Cambodia has been hosting high-level forum on climate resilience in the Asia-Pacific Region - the 'Asia-Pacific Knowledge Exchange (APKE)' - to exchange experience and best practices on climate resilience. The four-day forum was opened here this morning under the presidency of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of Cambodia, H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, with the participation of Minister of Finance of Samoa Hon. Lautimuia Afoa Uelese Vaai, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Investment Funds (CIF) Ms. Tariye Gbadegesin, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB)'s Special Senior Advisor and Climate Envoy in the Office of the President Mr. Warren Evans. Organised by the Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance, CIF and ADB, the forum's opening ceremony was joined by representatives of ministries, institutions, development partners, higher education institutions, research institutions, business associations, indigenous communities, and local community groups in the Kingdom of Cambodia as well a s representatives from 13 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines. Samoa, Tajikistan, and Tonga. According to ADB, the forum is aimed to facilitate the exchange of practical tools, best practices, success stories, and lessons learned among participating nations; fill capacity gaps, as well as respond to learning demands from government officials and Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) partners; promote dialogue around creating an enabling policy and market environment to support climate resilience, sustainable forest management, and nature-based solutions, and promote regional partnerships and collaboration on shared issues and landscapes. "The Royal Government of the 7th legislature of the National Assembly, under the wise leadership with a long-term vision of Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, an outstanding and bright young leader, has adopted the 'Pentagonal Strategy - Phase 1' for growth , employment, equity, efficiency, and sustainability sets out five specific strategic goals, the fifth of which is to ensure the sustainability of socio-economic development and to build resilience to climate change. Cambodia has made ambitious climate commitments through the 'Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)' and the 'Long-Term Strategy for Carbon Neutrality (LTS4CN)' to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,' said H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth on the occasion. For her part, CIF CEO Ms. Tariye Gbadegesin said, 'The CIF has an extensive track record of partnering with countries and catalysing climate actions through investments that build resilience for people, infrastructure, and ecosystems in some of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Here in the Asia-Pacific region, we have so many rich examples of successes, as well as challenges. These are not just boxes to tick. They are real-world lessons from real projects that touched the lives of real people. The knowledge, experiences, and eviden ce give us more than an understanding of how we are building resilience against climate change. They help us learn and inform our future investments and interventions here in Cambodia, the Asia-Pacific region, and beyond.' ADB 's Warren Evans expressed the ADB's conviction that the battle against climate change will be won or lost in Asia and the Pacific. This is why the ADB, together with the CIF, have worked on transformational changes, not just in Cambodia, but all throughout Asia and the Pacific. 'And while we have already learned much about climate change mitigation, we're always searching for better approaches to tackle climate change adaptation and long-term investments in resilience. The partnership shown by our speakers this morning - a development bank and a multilateral climate fund, being guided in their work by the needs of our countries of operations - is the perfect illustration of how complex and multifaceted sustainable international development is, and how knowledge management is key to ach ieving lasting impact.' Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse