Adaptation Committee launches new tool to navigate support for National Adaptation Plans

The Adaptation Committee (AC) has launched a publication and online tool that provide an overview of support available to countries for formulating and implementing their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

Established in 2010 by the UNFCCC, the process to formulate and implement NAPs is an important way for countries to build their resilience to the increasing impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and hurricanes.

It enables countries to identify their medium- and long-term adaptation needs, as well as develop and implement strategies and programmes to address those needs.

The adaptation-related needs identified by developing countries have continued to grow over the years. At the same time, the range of support opportunities available to them has greatly expanded, providing a variety of options in all areas of support.

The new tool and publication helps stakeholders to understand and navigate the diversity of adaptation-related assistance provided by various entities, networks and other institutional arrangements in the form of finance, capacity-building and technology development and transfer, as well as other types of support, such as sharing of data, information and knowledge.

Having many support providers align their strategies and portfolios to meet the communicated and expected needs of countries to formulate and implement their NAPs is key to achieving adaptation goals.

The AC – which promotes the implementation of enhanced action on adaptation coherently under the Convention, including by providing technical support and guidance to countries – identified the need for an easy-to-access, high-level overview of the landscape of support available to accelerate NAP formulation and implementation.

The new publication, “Navigating the Landscape of Support for the Process to Formulate and Implement National Adaptation Plans,” exemplifies the AC’s work to enhance coordinated adaptation action and support and is an updated version of the 2015 Adaptation Committee report.

The online tool complements the publication in that it presents the information in a form that is easier to navigate and update. It can incorporate new programmes and support opportunities more flexibly and therefore respond to countries’ information needs in a timely manner. Organizations and other entities are invited to communicate such new programmes and support opportunities to the AC to assist in keeping the online tool updated.

As of August 2022, 38 developing countries submitted their NAP to the UNFCCC secretariat, and nearly all developing countries have taken steps towards addressing their adaptation needs.