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Adaptation Fund:
Caps Accomplished Year
with Eye to Promising 2023
The Adaptation Fund capped off another successful year, providing tangible results on the ground for climate-vulnerable countries and raising more than US$ 230 million in new pledges and contributions in 2022 at the United Nations COP27 climate change conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in November.
The fourth review of the Fund was concluded at COP27, in which Parties again recognized its crucial importance as an essential channel for supporting adaptation action and a pioneer of direct access to adaptation finance, while funding full costs of concrete adaptation projects in developing countries. The review cited the Fund’s comparative advantages in speed of project approval, strategic engagement of regional and local stakeholders, efficiency of institutional arrangements, enhancement of country ownership and climate finance readiness. While recognizing the Fund’s central role in the climate finance architecture, Parties also furthered development of a new clean market mechanism for adaptation.
As continuing signals of the broad trust earned by the Fund for its effective and nimble support on the ground for the most vulnerable countries and the momentum garnered for its 15th anniversary in operations celebrated at the conference, the new pledges included several first-time contributors and multi-year pledges. As the Fund continues to face record demand for adaptation actions with an active pipeline of about US$ 380 million (and growing) in projects that have not yet been funded, it will build on these pledges to enhance its financial sustainability.
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COP27 came fresh on the heels of key Board decisions in October that adopted the Fund’s new five-year strategy for 2023-2027 that will further build on its strategic pillars of Action, Innovation, and Learning and Sharing, with increased ambition and linkages, and additional cross-cutting areas of locally led adaptation and scaling up Fund actions to help meet the adaptation needs of vulnerable countries. | |
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The Board also approved a new resource mobilization strategy and action plan that aims to further grow and diversify its funding sources to help address the need for more predictable funding. This will include targeting expanded contributions from national and subnational governments, and opportunities with foundations and the private sector.
The Fund hosted its first in-person large scale seminar following the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic in September in Washington, D.C., when it welcomed representatives from its 34 direct access national implementing partners from around the world to share experiences, successes and lessons learned in furthering country ownership in adaptation and navigating the accreditation and project development processes, as well as several new funding windows that have been launched by the Fund over the last few years in areas such as innovation, learning, project scale-up, and enhanced direct access. The 5-day seminar included a site visit to a natural stream restoration project in the area.
Throughout the year, the Fund released several new knowledge publications on timely themes such as youth engagement in adaptation, intersectional approaches to gender mainstreaming, streamlined accreditation for smaller implementing entities, fostering efficiency and knowledge through regional projects, and strengthening country capacity via reaccreditations. Another study on scaling up effective projects was released along with an E-learning course on scale-up grants.
Often Adaptation Fund projects are the first concrete adaptation projects being carried out in many places. With now nearly US$ 1 billion committed to 140 projects on the ground building resilience of over 38 million beneficiaries, its focus on local ownership, institutional capacity building and knowledge sharing supports scaling up or replicating projects. The Fund’s Scale-Up Grants window is helping implementing partners such as in Rwanda develop expanded proposals based on their experience implementing successful Fund projects.
In April the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA), a US$ 20 million partnership launched a few years ago by the Fund with the United Nations Development Programme, UN Environment Programme, and Climate Technology Centre and Network, announced the awarding of the first round of US$ 2.2 million in grants funded by the Adaptation Fund and implemented by UNDP for a broad range of 22 local innovation projects across 19 countries. Among them are a resilience project in Oaxaca, Mexico reviving ancestral practices of fog catching to address water scarcity and Waru Waru to protect crops from freezing during frosts; and an adaptive agricultural solution in eastern India to scale float-farming and aquaculture in water-prone areas. Meanwhile in Burundi an AFCIA grant administered by UNEP is protecting 25,000 people from flooding through portable ‘slamdams’ while acting as a warehouse for water during droughts.
A new Evaluation Policy approved by the Board in March is aimed at enabling the Fund’s independent evaluation function to contribute more effectively to helping developing countries build resilience and adapt to climate change. The new policy goes into effect in October 2023, adding evaluation criteria linked to the Fund’s niche, as well as evaluation knowledge and expanded types of evaluations, among others.
Even as recent gap reports show rising concerns with climate risks and nearly 20% of the Fund’s portfolio is committed to disaster risk reduction and early warning systems, an exciting 2023 awaits as the Fund will begin implementing its new strategy to build on the many achievements of its last 5-year strategy while further optimizing the Fund’s value and impact to create positive change. It will strengthen synergies with other adaptation funders, enhance access to climate finance and build long-term adaptation capacities, while advancing gender equality and empowering the most vulnerable communities as agents of change.
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Adaptation Fund Receives Over US$ 230 Million Mobilized in 2022 for the Most Climate-Vulnerable at COP27 in Egypt
The AF received about US$ 232 million in new pledges and contributions at UN COP27 climate change conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November. These include first-time AF contributors Japan, Iceland, Portugal and the Republic of Korea, as well as tranches from six multi-year pledges. Read more >>
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Transboundary Adaptation Actions Promote Efficiency of Resource Use and Opportunities for Learning, Adaptation Fund Study Finds
A recently published AF study reveals the value of transboundary and regional approaches in tackling climate vulnerability in the most vulnerable communities. Read more >>
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Adaptation Fund Board Adopts New 5-Year Strategy to Build and Expand on Successes of its Pillars in Action, Innovation, and Learning and Sharing
The AF Board’s 39th meeting in October in Bonn, Germany adopted a new five-year strategy starting in 2023 that will further build on the Fund’s strategic pillars of Action, Innovation, and Learning and Sharing, with increased ambition to help meet the adaptation needs of vulnerable countries. Read more >>
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AF’s Annual Direct Access Seminar Brings Vulnerable Countries Together to Enhance Climate Action
The AF’s 9th Annual Global Seminar for its Accredited National Implementing Entities (NIEs) was held in September in Washington, D.C. Participants exchanged country-level experiences with projects on the ground and accessing finance from the Fund. Read more >>
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Adaptation Fund Study: Streamlined Accreditation Process has Value in Opening Doors to Climate Finance for Smaller Entities
Latest AF study found Streamlined Accreditation Process offered by the AF
benefits smaller organizations to be accredited by providing flexibility and alternative compensatory measures. Read more >>
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Youth Engagement Paramount in Enhancing Climate Adaptation Projects, Adaptation Fund Study Finds
A new study by the AF shows that the Fund has supported projects that significantly benefit youth throughout its history, and that further increasing youth engagement in climate change adaptation activities enhances efficacy, acceptability and appropriateness of projects. Read more>>
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Adaptation Fund Raises Awareness of Climate Adaptation to Students of Prominent International School Based in Italy
The AF engaged with youth and delivered speeches on the importance of climate change adaptation and the Fund’s various grant programs and processes available for developing countries, at the H-FARM International School. Read more >>
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Adaptation Fund Study Shows Continuous Improvement and Periodic Re-Accreditations Strengthen Institutional Capacity of Implementing Entities
Re-accreditation process gives an opportunity for organizations to test new policies and procedures for project management, documentation and reporting, and to ensure systems are functioning properly, a recent AF study finds. Read more>>
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New Adaptation Fund Study Demonstrates Value of Intersectional Approaches in Gender Mainstreaming
A new AF study examines the importance of intersectional approaches and the value they add to implementing gender mainstreaming strategies and practices to adaptation interventions to enhance resilience of vulnerable women and communities. Read more >>
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Adaptation Fund Poised to Support Accelerated Adaptation Response, in Wake of New IPCC Report
A new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, titled Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, approved by 195 country governments and released Feb. 28, issued a dire warning while urging immediate and more ambitious adaptation actions to deal with increasing climate risks. Read more>>
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Innovative Adaptation Project Pays Off for Egyptian Farmers
An innovative climate adaptation project in Egypt focusing on crop diversification, climate-resilient seeds, and early warning capacities, is helping small farms on the banks of the Nile River. Read more >>
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Youth Engagement is Pivotal to Climate Adaptation Programmes
Youth play important roles in adaptation projects including as builders, knowledge brokers, and community guardians and yet empowerment of young people should be enhanced, a new AF report finds. Read more >>
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Adaptation Fund in Egypt
AF project in Egypt implemented by the World Food Programme shows great success in improving food security, resilience and adaptive capacity of the Southern zone across five governorates of Southern Egypt. Read more>>
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Fog catchers: Improving Mexico’s Climate Resilience Using Traditional Knowledge
A Mexican climate resilience project is adopting the traditional practice of fog catching to address the impacts of water scarcity. The project has been made possible by the AF Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA), which is a $20 million grant programme. Read more >>
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Mongolia Flood Defence Project Shows the Way for Urban Adaptation
A project in Mongolia, which incorporates a wide range of initiatives and aims to build the resilience of high-risk communities, is directly confronting the burden of urban climate impacts. Read more>>
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Early Warning Systems Hold the Key to Disaster Management in West Africa
A project funded by the AF and implemented by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is improving West African climate adaptation and disaster management by developing region-wide early warning systems. Read more>>
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World Meteorological Organization (WMO): Climate Change Puts Energy Security at Risk
WMO’s State of Climate Services annual report, which includes inputs from the AF and 25 other organizations, focuses on energy this year because it holds the key to international agreements on sustainable development and climate change and, indeed, to the planet’s health. Read more>>
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[UNEP]: Can this portable dam help Africa counter rising waters?
In Brundi, slamdam is protecting Mpanda commune and its 25,000 people from flooding while acting as a warehouse for water during times of drought. This innovative project is funded by the AF Climate Innovation Accelerator programme that is administered by UNEP. Read more >>
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[AF-TERG] New Evaluation Policy approved by Adaptation Fund Board aims to Foster Knowledge, Innovation and Evidence-Based Approaches
A new Evaluation Policy approved by the AF Board during its 38th meeting will enable the Fund’s evaluation function to contribute more effectively toward helping to foster the Fund’s mission, goal, and vision of helping developing countries build resilience and adapt to climate change. Read more >>
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[UNDP] UNDP and the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator announce US$2.2 million in grants
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the AF Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA) announced US$ 2.2 million in climate action grants for 22 local innovators across 19 countries.
Read more >>
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[Video] Adaptation Fund: Full Steam Ahead to COP27 Implementation
COP27 was emphasizing the need to move from negotiations to on-the-ground implementation of concrete adaptation projects. The AF is doing its part in bridging the gap between the adaptation needs and adaptation finance in developing countries around the world.
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[Video] The Adaptation Fund Continues to Grow, Offering More Opportunities for Vulnerable Countries
The AF has come a long way, working across developing countries and helping the most vulnerable communities adapt to climate change. The Fund has helped create scalable models by demonstrating successful, tangible projects on the ground that have helped millions of beneficiaries and fostered more resilient natural systems.
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[Video] Scaling up & Replicating Projects: Multiplying the Benefits of Adaptation Funding
The AF’s projects are often the very first concrete adaptation projects implemented, and they serve as valuable models that can be scaled up or replicated.
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[Video] Adaptation Fund in the Seychelles
A project in Seychelles funded by the AF is building resilience to climate effects through ecosystem-based approaches that are securing water supplies and providing protections against flooding.
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[Podcast] Building Climate Resilience - Scaling Up and Replicating Projects, Part 1
Mr. Mahamat Assouyouti, Senior Climate Change Specialist of the AF discusses available instruments and resources for project scaling up or replication in the context of AF projects and why it is important for projects to be scalable or replicable.
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[Podcast] Building Climate Resilience - Scaling Up and Replicating Projects, Part 2
Ms. Cristina Dengel, Knowledge Management Officer of the AF discusses key findings of the AF's study on project scalability and the importance of sharing knowledge with an eye toward project scalability and replicability.
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About the Adaptation Fund
Since 2010, the Adaptation Fund has committed over US$ 998 million for climate change adaptation and resilience projects and programmes, including 140 concrete, localized projects in the most vulnerable communities of developing countries around the world with over 38 million total beneficiaries. It also pioneered Direct Access and Enhanced Direct Access, empowering countries to access funding and develop local projects directly through accredited national implementing entities.
Media Contact:
Matt Pueschel, Communications Officer
mpueschel@adaptation-fund.org
tel. +1 202 473-6743
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