Towards enhanced climate change risk assessment
The second day kickstarted with keynote presentations from Ms. Jessica Troni, Climate Change Portfolio Manager at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on transformation in analyzing and communicating climate change risks and Dr. Huicheul Jung, Director of the Korea Adaptation Centre for Climate Change (KACCC), on a science-based climate change assessment for supporting the establishment of the adaptation plan in Korea.
The speakers presented different forms of assessing climate vulnerabilities to inform adaptation planning and implementation. While there is a conventional scientific method of conducting risk assessments through climate change impact analysis, risk selection and confirmation and risk categorization to determine adaptation actions, an alternative way of looking at climate change impacts and identifying adaptation options is through the development of climate storylines, showing implications for the region based on climate change projection scenarios and communicating them in a clear way that is understood by policymakers and other stakeholders.
Figure 1: Climate storylines for the Euphrates and Tigris Basin. Source: Presentation by Ms. Jessica Troni at the regional NAP Expo.
An index-based vulnerability assessment tool (VESTAP) has been developed and used for assessing local vulnerability to develop local area plans based on scientific evidence and the tool can be replicated in other countries provided adequate data sets are available.
Lessons from regional approaches and multi-stakeholder engagement
Regional cooperation can significantly lower implementation costs, promote exchange of essential data and information, improve effectiveness of relevant adaptation actions, and enhance cross-border peer-learning and knowledge sharing in implementing adaptation. Similar to adaptation planning and implementation at national level, different stakeholders including local communities and private sector have a role to play in promoting regional approaches in adaptation planning and implementation. In fact, many businesses replicate business models across borders, some of which have adaptation-related elements. There is greater potential to create ways for such businesses to build on existing knowledge and practices from the national and regional levels through appropriate enabling environment and regulations, and thereby accelerate scale up and accelerative transformations in adaptation. The Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) is working with the LDCs and relevant stakeholders to assist the LDCs in considering regional approaches in implementing the adaptation priorities identified in their national adaptation plans.
The engagement of youth, gender, private sector and other stakeholders are on the rise during the process of adaptation planning and implementation. However, it needs to move beyond just engaging them for enabling or consultation processes toward specific adaptation interventions that address their needs adequately.
The updated Strategic Plan for the Green Climate Fund for 2020-2023 is set to raise ambition towards translating country priorities into climate projects and investments
The updated strategy programming priorities include enhanced support for climate programming and enhanced direct access through the readiness and preparatory support. This will help countries prepare for the implementation of the priorities identified in their NAPs (as well as in other strategies). It seeks to enhance support for adaptation through new or improved early warning climate information systems and increase portfolio of adaptation projects in line with the GCF’s adaptation approach.
The updated strategy also contains provisions for improving access to the GCF across six dimensions of predictability, speed, simplicity, complementarity, volume, partnerships and direct access; and the application of a project-specific assessment approach.
Strengthening the enabling environment for accessing funding for implementing adaptation actions
A strong enabling environment is required to ensure that countries, especially the least developed countries and small island developing States can effectively mobilize and access available funding to implement all their priority adaptation actions identified in their NAPs. National direct access entities present great potential for countries to directly access funding and manage projects. However, capacity development and resources are crucial to enable the utilization of these entities to prepare projects and effectively coordinate across multiple stakeholders at the national level.
A systems approach to formulating and implementing adaptation
Depending on the individual contexts, countries are facing different challenges in their efforts to make their agriculture and fisheries sectors climate resilient. Often, a cross-sectoral, systemic approach may help address such challenges and accelerate the implementation of NAPs. The UN4NAPs initiative encourages countries to submit their requests for technical assistance, and to make use of the network of partners to respond in a coordinated approach.
