April 2023

UNFCCC's Knowledge-to-Action Hub for Adaptation and Resilience

Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) Bulletin

Dear NWP community,

Following the broadening of its mandate in 2022, the NWP is building on its momentum to date in all its activities – partner engagement, constituted body support, Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative, thematic work, the UN Climate Change University Partnership Programme and more - with the aim to strengthen its role as the UNFCCC Knowledge to action hub for adaptation and resilience for transformative action.

As we look towards long-term, systemized action to address knowledge gaps and scale up adaptation, we know that we rely on you, our partners to provide the knowledge and know-how that we will deliver and broker to Parties and constituted bodies under the UNFCCC.

This bulletin provides an overview of recent activities and engagement opportunities. Further to this bulletin, the recently published SBSTA report gives an overview of the work undertaken by the NWP over the last year and next steps.

I warmly invite you to continue to engage with the NWP for the benefit of all. There are opportunities to do so directly as well as to update and provide action pledges and inform us of action taken. We look forward to continued collaboration.

Dr. Youssef Nassef, Director of the Adaptation division, UNFCCC secretariat

NWP at COP 27

Nairobi Work Programme at COP 27

The NWP hosted three events at COP 27 with the aim to:

Enhance country- and region-specific actions delivered through NWP and partnerships
Provide practical and relevant knowledge on specific adaptation practices to Parties and those implementing adaptation action at the subnational and national level
Strengthen the ties among communities of practice.

15th Focal Point Forum of the Nairobi Work Programme

The 15th Focal Point Forum provided an interactive space to launch the mandated thematic area on agriculture and food security, in collaboration with the NWP expert group on agriculture and food security, which aims to enhance adaptation action in this area under the UNFCCC process.

It fostered dialogue and knowledge-sharing among Parties, NWP partners, and UNFCCC constituted bodies.

The forum focused on building adaptation efforts at national and subregional levels.

Key messages:

Finance as a key enabling environment
Capacity building needs for young farmers
Strong needs on data collection, knowledge building and sharing, especially for policy makers, female and smallholder farmers
Importance of women’s engagement
NWP connecting key actors through knowledge and networks

Biodiversity and ecosystems side-event

The knowledge exchange event on biodiversity and ecosystems for transformative adaptation action was hosted by the Resilience Hub. It built on the ongoing work under the NWP including by the biodiversity expert group.

Speakers shared a set of key themes including:

A need for a robust Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
The co-benefits that Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) offer for climate adaptation and biodiversity
The importance of stakeholder engagement and the Nairobi Work Programme’s role across these aspects

Key messages:

NWP can link and broker knowledge on NAPs and NBSAPs
Innovative Finance is needed to support nature-based solutions
Actions to protect marine biodiversity are also climate change actions

NWP engagement opportunities

The NWP invites partners to directly engage and support the following initiatives:

UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme

In the Lake Victoria Basin region: Become a technical partner to provide on-the-ground assistance with data collection, stakeholder interaction, and strategic alignment to the local needs for students of the master’s in development practice at Trinity College Dublin. Their project will examine the potential of Neglected and Underutilized Species for food and biofuels, the role of off-grid renewable energy as a solution for the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus, and the participation of WEF-sector actors in cross-level governance within climate change adaptation in the Lake Victoria Basin.
In the Pacific Island States: Take forward work on examining the opportunities and limits for nature-based solutions in this region. Students from the National University of Ireland Galway, J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics undertook an initial economic analysis of the limits to ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) for coastal flood risk in the Pacific Islands. They provided a sum mary of their work with key recommendations for further research. The NWP are looking to expand this work moving forward in response to knowledge gaps identified in the Pacific LAKI workshop.
For the UN University Partnership Programme. Express your interest in co-developing and funding action research projects to address priority knowledge gaps and needs and build transformative adaptation on the ground. We are looking for academic and research institutions and technical partners with whom we can expand the programme to least developed countries and small island developing states in response to the mandates by Parties. Please also look out for an invitation to the online partner engagement meeting in August.

Learn more here

Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI)

In Hindu Kush Himalayan subregion: are you a regional partner or working in this region and interested in collaborating?

The second phase of LAKI in the HKH subregion is currently under way, in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

(ICIMOD) and the secretariats of UNEP and UNFCCC seek to collaborate with interested NWP partners to actively support this LAKI work to address knowledge gaps and scale up adaptation and resilience for countries in the region.

Please contact us directly at nwp@unfccc.int to express your interest in the opportunities above.

NWP activities

Technical brief: Promoting synergies between climate change adaptation and biodiversity through the NAP and NBSAP processes

This technical brief, produced with expert group members as part of the biodiversity thematic work, has been published as a supplement to the NAP technical guidelines.

It reviews the interconnections between biodiversity and climate change adaptation. The brief explores the potential to foster and promote synergies between the two processes under their joint common elements

(a) assessment of needs and priorities;

(b) planning;

(d) monitoring, evaluation and learning.

It targets country-level CBD and UNFCCC focal points and technical staff of ministries who are engaged in planning and implementation of NAPs and NBSAPs.

Read the Technial Brief here

UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme - update on new projects

Four new projects were established in 2022 to address LAKI knowledge gaps in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, Pacific Island Developing States, Northern Africa, and Southern Africa.

New partnerships include universities such as Tribhuvan University of Nepal, The National University of Ireland Galway, The British University of Egypt and the Challenge-Driven, Accessible, Research-based, and Mobile European University (CHARM-EU) and technical organisations such as the Global Water Partnership, South Asia, the UNFCCC regional collaboration centre in Bangkok and the International Water Management Institute in Southern Africa.

Learn more about the partnership programme and ongoing work here.

Closing adaptation knowledge gaps at subregional level through the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative

Building Momentum to Close Adaptation Knowledge Gaps

MENA subregion

The second phase of LAKI in the North Africa and West Asia/Gulf Cooperation Council subregions was initiated in mid-2021 in cooperation with NWP partners. Drawing on the 28 knowledge gaps identified during the first phase, discussions during workshops held in the second phase resulted in the identification of 14 proposals for action. The UNFCCC secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme collaborated with several local partners in these subregions, such as universities, centres and networks, to support implementation of these proposals for action; a report will be published in 2023.

Hindu Kush Himalayan region

Preparations for initiating the second phase of LAKI in the Hindu Kush Himalayan subregion are currently under way, in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

Work in the Hindu Kush Himalayan subregion will draw upon the methodology applied in the MENA subregions and take into account lessons learned to help build collaborative activities to address knowledge gaps and support national action.

NWP progresses its work on the thematic area of agriculture and food security

Work on this thematic area began last year with the first expert meeting held in September 2022 which included an analysis of relevant gaps in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and good practices identified by expert group members. This was followed by discussions with Parties and partners at the 15th Focal Point Forum described above.

Key areas discussed included the need for capacity building of local experts and extension services; upscaling climate-smart agriculture, technology and innovation; communication and partnership with indigenous knowledge holders; good governance and finance; and effective knowledge sharing on-the-ground.

The second expert meeting took place in March 2023 to refine the scoping of knowledge gaps and good practices and develop collaborative action plans among the experts and with constituted bodies and relevant work programmes).

Next steps include publishing a scoping paper on knowledge gaps, good practices and strategic options to address gaps as well as building collaborative opportunities to scale up action.

Engagement opportunities with the UNFCCC constituted bodies and work programmes

This section provides opportunities for engagement for the NWP Partners in the work of the constituted bodies. The NWP has new mandates to strengthen the support to the UNFCCC constituted bodies, including building long-term strategic engagement with them. Learn more about the constituted bodies here.

Adaptation Committee (AC)

Adaptation Committee’s Adaptation Finance newsletter sums up COP outcomes and state of play among major funds

The latest issue of the Adaptation Committee’s Adaptation Finance newsletter sums up the COP outcomes relevant to adaptation finance and puts the spotlight on Finance for Loss and Damage. The paper provides a stocktake of funding commitments and allocations to adaptation finance by the major climate-oriented funds as at the end of 2022, and presents updates on mobilization of and plans for finance for adaptation from the Adaptation Fund, Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, UN Capital Development Fund and Climate Investment Funds.

Adaptation Committee publishes paper on assessing adaptation needs

Assessing adaptation needs is a fundamental part of enhancing climate resilience. The Adaptation Committee has published a technical paper to support this process, providing information on methodologies for assessing adaptation needs related to action, finance, capacity building and technological support in the context of national adaptation planning and implementation. The paper draws from the adaptation knowledge portal as well as relevant submissions from Parties and observer organizations, presenting key concepts and definitions, an overview of existing methodologies and related experience, an analysis of lessons learned, emerging good practices and gaps, and recommendations. It also includes a five-step process for assessing adaptation needs, aimed at Parties and other stakeholders.

Adaptation Committee Report examines developing country experience in assessing and meeting costs of adaptation

A synthesis report developed under the guidance of the Adaptation Committee and LEG has found significant progress by developing countries in assessing the costs of adaptation in recent years. Almost half of developing countries have now assessed and reported on adaptation costs estimates in their latest NDC updates and recent NAPs, often with comprehensive estimates of adaptation costs. A growing number of developing countries are already financing adaptation through domestic expenditure. However, costing adaptation at national and local levels is a complex and challenging endeavour. This report, the second in a series, synthesizes relevant lessons, insights, and good practices in developing country Parties, based on a review of national reports submitted to the UNFCCC secretariat.

Technologies for adaptation: innovation, priorities and needs in agriculture, water resources and coastal zones

A new technical paper from the Adaptation Committee examines the innovation, priorities and needs with respect to technologies for adaptation in agriculture, water resources and coastal zones, identified by developing countries as their highest priorities for adaptation technology needs. It also provides a detailed snapshot of technology transfer efforts in those priority areas supported by the Climate Technology Centre and Network, Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility and Adaptation Fund, and covers the barriers, gaps, and challenges that complicate the identification, development and deployment of technologies. The report also reviews the use and status of frontier technologies (e.g. AI and machine learning) for adaptation, and innovation efforts. Finally, it provides a selection of good practices and opportunities to help ensure current and future technologies fulfil their potential in enhancing adaptation action.

Stay tuned: New Information Series on the Global State of Adaptation launches this year

A new information series aimed at contributing to a more coherent and clearer picture of the global state of and progress made in adaptation will launch this year. It will comprise an online information tool and periodic digital publication, the former offering self-reported country profiles on the state of adaptation action and information (by theme and region) structured to match the adaptation cycle.

Existing global-level reports on adaptation focus on science or on gaps, not yet on adaptation action. To assist in this new approach, the Adaptation Committee welcomes feedback on two questions: What type of information would you like to see in the series that would facilitate your own work? How could the series best contribute to the global monitoring of adaptation progress?

Contact AC@unfccc.int for questions and suggestions.

Consultative Group of Experts

The Consultative Group of Experts Set Out an Ambitious Workplan for 2023

Members of the Consultative Group of Experts met in Bonn in February 2023 to develop their 2023 workplan, which includes a series of hands-on training workshops to provide technical support for developing countries to deal with climate change.

The CGE will continue to provide technical support and advice to developing country Parties to respond to their technical assistance needs. This will inform the implementation of existing Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) arrangements and the enhanced transparency framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement, including sustainable institutional arrangements and data management systems.

In addition, the CGE agreed on its 2023 work plan, which contains the information on its activities this year, including, among other things, organizing regional hands-on training workshops on “Reporting information on climate change impacts and adaptation, and support needed and received in relation to adaptation reporting”, conducting regional webinars and updating technical knowledge products.

Learn more

Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG)

LEG 43 meeting

The 43rd meetin g of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) was held from 15–20 February 2023 in Moroni, Comoros. The LEG developed its work programme for 2023–2024 and discussed priority needs for LDC support for the next five years. The LEG also met with Green Climate Fund secretariat, the Global Environment Facility, the Adaptation Fund, and other relevant organizations to discuss collaboration in supporting the LDCs.

Project proposal writing workshop on NAPs for the African LDCs and Haiti

The project proposal writing workshop on national adaptation plans (NAPs) for the African least developed countries (LDCs) and Haiti was held from 21 to 24 February 2023 in Moroni, Comoros. The workshop is part of the direct country support on NAPs being conducted by the LEG, and aims to assist LDCs in progressing towards successful adaptation by initiating and submitting project proposals to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other sources of funding for implementing adaptation priorities associated with their NAPs. The workshop will also provide countries assistance in completing the formulation and further development of their NAPs.

NAP Expo 2023

The NAP Expo is an annual outreach event organized by the LEG in collaboration with various bodies and organizations, to promote exchange of experiences and foster partnerships between a wide range of actors and stakeholders on how to advance national adaptation plans (NAPs). The eighth global NAP Expo was held from 27 to 30 March 2023, in Santiago, Republic of Chile. This year’s theme was “scaling up adaptation” with the goal of pursuing overarching outcomes intended to increase the scope and depth of adaptation actions.

NWP partners presented on the joint paper: Promoting Synergies Between Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity.

More information about the event is available at http://napexpo.org/2023/

Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage

Starting a new implementation phase – the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage

The 18th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage took place in Manila, Philippines, from 28 February to 3 March 2023, to launch the new implementation phase with its second five-year rolling workplan (2023–2027).

The Committee’s work will bridge policy and implementation gaps in the context of loss and damage based on the latest science. Upcoming activities focus on shedding light on solutions and challenges on the ground and developing technical guides to facilitate scaling out the implementation of good practices for anticipating and responding to loss and damage in developing country contexts.

New NWP partners and update from partners

The NWP is responding to the challenges of adaptation and resilience in collaboration with over 450 partners representing a diversity of knowledge and expertise, coalitions and networks working in different thematic areas, sectors, regions and countries.

Check this page to meet our partners.

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Handbook System for the Design and Implementation of EbA

This handbook system was created to guide the process of designing, setting up, implementing, monitoring and up-scaling EbA interventions under the global Programme “Scaling Up Mountain Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: building evidence, replicating success, and informing policy.”

This document takes the EbA practitioner through the 7 stages of the EbA cycle, from selecting suitable sites for EbA interventions to supporting the process of mainstreaming EbA. Each stage is summarized and supported by resources and forms, helping with decision making processes and ensuring consistency and comparability for particular aspects of EbA across interventions in different project sites.

Catalogue of Ecosystem-based Adaptation measures in mountains

This catalogue presents the experiences using Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to build climate resilience in three mountain ranges: the Andes, the Himalayas, and Mt. Elgon in East Africa. Its main objective is to provide practical information on these experiences to inform NbS practitioners, decision-makers, project designers and managers, researchers and local communities. The experiences illustrated within this publication include first-hand accounts and knowledge from project implementers as well as testimonies from local beneficiaries in the 3 flagship and 3 expansion countries, highlighting the EbA measures that led to increased climate resilience, adaptive land management and secure water resources.

Project Drawdown

Project Drawdown’s landmark report Climate-Poverty Connections: Opportunities for Synergistic Solutions at the Intersection of Planetary and Human Well-Being, two-page fact sheet, and short video provide evidence for 28 climate solutions that play triple duty for climate mitigation, adaptation, and poverty alleviation and yield substantial socioeconomic, health, equity, and environmental benefits particularly for rural communities in Africa and South Asia.

Drawdown Lift, a program of Project Drawdown, serves as a knowledge partner to increase awareness, prioritization, and funding of climate solutions that generate co-benefits for alleviating poverty in low- and middle-income countries in alignment with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

Global EbA Fund

The next cut-off date for the Global EbA Fund is 28 April 2023 at 23:59 UTC+2 (Swiss time).

The Global EbA Fund is a catalytic funding mechanism for supporting innovative approaches to ecosystem-based adaptation to create enabling environments for its mainstreaming and scaling up. This application cycle includes a thematic funding track on EbA in urban environments. Projects submitted to the Fund can be global, thematic, or targeted to one or more ODA-eligible countries.

Applicants should review the Grant Procedures Manual for further details. Questions?

Email us!

Zoï Environment Network

Adaptation at Altitude solutions portal

The UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) has recognized the significant challenges faced by mountain communities due to climate change and added “Mountains” as a thematic area under the NWP. In order to support mountain communities in adapting to climate change impacts, the Adaptation at Altitude programme – launched and supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) – has developed a Solutions Portal to improve and share knowledge to inform decision-making in policy processes. The portal gives visibility to solution providers and makes tested, replicable solutions from mountain areas around the world easier to find and explore.

Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

A new e-learning course on Ecosystem-based Adaption (EbA), developed by GIZ, IUCN and IISD was launched in October 2022, and already has more than 4000 enrollments.

The free, self-paced course features nine units including key principles, risk assessment, monitoring, and governance, and four cross-cutting topics which are addressed in independent modules: gender, governance, local and indigenous knowledge, and biodiversity.

The course was funded by The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), and Global Affairs Canada as part of the Nature for Climate Adaptation Initiative funded by the Government of Canada.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Climate Science Information for Climate Action. Building on the successes and lessons learned from the first phase of the expert services agreement on Enhancing the Climate Science Basis of the Climate Rationale of GCF Funded Activities (2018–2021) launched at COP26 in 2021, the WMO and GCF have entered a follow-on collaboration now referred to as “Developing the Climate Science Information for Climate Action” (WMO-No. 1287). WMO and GCF will coordinate to provide the global community with access to new climate information, tools and guidance to develop the scientific basis for climate action decisions, particularly LDCs and SIDS.

Contact: climatescience@wmo.int

Ocean & Climate Platform

Adapting Coastal Cities and Territories to Sea Level Rise in Northern Europe: Challenges and Best Practices

As part of the Sea'ties Initiative led by the Ocean & Climate Platform, a series of regional workshops are being organised over 2021-2023. First in this series, a workshop dedicated to adaptation practices in coastal cities facing sea level rise in Northern Europe mobilised 30 stakeholders involved in adaptation planning in France, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. The resulting report "Adapting Coastal Cities and Territories to Sea Level Rise in Northern Europe: Challenges and Best Practices" highlights innovative approaches to coastal adaptation deployed across the region.

Adapting Coastal Cities and Territories to Sea Level Rise in the Mediterranean Region: Challenges and Best Practices

The report "Adapting Coastal Cities and Territories to Sea Level Rise in the Mediterranean Region: Challenges and Best Practices" was released following the second regional workshop of the Sea'ties series, which brought together over 40 stakeholders from Cyprus, Croatia, France, Egypt, Tunisia, Greece, Italy and Spain. Produced with the support of the City of Marseille, Plan Bleu and MedECC, the report addresses the main barriers to adaptation across the Mediterranean shores and highlights multiple local initiatives towards coastal resilience.

UN Ocean Conference - Launch of global consultation of the ocean community

In preparation for the upcoming and third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in 2025, chaired jointly by the governments of France and Costa Rica, Rémi Parmentier (The Varda Group) and Loreley Picourt (Ocean & Climate Platform) have been mandated to co-facilitate the consultation and mobilisation of civil society.

They are therefore launching an online consultation open to all civil society organisations (e.g., NGOs, foundations) working on ocean issues around the world.

Designed around five questions, this consultation aims to collect feedback on previous UN Ocean Conferences and learn more about expectations for 2025. It is part of a long-term strategy to co-design the messages and key priorities of the ocean community regarding the organisation and outcomes of UNOC 2025.

This online consultation will be open until 15th of June 2023, and is available in English, Spanish and French.

Discover the consultation

Get in touch

Interested in the latest adaptation reports, technical papers, methods and tools from the NWP? Follow us on Twitter @AdaptXChange and on Facebook @The Adaptation Exchange, and as always, please email nwp@unfccc.int with questions or to notify us of a change in your UNFCCC or NWP partner focal point.

NAIROBI WORK PROGRAMME | https://unfccc.int/nwp

Photo credits:

Photo 1. UNFCCC; Photo 2. Nairobi Work Programme; Photo 3. Nairobi Work Programme; Photo 4. Rashid Khan (Unsplash); Photo 5. Nairobi Work Programme; Photo 6. A. J. T. Johnsingh, 2014 Creative Commons 4.0- Photo of Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forest ecoregion; Photo 7. Ravini / Pixabay; Photo 8. Anaxila / Flickr; Photo 9. Nairobi Work Programme; Photo 10. Adaptation Committee; Photo 11. Adaptation Committee; Photo 12. CGIAR Climate, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0; Photo 13. World Bank; Photo 14. Adaptation Committee; Photo 15. Consultative Group of Experts; Photo 16. Least Developed Countries Expert Group; Photo 17. Least Developed Countries Expert Group; Photo 18. NAP Expo; Photo 19. Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage; Photo 20. International Union for Conservation of Nature; Photo 21. International Union for Conservation of Nature; Photo 22. Michele Burgess | Alamy Stock Photo; Photo 23. Global EbA Fund; Photo 24. Zoï Environment Network; Photo 25. Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); Photo 27. World Meteorological Organization (WMO); Photo 27. Ocean & Climate Platform; Photo 28. Ocean & Climate Platform.