NAIROBI, KENYA, October 9, 2023—Kenya will host representatives from 10 developing countries from three continents to share lessons on strengthening multilevel governance for building resilience to climate change through national adaptation plans (NAPs).
The Peer Learning Summit is co-hosted by the Kenyan government and NAP Global Network and will take place from October 11 to 13. It will convene adaptation experts, including national and sub-national government officials from Belize, the Dominican Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tuvalu, and Zimbabwe, as well as representatives from Kenya.
The summit will focus on “vertical integration” in adaptation—the process of linking sub-national and national adaptation efforts. Vertical integration in multilevel governance is key for effective, representative, and inclusive NAP processes.
“Adaptation at the local level is critical, as local communities are highly vulnerable to climate change. Kenya is working to support and scale up locally led adaptation through the national adaptation plan process under the Climate Change Act,” said Eng. Festus Ng’eno, Kenya’s Principal Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
“Climate change adaptation is specific to local contexts and demands that resources flow to specific activities in specific places. Channelling resources to the people and places that need support constitutes the core of effective adaptation. This principle underpins adaptation planning in Kenya through scaling up decentralized planning and finance to the local level,” says Lerenten Lelekoitien, Deputy Director, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Directorate, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya.
To date, 139 of 154 developing countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have launched NAP processes. According to the NAP Trends platform, among the 48 NAP documents submitted to the UNFCCC, 100% mention sub-national actors, but only 53% refer to specific mechanisms for vertical integration.
“Vertical integration is a fundamental step in moving from planning to implementation of the NAP process. In this summit, we will discuss crucial aspects of this process, such as the importance of establishing institutional arrangements for vertical integration across all levels of governance, as well as how to facilitate financing to sub-national levels to enable them to articulate and implement their local priorities,” said Mauricio Luna-Rodríguez, NAP Global Network’s policy advisor and expert in climate change adaptation governance.
To learn more about South–South peer learning through the NAP Global Network, visit www.napglobalnetwork.org
Quotes
“This august moment of 10 countries at this Peer Learning Summit sends a strong signal of the importance of country-driven and country-owned NAP processes. Through intentional and strategic linkages at national and sub-national levels, these countries safeguard their progress in integrating climate change adaptation into existing or new policies and plans. Adaptation is a local action, and ensuring transparent and full participation in decision making on planning and implementation of adaptation actions at all levels will secure the resilience needed to guarantee future lives and livelihoods while entrenching resilience building to sustain national development for future generations. We look forward to the collaboration, teamwork, and agreed outcomes.”
Orville Grey, Head of Secretariat, NAP Global Network.
“Despite most countries referencing coordination mechanisms across different levels of governance in their NAPs (78% according to our most recent analysis), there are many lessons to be learned on challenges and opportunities to strengthen coordination across levels of governance for adaptation, which is one of the main objectives of the Peer Learning Summit.”
Mauricio Luna-Rodríguez, NAP Global Network’s policy advisor and expert in climate change adaptation governance
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 Cesar Henrique Arrais, Communications Officer, at chenriquearrais@iisd.ca, or Susan Wairimu, PLS Project Assistant, at susanwairimu23@gmail.com.
Facts: Vertical Integration in the NAP Process
- 139 of 154 developing countries under the UNFCCC have launched National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes.
- 47 developing countries have submitted NAPs to the UN outlining adaptation priorities for multiple sectors, including 18 African countries.
- 100% of multi-sector NAPs mention sub-national actors, such as sub-national governments, local organizations, communities, and women’s groups (source: NAP Trends as of September 30, 2023)
- Analysis of NAPs by the NAP Global Network Secretariat as of July 31, 2023 found 50% of NAPs mention the phrase “community-based adaptation,” and over a third (40%) mention “locally led adaptation.”