Climate change adaptation

Adaptation action advances climate-resilient communities, ecosystems, and economies, with particular focus on vulnerable populations – the poor, women, and indigenous peoples. These groups are often the most vulnerable to climate change and are at greater risk to its impacts. A single shock (e.g. a storm) or slow onset impact (such as sea level rise) can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and increase the likelihood of locking communities already at risk into cycles of poverty. UNDP is supporting countries to respond to the ongoing impacts of climate change and to prepare for likely impacts, including uncertainty, in the future.

UNDP supports climate change resilience and risk management at the local, regional and global levels in the context of: climate-resilient agriculture and food security, promoting sustainable water resource management, ensuring sustainable coastal zone development, addressing climate-related extreme events and risks, providing access to early warning systems and climate information for enhanced planning, and pursuing ecosystem-based adaptation approaches. UNDP also supports the integration of climate risks into national planning and budgeting processes and strategies through National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs). This enables countries to align their adaptation planning processes with their national development plans and other existing planning efforts, while ensuring whole-of-society and multi-stakeholder engagement with key institutions, academia, civil society, NGOs and the private sector. Through support to countries on adaptation policy and programming, UNDP is well placed to leverage and catalyze financing – domestic public finance and private finance – to scale up adaptation action in the context of the broader development agenda. All approaches are also gender-responsive in that they address the unique needs and priorities of both women and men, while also empowering women as important adaptation leaders and agents of change. A more in depth look and country-by-country case studies can be found here: www.adaptation-undp.org