A miscellaneous document and a synthesis report on methods and tools for, and good practices and lessons learned relating to adaptation planning processes addressing ecosystems, human settlement, water resources and health, and good practices and lessons learned related to processes and structures for linking national and local adaptation planning    

A  progress report on implementation of activities under the NWP 

The eighth NWP Focal Point Forum will take place on 3 December in Lima, Peru

The Nairobi work programme Focal Point Forum (FPF) is an annual event with the participation of Parties and NWP partner organizations, taking place during the session of the Conference of the Parties (COP).   

This year's FPF will include a presentation and discussions on the findings from submissions on adaptation planning processes, as well as an interactive session on innovative communicating and supporting adaptation knowledge gaps under the NWP.   

The Adaptation Knowledge Initiative - an action pledge under the NWP 

UNEP, through its Global Adaptation Network, is implementing an Adaptation Knowledge Initiative - an action pledge under the NWP, to prioritise and catalyse responses to subregion- and theme-specific adaptation knowledge needs through a rigorous process that can be replicated. 

A pilot  of this initiative was launched for the Andean subregion. A priority-setting workshop was held from 24 to 26 September 2014 in Bogot�, Colombia, organized by UNEP and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). The workshop participants prioritised knowledge gaps for the Andean subregion and also provided inputs on possible responses and on the best placed institutions to undertake actions to address the prioritised knowledge gaps.

Relevant organizations, including NWP partner organizations, are invited to collaborate and undertake actions to address the prioritised knowledge gaps in the Andean subregion. NWP partner organizations are encouraged to make associated action pledges under the NWP.
 

Additional information, including the workshop report and related information materials are available in the joint update of the action pledge by UNEP and CIAT here>>

Database on ecosystem-based approaches (EbA) to adaptation:

• Two reports on EbA and climate change vulnerability assessment in the Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands by SPC, GIZ and SPREP;
• A comparative analysis of EbA and engineering options for Lami Town, Fiji, by SPREP and UNEP;
• Two case studies on EbA for smallholder subsistence and coffee farming communities in Central America and EbA in marine, terrestrial and coastal regions as a means of improving livelihoods and conserving biodiversity by Conservation International.

Database of case studies on gender-sensitive approaches and tools for understanding and assessing impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change:

• A report on gender and climate change in agrarian settings, containing three case studies on Ghana, Mali and Malawi, prepared by the International Resources Group.

• Building a climate resilient society through environmentally friendly sanitation, provided by Bank BioLoo, India;
• Creating a Water Sensitive Airport at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, provided by Royal HaskoningDHV, the Netherlands.
  

Wetlands International shared their experience from a pilot in Indonesia combining ecosystem based solutions like mangrove restoration with engineering. "Building with Nature" is a multi-stakeholder approach to build safe coastlines that adapt to sea level rise and simultaneously introduce sustainable land uses.

Read more about the solution to cope with coastal erosion and floods through nature-based and innovative engineering solutions in the brochure 

APAN holding its 4th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum 

Hosted by the Office of the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, co-organized by APAN and UNEP, the Forum was held from 1 to 3 October 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Participants developed a list of actions needed to effectively support adaptation to change in the HKH and other mountain regions, including the following:

• Generating a unified mountain voice through regional and global cooperation without losing sight of local needs
• Promoting institutional pluralism while carrying out global assessments, with more inputs from the HKH region
• Creating and supporting mechanisms for collective reflection and learning among diverse stakeholders
• Supporting local level adaptation through technology, capacity building, and financial resources
• Greater collaboration with media and civil society to facilitate better communication of science on adaptation

Read more here>>

The 2014 World Water Week, organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), was held from 1 to 5 September in Stockholm, Sweden. 3,400 participants from more than 140 countries came together to discuss issues related to the overarching theme "Energy and Water". One of the issues in focus was how to balance combined efforts from climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the interface between energy and water. This was discussed in a number of events within themes revolving around science and applications, policy and business opportunities.

We are happy to welcome the following new NWP partner organizations:

Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS), an NGO with the objectives to promote capacity building, networking, regional collaboration and information exchange in the Albertine Rift region and other mountain ecosystems in Africa. 

BBC Media Action, the BBC's international development charity, uses the power of media and communication to help people become more resilient, grounding work in extensive research.   

International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), through its CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), promotes climate smart agriculture to address three major global challenges: achieving food security, mitigating and adapting to climate change.   

Rare, works with the world's most vulnerable communities and inspires change so people and nature thrive. Through Rare's signature "Pride" program, Rare motivates people to take pride in the species and habitats that make their community unique, while also building capacity for adaptation and introducing practical alternatives to environmentally destructive practices.

The Water Network, is an online platform for water professionals to connect know-how and innovate in the water sector. Members represent over 6,800 companies from 180 countries.  

What are the benefits of strengthening the linkages between the NWP and the AC? What do you view as the strengths of the NWP which could be capitalized on in order to support the work of the AC?

As an overall advisory body on adaptation under the Convention, one of the AC's core functions is to strengthen and better utilize existing institutional arrangements under the Convention, including enhancing coherence and synergy on adaptation.  

As a multilateral initiative under the UNFCCC, the NWP has been effective in engaging Parties and a wide range of stakeholders in activities related to understanding and assessment of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. The work programme has provided valuable interface for direct interactions between UNFCCC Parties and the large number of NWP partner organizations.  

The work of the AC, particularly with relation to the provision of knowledge support, could certainly be supported through leveraging stakeholder engagement and knowledge sharing to advance our understanding of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation at multiple levels. 

The linkage could serve in both ways: in addition for the NWP, through its partnerships with regional and national organizations, to disseminate and integrate the work of the AC at global level to adaptation planning and practices at regional and national scale. Work carried out at regional and national levels through the NWP could also inform the consideration of the AC on relevant issues at global level.

In your view, how could the linkages between the work of the NWP and that of the AC be further strengthened?

Linkages could be further strengthened through additional recommendations for activities to be undertaken under the NWP that the AC has considered during its sixth meeting. This is part of the report of the AC for consideration by the COP at its 20th session in Lima. The recommendations also contain specific activities as a follow up to the joint meeting on available tools for the use of indigenous and traditional knowledge and practices for adaptation, needs of local and indigenous communities and the application of gender-sensitive approaches and tools for adaptation, organized by the AC and the NWP.