NAP Global Network at COP27

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt | Nov 6 – 18, 2022

October 21, 2022

This year, the world reached record-high temperatures and experienced devastating climate-related catastrophes. While concerns for our planet and its people increase, it’s also important to recognize the dedication and progress that countries are making in their plans to adapt to extreme weather events and other climate change impacts.

The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022 to build on the previous year’s commitments, accelerate global climate action, increase climate financing, and scale up adaptation efforts.

Members of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network Secretariat were at the centre of the action: engaging with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes, connecting with country representatives, and highlighting our resources and support.

The NAP Global Network’s engagements at COP27 focused on these topics:

The shift from planning to implementation in the NAP process
Monitoring, evaluation, and learning for adaptation as part of the NAP process
Gender-responsive and socially inclusive NAP processes
Vertical integration in the NAP process

The NAP Global Network Secretariat team engaged in discussions around the Global Stocktake and the Global Goal on Adaptation, as well as tracking adaptation-related negotiation items with a view of highlighting opportunities to make links to NAP processes.

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Schedule of events

Accelerating Action for a Climate-Resilient Future Through National Adaptation Plans

When: Tuesday, November 8, 11:45–12:30 (GMT+2)
Where: United Kingdom Pavilion
Organizer(s): Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO Adaptation), Nature & Resilience Department, and the NAP Global Network
Article: Highlights and photos from event.
More details: Event page.

The United Nations has reported that 129 developing countries have launched NAP processes. This event will showcase adaptation priorities and progress in developing countries while demonstrating the urgent importance of inclusive, effective national adaptation planning to advance action.

Speakers from Eswatini, Liberia, Saint Lucia, and Zimbabwe will share examples and perspectives from their NAP processes.

Enhancing Capacities and Networks for Women's Leadership in Adaptation Action

Watch the event's full recording.When: Wednesday, November 9, 14:35–15:40 (GMT+2)
Where: 4th Paris Committee on Capacity-Building (PCCB) Hub
Organizer(s): NAP Global Network
Article: Highlights and photos from event.
More details: Event page.

For adaptation to climate change to be effective and gender responsive, women's leadership is needed at all levels of decision making. Through dialogue with national decision-makers and experts involved in NAP processes, this event will explore why women's leadership matters in national-level policies and plans, how it can be enabled, and the difference this makes for gender-responsive adaptation action on the ground.

Midway Through the Glasgow Sharm el-Sheikh (GlaSS) Work Programme on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA): Next steps to fill up the GlaSS?

Watch the event's full recording.When: Thursday, November 10, 19:00–20:00 (GMT+2)
Where: WWF Panda Hub Pavilion
Organizer(s): World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and NAP Global Network
More details: Event page.

At COP26 in Glasgow, CMA adopted a decision to establish and launch a comprehensive two-year Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh (GlaSS) work programme on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). The GlaSS is to pave the way forward on operationalizing the GGA by COP28. It aims to provide greater understanding on the GGA, while increasing visibility of adaptation issues; assess the financial, technical and capacity building resources needed; and recognize adaptation efforts undertaken by countries.

Most importantly, discussions through the GlaSS are meant to guide countries towards an agreement on the architecture and content of the GlaSS. With COP27 sounding the mid-way point of the GlaSS, where are we at now? What does COP27 need to deliver, and what must thus be done by COP28?

This event aims to take stock of what key areas of consensus have been achieved over the year, what should be achieved at COP27, and what needs to be delivered ahead of COP28—and the end of the GlaSS. The event aims to highlight the critical importance of the GlaSS work programme, and its linkages with ongoing national plans and systems, and recognizing the ongoing efforts of countries contributing to the GGA.

How to Raise the GlaSS on the Global Goal on Adaptation at COP 27: Four foundations to build upon
Ahead of this event, moderator Emilie Beauchamp provides a recap of the GlaSS work programme and sets out four key foundations to build on at COP27 in a new article.

Multilevel Governance as a Catalyst for Adaptation Finance at the Local Level

When: Friday, November 11, 13:00–15:00 (GMT+2)
Where: Locally Led Adaptation Pavilion
Organizer(s): NAP Global Network
Article: Highlights and photos from event.
More details: Event page.

This event will showcase lessons learned and good practices in subnational-level climate adaptation finance, with strategic links to NAP processes that present an opportunity for countries to establish mechanisms for channelling finance to local levels. Representatives from Africa and Latin America will share their diverse experience with local-level adaptation planning and implementation.

These examples will highlight how multilevel governance structures (including formal and informal institutional arrangements) and capacity-development/empowerment processes facilitate financial flows and budgeting for climate change adaptation at the local level.

Capturing and Showcasing Progress in Adaptation and the Sustainable Development Goals

Watch the event's full recording

When: Saturday, November 12, 17:45–18:45 (GMT+2)
Where: Main Stage, SDG Pavilion
Organizer(s): NAP Global Network
More details: Event page.

More and more countries are developing and implementing National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to advance policies and strategies that lead to both resilient and sustainable development. Yet examples showcasing progress in adaptation and development action are still limited.

During this event, countries will share how they have defined progress in adaptation across priority development sectors, along with tools and processes they have used to capture and communicate progress. Defining and capturing resilience outcomes across different sectors and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is critical to provide evidence to further adaptive policies. It is also key to reinforce existing national monitoring, evaluation and learning systems, along with informing policy conversations around the Global Goal on Adaptation and the Global Stocktake.

Gender-Responsive Adaptation in Africa: Examples and challenges ahead

Watch the session's full recording.

When: Monday, November 14, 13:00–14:00 (GMT+2)
Where: IDFC - International Development Finance Club Pavilion
Organizer(s): Adapt'Action (AFD), NAP Global Network, and the UNDP
More details: Event page.

The UNFCCC Gender Action Plan agreed at COP25 in 2019 gave an impetus to strengthen gender issues within adaptation strategies (nationally determined contributions, NAPs) and projects. Now at the midpoint of the UNFCCC GAP, where do we stand in terms of gender-responsive adaptation strategies in Africa?

This session will share inspiring examples from the NAP Global Network’s experiences with developing countries and highlight key points from its recent synthesis report on gender-responsive NAPs. Participants will also explore lessons learned and key outputs from AFD’s AdaptAction Programme in Africa. Finally, panellists from Benin and Senegal will share their countries’ progress and experiences with gender-responsive adaptation.

The NAP Global Network Secretariat also contributed to the following events.

Why Is Locally Led Adaptation Fundamental to Achieving the Global Goal on Adaptation?: A Practitioners’ Perspective With Examples From Africa

When: Wednesday, November 9, 11:00–12:30
Where: Locally Led Adaptation Pavilion
Organizer(s): Practical Action
Moderator: Demet Intepe (Practical Action UK)
Speakers: Emilie Beauchamp (IISD, NAP Global Network), Sandeep Chamling Rai (WWF), Nisha Krishnan (WRI), Edwin Obiero (Practical Action West Africa)

Practitioners and adaptation experts explored opportunities and gaps around Locally Led Adaptation in the Global Goal for Adaptation process. We used examples of locally led adaptation actions across Africa to discuss how communities can effectively adapt to climate change and what additional financial and technical support is needed to achieve this.

Adaptation in the Global Stocktake

When: Wednesday, November 9, 17:30—18:30
Where: Korean Pavilion
Organizer(s): Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) & International Energy Agency (IEA) Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG), and the Republic of Korea.

This side-event explored what the first Global Stocktake (GST) process could usefully do in relation to its mandate to review the adequacy and effectiveness of adaptation actions and facilitate enhanced implementation of adaptation, taking into account on-going discussions on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and the learning-by-doing approach of the GST.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Climate Adaptation Interventions

When: Thursday, November 10, 15:00—16:00
Where: Domina Coral Bay Congress Center (just outside of the Green and Blue Zones) in the Giovanni room
Organizer(s): Chemonics

Increased attention is being paid to climate adaptation programming, though with only scant evidence of what has (and has not) worked under different contexts. Despite progress on the conceptual side, practitioners are still struggling to define adaptation success, and then measure and evaluate the effectiveness of climate adaptation interventions.

The panel discussion focused on ways to measure climate adaptation gains and the hurdles we, within the development community, must overcome to undertake adaptation programming that is both measurable and equitable. The discussion started by defining adaptation success and the available methods for measuring the effectiveness of adaptation interventions, followed by a discussion of how to advance evaluation methods, and finally, panelists discussed opportunities to strengthen climate adaptation programming.

Robust and Accelerated Climate Action in Non-State Actors: Race 2 Resilience

Watch the event's full recording.

When: Thursday, November 10, 17:00—18:00
Where: Resilience Hub
Organizer(s): High-Level Champions, Center for Climate and Resilience Research

The Race to Resilience (R2R) campaign from the High-Level Champions aims to catalyze a step-change in global ambition for climate resilience, putting people and nature first, and involving non-state partner organizations from around the world. The R2R Resilience Framework is a pioneering approach for the high-level tracking, monitoring, and evaluation of non-state actors' resilience-building efforts.

Through dialogue with the campaign’s partners and key climate change experts, this session explored how the R2R campaign can help advance robust climate action and introduced the R2R Resilience Framework.

A Food System in Crisis: Gender-equitable responses to building climate resilience

When: Saturday, November 12, 13:00–14:30
Where: Canada Pavilion
Organizer(s): Canada Foodgrains Bank, World Vision Canada, WaterAid Canada, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR)

The current food system works poorly for much of the world’s population, particularly women and girls, in terms of providing sufficient and nutritious diets within planetary boundaries. A more gender-equitable, resilient food system, including local food systems, is urgently needed to respond to current and future crises and enable the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Canada’s current climate finance package includes a commitment to achieve gender-equality integration in 80% of projects, with climate-smart agriculture and food systems and nature-based solutions as key themes.

This event brought together civil society and think tanks with expertise in agriculture, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, and adaptation to discuss approaches to enabling climate-resilient food systems, critical to human and environmental sustainability.

Turning Pledges into Inclusive and Equitable Actions: Synergistic implementation of climate and the SDGs

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When: Monday, November 14, 8:30–9:45
Where: SDG Pavilion, Main Stage
Organizer(s): United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the UNFCCC

It is crucial that governments and stakeholders ensure the integration of just, equitable, and inclusive principles–key elements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development–across all climate and development strategies, including the National Determined Contributions (NDCs), the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), biodiversity, and the net-zero emission reduction goals.

During this interactive discussion, lead experts from a variety of backgrounds explored how harnessing synergies across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement can at the same time help advance inclusive and just transitions. Speakers shared practical insights on incorporating a “climate and SDGs” lens into their areas of work, from science and policy to financing and delivery of development co-benefits, towards more equitable, fair, and resilient outcomes.

Actions for Effective Investments in Adaptation and Resilience

Watch the event's full recording

When: Monday, November 14, 13:15–14:45
Where: Amon (150)
Organizer(s): Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), Japan Water Forum, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The session identified actions needed to move beyond business-as-usual approaches for scaling up effective investments in climate adaptation and resilience. Risk-informed inclusive decision making at all levels and across sectors and themes will be key for enabling such a shift.

Related resources

News and statements

Zimbabwe submits its Adaptation Communication to UNFCCC

Zimbabwe’s AdCom strives to increase the visibility and profile of adaptation and its balance with mitigation, strengthen adaptation action and support, and enhance learning and understanding of adaptation needs and actions.

The document presents aspects of the country’s vision with respect to climate change, which stresses that adaptation is of primary importance to the country and is high on the government’s agenda to guarantee the welfare of the people while reducing risks and building resilience.

Accelerating Action for a Climate-resilient Future Through National Adaptation Plans

Through National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, countries are striving to put climate adaptation at the heart of decision making. These processes are gaining momentum: the United Nations has reported that 129 developing countries have launched NAPs since the process was established in 2010 under the Cancun Adaptation Framework. This event showcased concrete experiences in, and best practices from, countries when devising, implementing, and monitoring their NAPs.

Open the full article.

Multilevel Governance as a Catalyst for Adaptation Finance at the Local Level

This event showcased lessons learned and best practices in creating strategic links to NAP processes that present an opportunity to establish mechanisms for channeling finance to local levels. Representatives from Africa and Latin America shared their diverse experience with local adaptation planning and implementation.

Open the full article.

Women’s Leadership to Advance Adaptation Action

Women’s leadership is crucial for developing and implementing national-level policies and plans designed to build resilience to the impacts of climate change. A COP27 event hosted by the NAP Global Network at the 4^th Capacity Building Hub fostered discussion on how capacities and networks can be enhanced to enable women’s leadership in adaptation decision-making, including in National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes.

Open the full article.

Contact

For more information on the NAP Global Network's activities and engagements, contact the Secretariat team at info@napglobalnetwork.org.

For media enquiries, please contact Senior Communications Officer Catherine Burge at cburge@iisd.ca.

Join a network of adaptation decision-makers and practitioners from developing countries working on National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes to:

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Apply for technical support opportunities
Take part in peer exchanges.

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Highlights from COP26

At the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, the NAP Global Network Secretariat participated in side events and met with country delegates to discuss how the Network can best support national adaptation planning and action in developing countries.

There were also important funding announcements at COP26. As seen in the video below, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom announced funding to support national adaptation planning and action in developing countries at COP26.

Climate Adaptation Funding News from COP26

Canada, United States, Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom fund climate adaptation in vulnerable countries

At the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26), Canada, Germany, the United States, Ireland, and the United Kingdom announced funding to support national adaptation planning and action in developing countries to build the climate resilience of vulnerable communities and ecosystems.

*November 8, 2021 at the U.S. Center at COP 26. Esteemed panelists from the U.S., Grenada, Burkina Faso, Ireland, Canada, and the U.K. all advocated for the importance of National Adaptation Plans.*

Canada announces CAD 10 million in funding to accelerate climate adaptation planning and action in developing countries

The Canadian government has announced that it will provide CAD 10 million in funding for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network to support developing countries in accelerating their efforts to build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

*Hon. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, making the funding announcement at the COP26 Africa Adaptation Acceleration Summit.*

COP26 Side Events: Recap

To share insights, experience, and research on national adaptation planning processes, the NAP Global Network Secretariat took part in several side events—some of which are highlighted below. Watch the recordings on our website.

Adaptation: From Planning to Action

This event highlighted lessons learned by countries developing their NAPs to the UNFCCC. New funding announcements also took place from donor countries to facilitate and build capacity for national adaptation planning and implementation.

*Trevor Thompson, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Grenada, shared the lessons he learned through peer learning exchanges organized by the NAP Global Network.*

Capacity Building for Adaptation Action: Focus on Adaptation Communications

With respect to capacity building for adaptation action, in particular, representatives from Viet Nam and eSwatini shared their experiences with Adaptation Communications (ADCOM).

*Thanh Nga Tran, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam, suggested the process of stocktaking can be problematic in a highly decentralized country.*

Testing the Theory: Building capacity for vertical integration of adaptation

This session, led by the NAP Global Network, explored the real-world challenges involved in strategically linking adaptation efforts across various levels of governance, including through collaboration with non-state actors.

Vositha Wijenayake, Executive Director of the SLYCAN Trust, Sri Lanka, highlighted important steps of the NAP process that should be conducted at the local-level to then better inform national-level decision-makers.

Key Moments with Country Partners at COP26

For the NAP Global Network, COP26 presented a critical opportunity to connect with some of our country partners in person. Anne Hammill, Senior Director of the Resilience Program at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), which hosts the NAP Global Network Secretariat, sat down with delegates to discuss how the NAP Global Network can support their country's NAP process.

Follow the NAP Global Network on Twitter and LinkedIn for updates on key moments at COP27.

Hammill met the (then) Minister of Environment, Green Economy, and Climate Change of Burkina Faso, Siméon Sawadogo, at COP26.

Hammill met with Vice Minister of Environment and Strategic Development of Natural Resources of Peru's Ministry of Environment, Alfredo Mamani Salinas, to discuss the next steps for implementing the country’s NAP.

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