INTRODUCTION%20TO%20%20THE%20DISCUSSION%20PAPER%20%20%20on%20the%20%20GLOBAL%20CLIMATE%20CHANGE%20ADAPTATION%20NETWORK

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The Global Adaptation Network
Regional Consultation, Latin America and the
Caribbean 29-30 Oct 2009, Mexico City
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Topics

• Need
• Core functions
• Structure
• Guiding principles
• Work in progress

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IPCC-AR4 reasons for action now and preparing
for the future

• Many natural systems are being affected by
  regional climate changes, particularly
  temperature increases (Water, coast, agriculture,
  biodiversity).
• Anthropogenic warming and sea level rise would
  continue for centuries, even if GHG
  concentrations were to be stabilised, Hence the
  impacts

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IPCC-AR4 substantial limits and barriers to
adaptation

• Significant knowledge gaps
• Technological, financial, capacity constraints
• Adaptive capacity is uneven across and within
  societies, the most vulnerable has the lowest
  capacity to adapt.

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Adaptation a knowledge-intensive process

• Projection of climate change and its
  social-economic scenarios,
• assessment of impacts and vulnerability, to
  experimenting
• Piloting and demonstrate options
• Policy setting economic, social and
  environmental implications
• Planning economics of adaptation, investment
• Implementation cost-effectiveness and
  sustainability

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Case studies in Africa and Asia

• UNEP-SEI in Africa
• The capacity to utilise additional funding for
  adaptation over the next decades is about the
  same order of magnitude as the funding available
• DFID in Asia
• Large amount of study on modeling etc.
• Accessibility to, and application of these
  studies is a problem

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Leverage adaptive capacities?

• Capacity to adapt is at stake!
• But the world has already a lot of capacity to
  adapt!
• How can we make the supply meet the demand?
• Many suppliers WBG, CGIAR, GCOS, GTOS, GOOS,
  ILTER, NASA,

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From scientific to political consensuses

• UNFCCC SBSTA28 new networks and use existing
  networks and regional centers for adaptation
• From BKK AWG-LCA negotiation text
  international/regional/national centres and
  networks for knowledge-based adaptation (COP14)

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Topics

• Need
• Core functions
• Structure
• Guiding principles
• Work in progress

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Objective

• To help build climate resilience of vulnerable
  human systems, ecosystems and economies through
  the mobilization of knowledge and technologies to
  support adaptation policy-setting, planning and
  practices.
•  

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Core functions

• Improved availability and accessibility of
  knowledge and good practices
• Strengthened knowledge support and advisory
  services to users
• Enhanced capacity for adaptation institutions in
  the developing world, and improved quality and
  sustainability of their services

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Thematic priorities

• Globally, thematic areas include the most
  vulnerable sectors and ecosystems
• Regional consultations to decide on specifics
  e.g.
• Water
• Low-lying coasts
• Mountains

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Topics

• Need
• Core functions
• Structure
• Guiding principles
• Work in progress

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Structure Global Adaptation Network
At Global level inter-regional co-operation,
knowledge management, policy support and
scientific advice
At Regional level institutional capacity
building, knowledge mobilization, and
demonstration and dissemination of best
adaptation practices
Latin America Caribbean
Africa
West Asia
Asia-Pacific
Other Regions?
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Members

• Inception phase open to all, may include
• Ground Facilities
• Regional/national Centers
• International Technical institutions,
• Supported by
• A knowledge management system
• Regional advisory services

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Users vs. partners

• Primary users Governments and communities
  (ownership)
• Co-sponsoring orgs both as partners and users,
  such as devt agencies, the UN and technical NGOs
  (partnership)
• UNEP/UN as a facilitator (secretarial services)

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What to expect from the Network

• What can governments expect?
• Better knowledge and tech support
• Increased national institutional capacity
• Support for policy, planning and practices
• What can partner organizations expect
• Info/knowledge sharing (roll out)
• Scientific credibility
• More opportunities for coop and new funding

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Topics

• Need
• Core functions
• Structure
• Guiding principles
• Work in progress

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Guiding principles

• Demand-driven, responding timely to needs with
  high quality services
• Ownership lies in the countries and regions
• Multilateral partnership, all contribute to and
  benefit from it
• Low-cost, core fund for core services

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Guiding principles (Cont)

• Support and build on existing initiatives and
  institutions, NOT to go parallel with them
• Science-based, technology-sound, results-oriented
  
• Long-term, responding to long-term adaptation
  needs
• An open, transparent and inclusive process

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Flowers and fruits

• The Network encourages flower blooming
• It must also ensure most of the blooming flowers
  bear fruits needed by vulnerable countries and
  communities

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In practice

• The Network includes members who are ready and
  willing to deliver services
• It also includes associates who are willing to
  share info etc, but not ready to deliver services
  directly
• Robustness members and associates are
  interchangeable

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Effective governance structure

• distributed, dynamic and flexible
• Regional steering committees and hubs
• A global steering committee and a hub (to come
  thru consultations)

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Topics

• Need
• Core functions
• Structure
• Guiding principles
• Work in progress

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3-phase roadmap

• 2009-2010, Inception and piloting
• 2011-2012, Full development
• 2013 onwards, Full operation, robustness

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Work in progress

• Oct 2008, International consultation --Changwon
  consensus
• Need and core functions
• Credibility, effectiveness, sustainability
• Dec 2008, Poznan blessings
• Many Parties to COP14 (SBSTA) welcomed and
  supported the above consensus

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Practices in Asia-Pacific, Africa, W. Asia

• A Regional Steering Committee (GovSci)
  observers
• An implementation plan (inception)
• A regional knowledge hub hosted by an
  organization from the region
• AP Network launched on 3 October 2009 by Thai PM
• Af Network to be launched Nov 2009

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Topics

• Need
• Core functions
• Structure
• Guiding principles
• Work in progress

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Next steps

• Latin America and Caribbean (agenda)?
• Global Part?
• Copenhagen and beyond?

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Thank you !
Thank you !
Thank you !