The Government of South Africa is hosting representatives from Kenya, Ghana, and the Netherlands in Johannesburg for discussions on strengthening national action to adapt to climate change impacts.
“Successful adaptation requires an integrated approach. This includes factors that turn adaptation planning into reality, from effective governance and institutional arrangements to active engagement with key actors and strong mechanisms to track progress,” Ambassador of the Netherlands to South Africa, Joanne Doornewaard, said.
The four-country peer learning event will explore approaches for how to move national priorities for climate change adaptation through planning processes to implementation in an effective, inclusive way.
The event, starting on Tuesday until Thursday, is co-hosted by the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network for countries to learn from one another on climate action.
It will unpack how countries are preparing to implement the climate change adaptation priorities outlined in their NAPs.
"The National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS)/NAP acts as a common reference point for climate change adaptation efforts in South Africa, guiding all levels of government, private sectors, and stakeholders affected by climate variability and change.
“It is a policy instrument in which national climate change adaptation objectives for the country can be articulated to provide overarching guidance to all sectors of the economy," Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Chief Director for Climate Change Adaptation Tlou Ramaru said.
The event will explore at the technical level how countries can implement the adaptation priorities set out in NAPs.
“We are here to listen and learn alongside our partners from South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya, as we collectively work to advance national adaptation planning and action,” Doornewaard said.
The Government of the Netherlands, which is also responding to climate hazards through innovative solutions, actively collaborates with African partners on climate change adaptation, including projects focused on water security, agricultural and urban resilience.
This peer learning event builds on these efforts, fostering knowledge exchange and joint solutions to shared challenges through national adaptation planning processes.
On the international level, the NAP process was established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010 for countries to identify and address their medium- and long-term priorities for adapting to climate change.
The landmark 2015 Paris Agreement calls on countries to undertake national adaptation plan processes, and almost every country in the world has a NAP process underway.
“We are seeing more momentum on national adaptation plan processes than ever before. Through this peer learning event, we are aiming to strengthen the enablers that can allow countries to take effective adaptation action through their NAP processes,” said Dr. Orville Grey, the Head of Secretariat for the NAP Global Network, which is hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
The NAP Global Network helps accelerate climate change adaptation efforts around the world by supporting partner countries in advancing their NAP processes.
Peer learning is a key pillar of the NAP Global Network’s support to countries on NAP processes, and it has engaged more than 1,000 adaptation planners from 84 countries to participate in peer learning.
This peer learning event is taking place with funding from the Government of the Netherlands. -SAnews.gov.za
