Engaging the private sector in national adaptation planning processes

This study aims to offer guidance to governments and their partners on how to engage the private sector in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process. Private sector engagement in the NAP process, for the purposes of this paper, is defined as the meaningful involvement of private sector actors—ranging in size, sector, motivation and whether they operate in the formal or informal sector—in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of NAP processes.

The three primary objectives of this study are:

• To outline the enabling factors that facilitate private sector engagement in NAP processes, namely information sharing, financing, institutional arrangements and capacity building.
• To offer practical guidance on how countries can design their NAPs to ensure that the private sector is engaged across the three phases of the NAP process: planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
• To provide examples of instances where the private sector has successfully engaged with the NAP process, as well as with climate change adaptation more broadly

The report concludes that in order to meet the aims set out by the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, the private sector must play an active role in the design, planning, financing, implementation and monitoring of adaptation actions. The private sector will play a crucial role in the NAP process, and this role must continue to be analyzed, understood and encouraged to build a stronger evidence base of what works and what does not when it comes to private sector engagement in adaptation. The NAP process and the pursuit of NDC adaptation goals—in their planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation phases—present a critical opportunity for governments to align private sector interests with national adaptation priorities.