[{"bbox": [86, 153, 311, 183], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 3.3 Mainstreaming"}, {"bbox": [97, 199, 542, 227], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Environmental Protection & Climate Change"}, {"bbox": [95, 251, 1135, 1146], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU budget support programmes on the Renewable Natural Resource Sector and Local Governance sector address climate change impacts through promoting climate resilient practices. The new programmes under the MIP 2021-2027 will focus on promoting Sustainable Agri Food System in Bhutan and will aim to promote and scale up climate smart agricultural practices in the country. The local government programme will continue to support mainstreaming the crosscutting issues Gender, Environment, Climate change and Disaster risk reduction in policies and programmes. The action will strengthen the mainstreaming reference group or MRG at the Dzongkhags or districts. The performance based grants that focuses on mainstreaming Gender Environment Climate Disaster and Poverty (GECDP) in the local level plans will be scaled up to cover all the Gewogs or blocks. It builds on existing national systems and provides an incentive for local governments to mainstream climate change adaptation into the regular planning and budgeting cycles and is disbursed to the local governments through the intergovernmental fund transfer system. The grants will also be used for sustainable land management, landslide and flood risk mitigation, promotion of new crop varieties and vegetable production, biogas plant development. A large part of these investments pertained to re-development/improvement of farm roads, bridges, irrigation systems, and rural water supply schemes. The government recognized the need to work with local governments and communities to adopt improved practices and standards to adapt to climate change and increase the climate resilience of local development investments. The EU Delegation had discussed with United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) who supported the RGoB introduce Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) in two phases (2012-2013 and 2015-2016). The technical cooperation through LoCAL assisted local governments with planning and financing mechanisms to integrate climate-adaptive measures in local development investments in selected blocks or Gewogs. The EU supported this activity from 2017 onwards and plans to scale it up to all blocks under this action. In addition to the LoCAL, green business initiatives will be promoted through green economic development at local level. Strengthening the climate resilience of local communities and the economy with small scale investments which will pave the way for the country to have full solid national roll-out of climate change adaptation intervention and to demonstrate that the mechanism can be successfully mainstreamed into national development priorities. The support for digitalisation of education in Bhutan, digital tools and platforms can be a powerful tool to improve access and equity in education, delivery of quality learning and teaching and can play a significant part in providing key data on the environment as well as improve student and teachers access to information on and understanding of the state of the environment."}, {"bbox": [97, 1175, 1050, 1204], "category": "Text", "text": "**Outcomes of the SEA screening** (relevant for budget support and strategic-level interventions)"}, {"bbox": [97, 1205, 410, 1233], "category": "Text", "text": "No further action was required."}, {"bbox": [97, 1260, 1134, 1291], "category": "Text", "text": "**Outcomes of the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) screening** (relevant for projects and/or"}, {"bbox": [97, 1292, 804, 1320], "category": "Text", "text": "specific interventions within a project) No need for further assessment."}, {"bbox": [97, 1349, 1134, 1379], "category": "Text", "text": "**Outcome of the CRA (Climate Risk Assessment) screening** (relevant for projects and/or specific"}, {"bbox": [97, 1379, 401, 1406], "category": "Text", "text": "interventions within a project)"}, {"bbox": [97, 1407, 414, 1432], "category": "Text", "text": "No need for further assessment."}, {"bbox": [97, 1461, 636, 1489], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls"}, {"bbox": [97, 1489, 1134, 1634], "category": "Text", "text": "As per OECD Gender DAC codes identified in section 1.1, this Action is labelled as G1. This implies that Gender equality is an important and deliberate objective, but not the principal reason for undertaking the programme. The Action foresees direct technical assistance to enhance gender mainstreaming at local level and to strengthen the capacity of the National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC) in its mandate and key roles to mainstream, protect and promote the rights of women and children in Bhutan."}, {"bbox": [1027, 1680, 1144, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 18 of 39"}]