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Targeted Topics: High-level political support & sectoral integration in NAP processes

The NAP Global Network’s inaugural Targeted Topics Forum addressed securing political support and sectoral integration in the NAP process. This report summarizes key lessons that emerged.
Multiple Authors
Megan Tarrant

Overview

The NAP Global Network’s inaugural Targeted Topics Forum (TTF) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil addressed the related topics in the NAP process of securing political support and sectoral integration. This first TTF Report summarizes some of the key lessons that emerged. Highlights include:

  • A series of factors affecting political commitment to adaptation planning, and related challenges and opportunities for building support for NAP processes.
  • A spectrum of approaches to integrating climate change adaptation into sectoral planning, based on case studies of adaptation planning under way in countries represented at the TTF.
  • Lessons on bilateral support for integration of adaptation.

Read the full report on the NAP Global Network website.

Introduction

The NAP Global Network’s Targeted Topics Forums (TTFs) bring together representatives from developing countries and development cooperation agencies to facilitate learning and exchange on specific technical topics related to the NAP process. With 28 participants from 14 countries and six organizations working on related issues (Figure 1), this inaugural TTF addressed the related topics of securing political support and sectoral integration in the NAP process with the following objectives:

  • To develop strategies for achieving high-level political support for the NAP process.
  • To gain practical knowledge on how to mainstream climate change adaptation into sectoral planning.
  • To identify roles of different actors involved in the NAP process and how they can coordinate their actions to support these processes.

These objectives reflect those of the NAP process, which is intended to facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation into new and existing policies spanning sectors and levels of government, and to align with overall sustainable development priorities. The process therefore requires cooperation among a range of actors, including ministries of planning, finance, and climate-sensitive sectors, as well as national ministries responsible for climate and environment, and development cooperation agencies.

As much as possible, each developing country represented at the TTF included a team of three participants: a climate change focal point, a representative of the ministry of finance or planning, and a sectoral representative—the most represented sectors at this TTF were agriculture and infrastructure. Development cooperation agency participants included both representatives from agency headquarters and from regional offices. Based on two days of discussions among these participants, this report summarizes some key challenges and lessons for coordinating climate-resilient development.

Highlights on Political Support & Sectoral Integration in the NAP Process

Discussions on securing political support for the NAP process during the TTF (addressed in section 2 of the report) focused on four main areas: evidence and capacity, integration with existing initiatives and priorities, communication, and leveraging opportunities and resources. For each of these areas, the report outlines a series of related factors affecting political support.

Discussions on integrating adaptation into sector strategies (addressed in section 3 of the report) revealed a variety of approaches. Some countries were starting with the development of a national framework for addressing adaptation. In others, sectors were already integrating adaptation considerations into their planning, with the NAP process allowing for stocktaking and coordination to define national priorities. A spectrum approach to integration based on a selection of country examples emerged as shown in Figure 3 below. This spectrum demonstrates how the non-prescriptive NAP process can lead to a common outcome (integration) via varying country-specific pathways. In all cases, integration was driven by varying combinations of initiatives by sectors and national climate change focal points.

Figure 3 from report, p 6.: Spectrum of approaches to integration of adaptation planning

Lessons for Bilateral Support for Integration of Adaptation

Participation in the TTF by development cooperation agency representatives provided an opportunity to consider how bilateral support for adaptation can better support integration under the NAP process. According to OECD data tracking bilateral official development assistance (ODA) that addresses adaptation as either a primary or a significant objective of work, only 8 per cent of total bilateral ODA in 2013 included adaptation considerations—given the amount of ODA that goes to climate-sensitive sectors, efforts to climate-proof development assistance should increase this percentage.

Participants noted the need to build on existing in-country mechanisms for coordination of ODA to support mainstreaming of adaptation considerations as well as domestic financing to support the NAP process. This would involve engagement with in-country agencies such as ministries of finance and planning. In the case of Peru, where a representative of the Ministry of Finance and Economy and a representative from USAID’s country office were in attendance, the TTF was also an opportunity to discuss issues related to supporting adaptation initiatives with an important in-country actor otherwise not frequently engaged in conversations addressing support for adaptation specifically.

To date, most developing countries’ national development plans include some mention of adaptation, but the level of integration varies considerably. Linking back to strategies for achieving political support for the NAP process, including budgetary commitments, TTF participants reiterated the importance of articulating clear narratives of adaptation priorities at the national level and in sector-specific policies and plans to help development cooperation agencies align support with country-specific priorities.

Conclusion

The range of actors that participated in the TTF highlighted the importance of in-country coordination to achieve high-level political support and to integrate adaptation into sectoral planning. Sharing of country experiences to date demonstrated that, while a range of country-specific approaches can be used to achieve integration outcomes in the NAP process, a strong coordination function was a common component. Such coordination can also help to build a coherent narrative on country and sector priorities that can be used to build political support, and to improve alignment of adaptation financing with country-specific development agendas.

Participants also emphasized the importance of south-south sharing on how NAP processes are unfolding. The NAP Global Network and the Targeted Topics Forums can play an important role by supporting an understanding of what the NAP process looks like in practice.

Initial financial support for the NAP Global Network has been provided by Germany and the United States. The Network’s Secretariat is housed at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
Report Citation: Price-Kelly, H. & Hammill, A. 2015. High-level political support & sectoral integration in NAP processes: Workshop report. Targeted Topics Forum Report 1. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Winnipeg, Canada
For more information on the NAP Global Network, visit www.napglobalnetwork.org and follow us on Twitter: @NAP_Network.

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