the first set of questions. This would allow us to move on to Annie, if you agree, and we would hear your recommendations in the next section. Does it work for you? Yes, no problem. THANKS. Thank you for these comments. It is also important to emphasize that this is the first time that countries have reported their information on losses and damages. They will face many challenges until methodologies have been developed. This is indeed a work in progress. And one of the challenges you mentioned is related to institutional arrangements and the difficulty in having a monitoring system in place. We have seen that in Malawi there is a specific service that deals with loss and damage issues and it would therefore be interesting to learn more about it. What were these institutional arrangements at Mala? How do you work with other stakeholders to obtain this relevant information? Annie, perhaps you could explain to us how things are going in Malaysia. THANKS. Hello Fernanda, thank you for this question and thank you for the invitation as well. Please excuse the slight delay. Hello everyone as well . So indeed, we have a disaster risk management department in Mala . In terms of institutional arrangements and provisions at the national level, Mala has a disaster risk management committee in place . This is a high-level entity that includes secretaries responsible for providing political guidance. So, there's a sound problem with Annie. The interpreter cannot hear. We also have technical committees on disaster risk management and at the district level, we then have district committees for disaster risk management. They ensure coordination of activities related to loss of damage and disaster risk management. And we lost blood again. It seems we have lost, unfortunately it would appear that she was experiencing connection problems. I see her back. Sorry Annie, we lost track of time for a few seconds. Are you there? Yes, I think I'm reconnecting. THANKS. We therefore have these institutional arrangements at different levels, from the national level, to the district level, and even to the community level. At the community level, therefore at the grassroots level, we have volunteers and local disaster risk management committees. In the event of a rapidly evolving situation, the information is consolidated. So at the local level, there is a report which is made at the district level and this last level submits the information to the department of disaster management affairs . Malawiou has therefore adopted an approach at both the national and district levels. This is a cluster approach. So this consists of a multi-sectoral coordination mechanism put in place both at the national level and at the district level. It brings together government bodies, agencies, development partners, the private sector, civil society organizations, international NGOs and local NGOs. This group is responsible for collecting and synthesizing information from the districts. These institutional arrangements allow Malawians to collect and report information regarding losses and damages. There is a proper flow of information between the different levels. There is also a possibility of documenting the impacts of disasters. These institutional arrangements have also been established, thus complementing what already exists on the ground. They allow for coordination in terms of loss and thank you very much. It is quite interesting to see that information is being transferred from communities to the upper level of the country. This is truly an exemplary example. I turn to NAFTA, which has already finalized the reporting process, and we know that this is the first time for Madagascar, as for many of your countries. What were the main difficulties and needs identified for monitoring, reporting, and recording losses and damages? And what do you plan to do before the next BTR? Thank you so much. Thank you very much for this question. In reality, the report submission process helped us identify several important shortcomings. Firstly, Madagascar does not yet have a fully harmonized system for monitoring and reporting on losses and damages. That's our first difficulty. On the other hand, information is very often distributed across different sectors and institutions. On the other hand, data collection after climatic events is not always consistent. That is why we have missing information, and this information is very important because it mainly concerns economic partners such as the impacts on health, ecosystems, culture, and livelihoods. It is therefore very difficult to assess the extent of the climate impact and to compare the different impacts over time. Another difficulty is our limited technical capacity for assessing slowly evolving phenomena . There are other difficulties, notably our limited technical capabilities. It was also difficult for our team to assess slowly evolving phenomena. To fill this gap, we plan first to strengthen national climate and socio-economic databases . We also plan to improve coordination between institutions and develop clear procedures for collecting, proving, and sharing information. We need technical capacity at both the national and local levels. We also need to better integrate climate risks and losses into sectoral and territorial planning. What is very important is international support in terms of financial, technical and capacity building. This support is essential for us. We consider this first BTR as an important starting point. to build a stronger and more reliable national system over time. So what are our main difficulties and what are our difficulties and the solution we wish to implement to improve the use of the BTR as a side. Thank you very much, Lalina. We can see that you have an institutional arrangement, a framework, a system because that is important, but it remains a difficulty. I think this is a fairly common difficulty for these new sections. And now, I turn my attention to Zambia in its BTR. The zombie wants to develop a framework for breakthroughs and harm. Can you explain to us what this framework would look like and whether it will provide information on future BTRs? How do you envision it? THANKS. Please , could you speak louder or closer to the microphone because we can't hear you well? Is it better now? Of course, that's true. Zambia has proposed a framework for loss and damage, and the objective is to implement a structured national system to assess, monitor, report and respond to loss and damage caused by climate change. In this context, we are still quite in the preliminary stages. It has been read so far, but it is still being written. As I said, with this case, we hope to address several problems. First, we want to establish a common national approach to identify and assess the losses and damages that are due to climate change. Second objective: to improve coordination. Third objective: to standardize methodologies for measuring economic and non-economic losses. We also want to strengthen evidence-based planning and investments to target resilience and recovery. We wish to support access to international climate finance, particularly emerging financing mechanisms for loss and damage. We also wish to fulfill our reporting obligations under the enhanced transparency framework, particularly for the BTR. This is how we wish to structure our framework into seven chapters. The first part focuses on governance and institutional provisions. Chapter 2, methodology for assessing losses and damages. We want to expand the existing methodology. Chapter 3, data collection and information management. We also need to establish a centralized national database on losses and damages, and we hope that we will be able to organize the database through this framework. We also need to standardize report templates and indicators. This is chapter 4 on MRV, tracking, notification and verification. We need to create indicators to monitor loss trends over time. We also need regular reporting procedures that are adapted to the national dating monitoring system. Chapter 5 focuses more on sector-specific assessments. The sectors are as follows. Agriculture, water resources, energy, forests, health, infrastructure, tourism and human settlements. Chapter 6. Evaluation of economic and non-economic losses, and we will therefore differentiate between economic losses and economic losses. Final chapter: financing and recovery. We need to implement mechanisms to identify funding needs. We must also provide guidance on linking national budget assessments , disaster insurance recovery planning, and international climate finance opportunities. What will our contribution be to the future BTE? One of the main objectives of the framework is to improve the quality and consistency of information available for future BTRs. Thus, these frameworks aim to generate standardized national databases on climate-related loss and damage . Another objective is to report on economic and non-economic losses using agreed national methodologies . strengthen transparency by documenting assumptions, methodology and data sources; accompany the presentation of adaptation reports to make them more effective by showing how one of the climate impacts has evolved over time and how interventions reduce vulnerability. Finally, the last objective is to provide evidence to inform national adaptation planning, NDCs and other reports submitted under the United Nations Convention on Climate Change. What is our situation? What are our difficulties? As seen in Zambia's first BTR , the country is still in the process of finalizing this framework and loss and damage reports currently rely on information from multiple institutions. There are difficulties because the data is fragmented, the methodologies are not consistent, and the economic losers have not been sufficiently assessed. As drafted, this framework is a priority for improving future transparency reports . Thank you so much. So we talked about your case, your methodology, all the challenges and difficulties in the report presentation. And now Annie, let's move on to actions to combat loss and damage. In the Malaoui BTR, you presented several projects implemented by the country for losses and damages. Can you tell us more about the main measures you are currently implementing and what the main areas are where you need more support to move forward and deliver the next BTR reports? The floor is yours. Thank you, Fernanda. Indeed, in the first BTR of the Malaoui, several projects were mentioned. These are projects that have been implemented or are being implemented on the subject of loss and damage and on the projects that have been put forward. 50% focuses on everything from providing immediate humanitarian assistance after an extreme weather event by activating provisional funding. The other projects aim to put in place systems and frameworks. As for the main measures we are implementing, there is, for example, the implementation of a federated disaster risk management fund to be able to proactively set aside funds and rebuild critical infrastructure in the event of a disaster. Another measure is to invest in early warning systems, and we are installing automatic weather stations and, at the community level, we are installing early warning systems . We are also putting in place systems, frameworks, pilot projects for preventive action and as we know, it is necessary to take anticipatory measures before disasters and to ensure that people who live in disaster-prone areas are safe. To ensure their safety, we are building evacuation centers, which are shelters for temporary living. At the district level, we have set up emergency centers for coordination in case of emergency. These infrastructures are put in place in areas exposed to disasters. What are the key areas requiring increased support? Most interventions have primarily focused on areas exposed to extreme weather phenomena. However, the national multiple risks assessment carried out in 2025 predicted that other areas would be exposed to extreme weather events in the near future. Nothing is being done to combat climate change. Therefore, they should try to extend interventions to other areas that currently appear less affected by the effects of climate change in order to prevent and minimize losses and damages in these other areas. We need an effect to maximize the number of interventions in these areas. We want to anticipate, prevent and reduce losses and damages in these areas and in these zones more specifically; additional support is needed to make the trust fund dedicated to disaster risk management fully operational through start-up funding. Uh, to develop the information system on disaster risk management . We also want to strengthen preventive measures. We want to develop and strengthen early warning systems at the community level. As a country, moreover, we are developing standardized operational procedures in English and a framework adapted to the local context for post-disaster needs assessment . Thank you. Thank you so much. It seems that a lot of work still needs to be done, but it 's good to see that you are very well organized on your end. Let's now move on to the final session of this webinar. As mentioned earlier, one of the objectives of these webinars, last week's on adaptation and today's, is to encourage other countries, particularly LDCs, to include the section on loss and damage in their reporting as part of transparency. Based on what you have learned during your own report-making process , what advice would you give to a country that is just beginning to prepare its report? What advice could you give them? La linea, if you agree to start. Thank you, Fernanda. So if I had one piece of advice to give, perhaps my first piece of advice would be to start early. If possible, all key institutions should be involved from the outset. It is not advisable to wait until we have perfect data. You can start using the available data. You can use the best available information and clearly explain what the shortcomings were in the report presentation and how the system can be improved step by step. So, I recommend that you don't wait until you have perfect data. Furthermore, it is important to develop expertise at the national level. Yes, hire an external consultant. However, I believe that the report, in terms of transparency, should help strengthen institutions for future reporting. We need to involve the national teams in the system. Finally, I would advise you to allow sufficient time for the exam and validation. The first report may not be perfect, but it will be an excellent starting point for greater transparency and future climate action. THANKS. Thank you very much, Lalina. Indeed, there is no need to be afraid to start this reporting. Gambo, what would the report be, sorry, what advice would you give to a country that is starting its report? THANKS. I would recommend that they work on coordination. It is indeed important to understand who does what and who should do what. This is essential. This also makes it possible to know who has what information. The information may be available, but it may be available in other formats. Some people may not have this information available when reporting. This is an informational statement that is being made. The information must be able to be used and declared. We also need to work on capacity building. So, we know that there will always be people who are further ahead on certain points. That is why we need to develop this program which allows each other to know what needs to be declared. When we talk about non-economic losses, we need to be clear about what we are talking about. It should be easy to insert this information into report submissions. We also need to work on existing assessments. This type of assessment can be relied upon, particularly in the field of agriculture. There may be other evaluations underway, organizations, sorry, evaluations that are more organized. We need this assessment to see how the loss and damage component has been addressed and/or included. Information may already have been collected; it will now be necessary to identify it, and this information should constitute a starting point for collecting data. These are the tips I could give to a new country starting its reporting. THANKS. Thank you very much, Gamboisé. Annie, what advice would you be able to give? Thank you, Fernanda. I believe that most of what I wanted to say has already been stated. Coordination is a key point. It needs to be repeated. Existing institutional arrangements at the national level must be used to ensure coordination with key stakeholders. Regarding the reporting of losses and damages. Based on our experience in Malaysia, the information is available. However, they appear at the level of different services, different agencies, different departments. It is therefore necessary to bring together all these stakeholders, all these agencies that play a key role in reporting, and this will allow us to collect the relevant information. Even though reporting in this area is optional, I believe it has been quite positive for Mala. These losses and damages must be reported . This also helps us to take stock, to assess the progress made as a country. This allows us to know what initiatives are underway and to identify gaps. This allows us to know at what level we need additional support. This exercise, in general, will help the country to identify gaps and needs. This is a process that will also strengthen coordination between institutions and stakeholders. At the international level, the inclusion of this section is essential and ensures the availability of adequate data and information on loss and damage in order to support global dialogue. This also helps to improve transparency and strengthen collective understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable countries. That's all I could say on the matter. Thank you. Thank you very much, Annie. Thank you for these perspectives and thank you also for your encouragement towards that country. Thank you to all three of you. Thank you for your contributions and answers. We have a question that was asked by a participant. I'm going to read it to you and we'll see who can answer it. Annie, you've shared some experiences, but I think the three of you could answer. A person wishes to know if the least developed countries use data provided by citizens or from the general public for monitoring, given that monitoring loss and damage is voluntary. This person was wondering if any countries use a citizen science approach for this monitoring. I don't know if any of you would like to answer. So, are you using a citizen science approach for monitoring? Do you use information from the public to report losses and damages? Can I answer? Yes, go ahead. Within the framework we are developing, I have indicated that systems can sometimes be biased and it is important to see how data is collected. Some areas are broader, more extensive, and require fairly advanced technology to access information. This information is sometimes information that needs to be obtained quickly. This then constitutes an emergency situation. We have not yet begun to use such a citizen science approach for monitoring. We do of course have to apply to the public and also to certain government departments and ministries, particularly with regard to data relating to loss and damage, but we use the information available in the context of preparing the annual transparency report. THANKS. Thank you Gambouis. We have very little time, but if anyone else would like to add to the answer to this question, please do so. Laina, thank you for this question. Citizenship can play an important role in collecting data on harm loss, particularly when official data is limited. In Madagascar, this data is already being used in local assessments. However, they are not fully integrated into the system in relation to the report, even under the heading of transparency. We want to ensure that this data is reliable and well-founded. In the future, we might be able to develop this citizen-based approach , particularly at the community level, and I am thinking in particular of the case of non-economic losses. Thank you very much, we are now coming to the end of our webinar. I would like to thank you all. Thank you for being with us today. I know you are very busy. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We appreciate it greatly. I would also like to thank the two interpreters who provided the interpretation to and from English and French. Thank you for being there. We hope that all LDCs will be able to report on losses and damages during the next BTR cycle. Thank you and see you soon at the next webinar. Bye.