2 April 2024 – A two-day Knowledge Management Workshop titled “Unpacking Loss and Damage for Thailand” took place on 1 and 2 April 2024 in Bangkok. Hosted by the Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE) and GIZ Thailand through the Climate Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Project (CCMB), the workshop aimed to build a strong foundation of knowledge on the Loss and Damage topic, and to initiate exchanges and cooperation on this topic by the country’s government and academic sectors, and international development agencies.

Loss and Damage (L&D) is a critical aspect of climate change that has undergone significant development over the past UNFCCC COPs since the operationalisation of the Santiago network in COP27 and the agreement to establish the Loss and Damage Fund in COP28 to support especially vulnerable countries dealing with the effects of climate change. A concept for assessing the negative impacts of climate change, L&D encompasses both sudden loss due to extreme weather events and slow onset events. Derived from both traditional Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, L&D offers a comprehensive approach, assessing both economic and non-economic aspects of climate change’s impact, making L&D a valuable tool for making climate risk assessment more robust and comprehensive. By incorporating L&D, the climate risk assessment gains a clearer scope of magnitude and the impact of climate change, ultimately enabling effective response measure selections. Although the L&D topic is evolving, Thailand could benefit from progressing the concept to assist current decision-making processes on climate change risks and impacts.

The workshop’s success stemmed from the valuable input and collaborations from several key government and development agencies. The insights and various aspects of the L&D topic were shared by experts from:

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Mozaharul Alam
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Sanny Jegillos and Elena Sentieri
• Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) – Senaka Basnayake
• Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research (PIER) – Dr Kannika Thampanishvong, and
• GIZ Thailand – Julian Tost, Marlena Kiefl, and Supachok Chittapisan

Complementing the knowledge and technical inputs, the second day’s agenda introduced a panel discussion on roles, ongoing efforts, as well as the future direction in addressing L&D by the DCCE, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), and the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).

Teerapong Laopongpitch from DCCE said that, as the lead agency for Thailand’s climate change action, DCCE has developed the National Adaptation Plan, and cooperated with different agencies to develop tools and mechanisms to minimise and address losses and damages. He also emphasised the country’s need for qualitative and quantitative Loss and Damage assessment, particularly in key areas, to inform strategic decisions. Rattipat Pangwatcharakorn from DDPM added that building on the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan to develop standardised methods and a system for holistic Loss and Damage assessment, a standardised manual for L&D assessment, and strengthening stakeholders’ capabilities would help complete the L&D database. Nuchada Charoenpanich from NESDC said that linking the L&D topic to the economic and social development perspective, e.g. increasing the efficiency of the insurance system, increasing the capacity and preventive measures of communities in vulnerable areas, especially among vulnerable populations, would meet the development direction of the country.

The workshop fostered open dialogue and perspective exchanges between various governmental, academic and development agencies. It also enabled open discussions to enhance domestic stakeholders’ understanding and initiate dialogues on the capacity and technical gaps, appropriate domestic actions, and explore potential synergies for collaboration to minimise and address climate-induced losses and damages. The workshop outcomes proved instrumental in initiating a broader conversation and laying the groundwork for future synergies among L&D agencies. DCCE and GIZ Thailand will continue to further develop and monitor the L&D work.