Understanding the Global Goal on Adaptation: the road from Dubai to Belém

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Introduction
The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) was established by the Paris Agreement (1/CP.21,Article 7) as a global goal of enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience, and reducing vulnerability to climate change, with a view to contributing to sustainable development and ensuring an adequate adaptation response in the context of the temperature goal.
Operationalization of the GGA began with a two-year Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh work programme launched at COP26 (7/CMA.3*). It continued with the adoption of the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience at COP28 and the launch of another two-year work programme, the UAE-Belém work programme 2024-2025 (2/CMA.5).
This technical briefing offers a concise overview of the current state of GGA negotiations after COP29 in November 2024, including summarized information on how Parties, experts, and other actors are working to develop indicators and address a range of cross- cutting and emerging issues.
*CMA = Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.
The state of play: After Baku, before Belém
COP28 saw the adoption of the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience (hereinafter referred to as “GGA Framework”), which gives shape to the GGA through the establishment of seven thematic and four dimensional targets. As outlined above, a second work programme on the GGA was launched by Parties as part of the GGA Framework. After initial workshops in Bhutan and Egypt in 2024 and SB60 in June 2024, Parties have now agreed on the timeline for the remainder of the UAE-Belém work programme in 2025 up to CMA7, which will take place in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025.

As per the CMA6 decision, the GGA Framework is due for review after the second Global Stocktake in 2028, allowing Parties to include learnings from the application of indicators and assessment of progress towards the targets. The terms of reference for the review are yet to be developed, and Parties decided to initiate deliberations on this after the completion of the UAE-Belém work programme, including through the Baku high-level dialogue on adaptation.
The UAE-Belém work programme on indicators aims to identify (and, as needed, develop) indicators and potential quantified elements “for measuring progress achieved towards the targets. ” After SB60, a mapping and compilation of existing indicators was conducted based on submissions from Parties and non-Party stake- holders (5,304 indicators) and indicators reported in Parties’ national reports and communications compiled by the AC (4,639 indicators).
The Subsidiary Bodies (SB) Chairs convened 78 experts across all targets to assist in the technical work, including reviewing and refining this compilation and mapping of indicators. The experts reviewed and evaluated the indicators based on the criteria agreed on at SB60, followed by an October 2024 workshop that connected experts and Parties.
Based on the refined indicator mapping published after the October workshop, experts will work to further refine and develop indicators immediately following CMA6. They will produce a consolidated list of indicator options for Parties and submit technical reports, including recommendations on the use of the indicators, to be issued no later than four weeks prior to SB62 (i.e., May 18, 2025).
Cross-cutting and emerging aspects
While targets and indicators are at the core of the GGA framework, the negotiations and technical discussions have also focused on a range of cross-cutting aspects. This includes, inter alia, means of implementation; linkages to other processes, particularly the Global Stocktake (GST) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs); the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); and a range of cross-cutting considerations relevant to several or all of the targets. Additionally, emerging concepts such as transformational and transboundary adaptation could be explored by Parties and through the work of the Secretariat, constituted bodies, and experts.
In addition to the considerations above, there are also broader cross-cutting considerations relevant to several or all of the targets, as well as a need to enhance collaboration and synergies across the thematic as well as dimensional targets. The CMA5 and CMA6 decisions outline a wide range of such considerations.
Other cross-cutting areas for consideration could include the role of constituted bodies and other entities, including the AC, the LEG, the Facilitative Working Group (FWG) of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP), and the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP); the potential role of non-Party stakeholders and other actors, such as official statistical bodies; dialogue between Parties, experts, and other stakeholders; and the exchange of knowledge, experience, information, and best practices pertaining to the targets (for example, at adaptation forums or regional climate weeks).
Emerging concepts related to the GGA:
Transboundary adaptation: While transboundary adaptation is not explicitly referred to in the CMA6 decision, Parties at CMA5 recognized that climate change impacts are often transboundary in nature and may involve complex, cascading risks. Due to this transboundary nature of impacts, there is also a need to consider transboundary adaptation actions (such as climate-informed transboundary management approaches) as well as knowledge- sharing and international cooperation. Transboundary adaptation was discussed to an extent during the Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh work programme in connection to transformational adaptation and the related question of global commons (high seas, outer space, atmosphere, and Antarctica). However, these discussions remained open-ended and have so far not been explicitly incorporated into the GGA Framework.
Transformational adaptation: The concept of transformational adaptation has been a topic of discussions related to the GGA at least since the beginning of the Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh work programme in 2022. The 2024 technical paper on transformational adaptation prepared by the Secretariat outlines the fundamental dimensions of transformational change as “depth of deliberate change, limits of change, scope/scale of deliberate change, speed of change, and adaptive sustainability, ” with relevance as a additional dimension specific to MEL and/or implementation. At CMA6, Parties decided to take note of the technical paper and continue considerations of it at SB62, while also requesting the Secretariat to prepare a reader-friendly summary in all six official languages by April 2025.
The path ahead: 2025 and beyond
The CMA6 decision at the midpoint of the UAE-Belém work programme presents a step forward towards fully operationalizing and implementing the GGA framework, providing a timeline and structure for work to be conducted in 2025.
Beyond the work of the experts ahead of SB62, the three workshops, and the submission call for Parties in paragraph 38 of 2/CMA.5, the CMA6 decision also established the Baku high-level dialogue on adaptation, which will be convened on the margins of each CMA session by the Presidents of that session and of the previous session, starting with CMA7.
The decision also invites the organization of regular dialogues and workshops, as needed, throughout 2025 to review the progress of the refinement and development of the indicators, including for means of implementation.
With SB62 and CMA7 on the horizon, the political and technical work of implementing the GGA Framework and giving life to the GGA and its targets is set to continue over the next months, involving Parties, experts, and other actors.
Suggested Citation
SLYCAN Trust (2024). Technical Briefing: Understanding the Global Goal on Adaptation. Colombo, Sri Lanka: SLYCAN Trust (GTE) Ltd.