Experts from the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network Secretariat participated in the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) alongside governments, researchers, private sector actors and members of civil society to discuss advancing national adaptation planning and action.
Taking place from December 2 to 13 in Madrid, Spain, members of the Secretariat took part in over 15 events at the conference, with a focus on key themes including gender, private sector engagement, NDC-NAP alignment and vertical integration.
On Gender Day, the NAP Global Network in partnership, with the UNFCCC Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) and Adaptation Committee (AC), launched a new toolkit to support country efforts in pursuing a gender-responsive NAP process. Other highlights include events on leveraging NAP processes to help implement responsibilities under the Paris Agreement, engaging the private sector in adaptation planning and implementation, and sharing national visions on adaptation action among three African countries.
View photos from the NAP Global Network at COP 25
The Network also participated in several events on vertical integration. During one event, titled “What are the do’s and don’ts of exercising climate justice?” emphasis was placed on the need to recognize the differences in how various countries and their citizens understand climate justice, the laws that relate to it, and ways of working to further its progress. A key takeaway from this session was the importance of collaboratively developing an understanding of what climate justice entails. During another session that promoted vertical integration within the context of the NAP process, stakeholders from local to national levels shared their experiences with sub-national adaptation.
NAP processes are one of the key drivers for advancing global action on climate change. They play a critical role within the UNFCCC process—countries are already investing significantly in their NAPs, which can, in turn, be leveraged to meet other pieces of the climate agenda more broadly, including implementing the Paris Agreement. For example, NAP processes can be used to enhance a country’s NDC adaptation commitments, which countries will have an opportunity to update in 2020. Linking the NAP process with the NDC can provide opportunities to communicate and mainstream high-level national adaptation goals and objectives with the sub-national and local levels.
To learn more about the NAP process, read our FAQ.
Read more coverage of our side events at COP 25:
- NAP Global Network at COP 25: How NAP Processes Can Be Leveraged for Implementation of the Paris Agreement
- NAP Global Network at COP 25: Enhancing Engagement of the Private Sector in Adaptation Planning and Implementation
- Ghana, Nigeria and Botswana Share Lessons on National Visions for Adaptation at COP 25
- Adaptation Planning and Gender at COP 25