A new report by UN Climate Change‘s Adaptation Committee has noted that inclusive governance and coordinated action are building resilience in developing countries when it comes to climate adaptation.
The report, which drew from national reports and other sources, examined various factors across the adaptation cycle, including impact, vulnerability and risk assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning.
It found that governments in developing countries are putting in place legal and policy frameworks, dedicated institutions, and national coordination mechanisms to guide adaptation, as well as actively engaging Indigenous communities, women, youth, civil society, academia, and the private sector.
Third report
This is the third such report published by the Adaptation Committee since 2020, with the first assessing how countries are responding to climate-related hazards such as droughts, floods, cyclones, and sea level rise, and the second, published in 2022, examining the methods used to assess and finance adaptation needs.
This second report also reported on growing efforts to track domestic spending on adaptation, strengthen institutional capacity to access finance, and the policy and legal frameworks required to attract investment.
‘Effective action’
The latest report explores the governance and participations required to ‘turn plans and financing into effective action,’ UN Climate Change noted. ‘It documents how governments are establishing legal and policy frameworks, dedicated institutions, and national coordination mechanisms to guide adaptation efforts.
‘Persistent barriers remain: limited access to finance, insufficient institutional capacity, difficulties sustaining stakeholder engagement, and in some cases, political instability, data gaps or shifting priorities. Overcoming these requires coordinated action, scaled-up support, and sustained investment in governance systems.’
The Adaptation Committee is set to consider the outcomes of this report, as well as the two preceding reports, at its 28th meeting, which is scheduled to take place from 15 to 19 September. The next report in the series is expected in 2026. Read more here and here.
