COP 17 - Adaptation in Practice

Cop 17 Adaptation

On:

Evaluations provide lessons learned from the first generation of adaptation interventions, from the development of National Adaptation Plans for Action (NAPA) to innovative approaches to specific adaptation problems. This event will present these lessons from the portfolios of the GEF, the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF). The lessons have already been incorporated in results-based frameworks and monitoring.

On-going work in these funds, the World Bank and the Adaptation Fund will also be discussed, as well as the support that the GEF Evaluation Office offers to the international development community to share ideas and experiences on evaluation of adaptation activities.

(Image Credits: Apocalpse by Evgeni Dinev from Free Digital Photos)

Themes and Speakers:

  • Moderator:Anna Birgitta Viggh, GEF Evaluation Office
  • Theme: Evaluating Adaptation under the GEF Umbrella
    Rob D. van den Berg, Director, GEF Evaluation Office
    Evaluative findings from Adaptation Funding in the GEF: Lessons Learned from the LDCF, SCCF and SPA
    Devising an Evaluation Framework and Guidelines for Evaluating Adaptation under the Adaptation Fund
  • Theme: Evaluation at the Interface of Adaptation and Development
    Ken Chomitz, Senior Advisor, World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG)
    A discussion of GEF-executed World Bank Projects and the role of climate change adaptation in standard development projects.
  • Theme: Innovative Ways of Monitoring Adaptation
    Bonizella Biagini, head Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Operations, GEF Secretariat, LDCF/SCCF
    Adaptation in Practice
    Monitoring Adaptation Projects and Programs using the SCCF Adaptation Monitoring and Assessment Tool (AMAT)
  • Interaction with the audience will include questions from the Climate-Eval community of practice through Andrew Zubiri, moderator of Climate-Eval

Background and Theme:

The Marrakesh Accords adopted at COP 7 in December 2001, established three funding mechanisms for adaptation activities: The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). These funds are managed by the GEF, which was asked to also operationalize a Strategic Priority for Adaptation (SPA) under its climate change focal area. Combined, these three have generated more than $395 million in project financing for adaptation activities in developing countries worldwide during the past decade. If including data on alternate adaptation funds more than 250 projects are currently being financed amounting to about $965 million in funding. However, the full cost of adaptation has been estimated by previous COPs and the World Bank as amounting to $75-100 billion annually. While current funding falls short of reaching this goal, new funding mechanisms are emerging that may be able to assist with reaching these financing goals.

Lessons learned from recent evaluations of the LDCF, SPA and SCCF carried out by the GEF Evaluation Office revealed that future financing mechanisms can draw on the experience and expertise that these funds have generated so far. This session will synthesize and discuss key findings from these evaluations and propose ways that they can be incorporated into the future international adaptation financing mechanisms.

Evaluating Adaption is still a new subject, and for that reason the sessions will also address some of the key issues encountered when doing evaluations, as well as how the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank, the GEF Evaluation Office, the GEF Secretariat, and the Adaptation Fund are tackling some of these issues, for example through the development of pioneering a Adaptation Monitoring and Assessment Tool (AMAT), as well as through Frameworks and Guidelines for Evaluating Adaptation.

The Community of Practice on evaluating climate change and development will broadcast the event through the internet to its network of experts and provide opportunities for interacting.