Addressing urban and human settlement issues in national adaptation plans: A supplement to the UNFCCC technical guidelines on the national adaptation plan process

The Addressing Urban and Human Settlement Issues in National Adaptation Plans Supplementary Guide (referred hereafter as the NAP-HS Guide) aims to comprehensively address urban and human settlement issues in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) at the formulation and implementation stage. The NAP-HS Guide's main objective is to reduce the vulnerability of people living in urban areas to climate change impacts. Aligned with the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) NAP Technical Guidelines, the document has been developed in conjunction with numerous partners, including the UNFCCC, non-government organizations, the private sector and representatives of member states.

The guide is divided into four sections:

• Part 1 introduces the guide and frames the topic of addressing urban and human settlements issues in NAPs.
• Part 2 outlines the case for considering cities and towns in NAPs. It seeks to answer the question of why stakeholders should undertake urban adaptation.
• Part 3 introduces the practicalities of working at the sub-national level by asking how to effectively undertake adaptation in towns and cities. This guidance is provided to familiarize NAP stakeholders with city adaptation processes, which in turn will help to address urban adaptation in NAPs. This section points readers to a substantial body of literature and guidance that influence decision making on urban adaptation.
• Part 4 ties the previous sections together by considering scaling urban adaptation into national policy. It considers finance in particular, asking how cities can facilitate globally significant change.

The NAP-HS Guide primarily targets decision-makers at the national level working on NAPs, both within and outside UNFCCC focal point ministries. It is also written for a broader set of stakeholders at the national and sub-national levels who are interested in NAPs or who may be involved in their implementation.