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

Glasgow—The climate crisis is global in scope, and responding to escalating climate impacts by scaling up adaptation actions requires urgent international cooperation.

Today, 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.

This funding will launch a new phase of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, an initiative established at COP 20 in 2014 through the collaboration of 11 developing and developed countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The NAP Global Network partners with developing countries to help accelerate national climate adaptation planning and implementation.

“We’ve trained thousands of NAP stakeholders, supported hundreds of government institutions, connected dozens of countries in peer learning conversations, and are communicating hard-won lessons and emerging trends in new and creative ways,” said Anne Hammill, senior director of the Resilience Program at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), which hosts the NAP Global Network Secretariat. “There is a lot more work to be done, and so we are immensely grateful for this new funding and feel more determined than ever to charge ahead.”

The new funding for the NAP Global Network will focus on the following activities, with the long-term goal of increasing strategic investments in climate-resilient development to reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems, economies, and people and achieve sustainable development goals in a changing climate.

• The Canadian government committed up to CAD 10 million to empower women, marginalized groups, and those most affected by climate impacts to participate in the NAP process and shape their country’s adaptation priorities. This funding will also enable the NAP Global Network to continue and expand its technical support; innovate and experiment with peer learning; and make knowledge around NAP processes more accessible and compelling.
• Germany will provide EUR 2.5 million to support countries in tracking the progress of national climate adaptation actions as part of their NAP process through technical assistance, peer learning, and enhanced donor coordination.
• The United States government is providing USD 1.19 million to least-developed and developing country governments to build capacities to understand and address climate risks; to track the progress of adaptation, using past results and lessons learned to inform future climate-resilient development investments; and to address emerging adaptation needs, including leveraging NAPs to support a resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Ireland is providing EUR 1 million to support Small Island Developing States and least-developed countries in strengthening transparency, accountability, and inclusion in climate action with a focus on tracking progress on adaptation.
• The United Kingdom is providing GBP 1.2 million to support countries in preparing their Adaptation Communications to the UNFCCC and to finalize and submit their NAPs to the UNFCCC.

Quotes

“The climate crisis is upon us. It’s here, and the most vulnerable places on the planet are the least well resourced to respond. This is a global issue, and we have a collective responsibility to help developing and vulnerable countries adapt to a climate crisis imposed upon them. Canada is a proud funding partner of the NAP Global Network as part of our broader CAD 5.3 billion in support for climate finance.”

– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada

“I am delighted to announce EUR 1 million in funding to the National Adaptation Plan Global Network. Adaptation prioritises the needs of those communities most exposed to—and already living with—the impacts of climate change and as such, is a core priority of Ireland’s international climate action. We are delighted to support the Network and look forward to working with like-minded countries in delivering real impact through this group.”

— The Honourable Colm Brophy, Minister of State for Overseas Development and Diaspora, Ireland

“The United States is pleased to support the National Adaptation Plan Global Network. The NAP GN is a critical component of the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), which President Biden announced at the World Leaders Summit. Through our support of NAP GN, the United States will provide important assistance to vulnerable countries to prepare for the impacts of climate change and to develop, implement, and finance their adaptation priorities.”

— Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, United States

“We need to reduce exposure and vulnerability to stay safe: we need to adapt. And we need to learn from experience on the ground to improve the effectiveness of adaptation action. The NAP Global Network, of which Germany is a proud co-founder, has proven to be a reliable and trusted partner of developing countries in adaptation planning. Germany supports the efforts of the  NAP Global Network to improve monitoring, evaluation, and learning. This will help vulnerable countries build their adaptive capacities and track adaptation progress.”

— Dr. Maria Flachsbarth, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany

“The U.K. is committed to helping developing countries to prepare for, and respond to, the impacts of climate change. National adaptation plans are the foundation for achieving adaptation at scale, with the potential to transform governance structures and decision-making processes. As a founding member of the NAP Global Network, we are pleased to provide funding to the Network this year. Our support has helped more than 25 developing countries accelerate progress in their National Adaptation Plans and Adaptation Communications.” 

— Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, United Kingdom

Statistics

• The UN Environment Programme’s 2021 Adaptation Gap Report found that “79 per cent of all countries have now adopted at least one national-level adaptation planning instrument.”
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat has reported that 129 of 154 developing countries have initiated national adaptation planning processes. As of November 1, 2021, 30 developing countries have formally communicated their NAP to the UNFCCC.
• The UNFCCC estimates that adaptation already costs developing countries USD 80 billion per year and expects these costs to rise significantly to USD 140–300 billion in 2030 and USD 280–500 billion in 2050.