Thematic areas of focus
The Forum will be built around the following four thematic “streams”: resilience of food systems; resilience of ecosystem and ecosystem services; resilience of communities; and resilience of cities, infrastructure and settlements. Sessions under each stream seek to establish a shared understanding of the outlook on a specific dimension of resilience.
Furthermore, discussions for each stream will be structured on five enabling conditions through which resilience may be built, maintained and strengthened. These “enablers” are policy and governance, planning and programming, science and assessment, technologies and practices and finance and investment.
Using a matrix approach (streams x enablers) outlined below, the Forum aims to address the adaptation gap and achieve resilience in the region
The Means to Build Resilience: A Matrix Approach
Streams
- Resilience of food systems, led by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Climate change presents significant risks to food production, availability, and access, with extreme weather events and changing climate patterns disrupting agriculture leading to crop failures and food insecurity. To address these challenges, climate change adaptation focuses on implementing resilient farming practices, diversifying crops and improving water management. This approach is vital for the long-term sustainability and resilience of food systems. It also aligns with global engagement, including objectives set by international agreements like the Paris Agreement and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. In addition, governments in the region are increasingly committed to transforming food systems to align with the 2030 Agenda, prioritising nutrition, health, nature conservation, climate neutrality, local adaptability, job creation and inclusive economies.
This stream will explore the key aspects of climate adaptive and resilient food systems, encompassing factors that contribute to food security, mitigate climate change impacts, promote biodiversity and ecosystem health, practice sustainable resource management, protect livelihoods and enhance community resilience.
- Resilience of ecosystem and ecosystem services, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Nature for Climate Branch and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Asia Regional Office
The rationale behind emphasising the resilience of ecosystems and ecosystem services lies in their fundamental role in supporting life on earth and providing vital benefits to humanity. Natural ecosystems possess the capacity to enhance human resilience through their functions and services, yet they themselves face threats from climate change and variability.
The previous forum extensively examined the effectiveness and strategies of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) as part of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), emphasising how local-scale EbA solutions can illuminate the impact of ecosystem services on human well-being. Emphasising the shift from grey to green infrastructure, it underscored the importance of enhancing accessibility to scientific knowledge for integrated climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and biodiversity conservation, and showed how ecosystem services can harmoniously align land use policies with climate, biodiversity and food objectives.
This year, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Korea's nationwide afforestation project and take advantage of the recent adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at the 15th Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties (COP15), the Forum will place a particular emphasis on forest and coastal ecosystems.
- Resilience of communities, led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Asia Pacific
While human societies have shown resilience in the face of ever-changing environmental, political, and technological circumstances throughout history, climate change is placing significant strain on the human capacity to adapt, especially in communities already grappling with poverty, environmental degradation, and conflicts over land and natural resources. The rationale for climate change adaptation efforts in relation to community resilience and human well-being lies in the need to protect highly vulnerable groups in society. These adaptation measures aim to ensure their sustainable development, mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change on their lives and livelihoods, and foster their overall well-being.
This stream will focus broadly on how specific actions and strategies can deliver resilience benefits, emphasising the linkages between governance (institutions), policy, technology, and finance and how the resilience of human and social systems can be enhanced and built on demonstrated resilience in other areas.
Important sub-themes will include equitable partnerships between governments and local communities, international cooperation to advance climate-resilient development, cross-city risks and the integration of Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge, health and education, migration, and conflict resolution at scales from household to region.
- Resilience of cities, infrastructure and settlements, led by Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Rapid urbanisation in the region represents both concentrations of risk and opportunity to invest in climate-resilient development in diverse contexts from rural and informal settlements to large metropolitan areas. Dominant models of energy-intensive and market-led urbanisation, insufficient and misaligned finance, and a predominant focus on grey infrastructure in the absence of integration with ecological and social approaches, risk missing opportunities for adaptation and locking in maladaptation.
Urban climate-resilient development is observed to be more effective if it is responsive to regional and local land use development and adaptation gaps and addresses the underlying drivers of vulnerability. Integrated, inclusive planning and investment in everyday decision-making about urban infrastructure, including social, ecological and grey/physical infrastructures, can significantly increase the adaptive capacity of urban and rural settlements.
Taking stock of these experiences and good practices, key aspects under this topic may include adaptation measures and their enabling conditions, i.e., inclusive governance, adequate and appropriate human and technological resources, information, capacities and finance to enhance the climate-resilient development; and retrofitting existing urban design, infrastructure and land use.
Enablers
Each of these key aspects of resilience will be analysed against enablers — the means by which each of these systems may be enabled, including:
This enabler emphasises the need for policies and regulations that promote adaptation to climate change. Current policies and regulatory frameworks might not be sufficient, and political instability or lack of political will can also hinder the implementation of necessary measures. To address this, governments need to prioritise climate adaptation in their policies, reform regulations to support these efforts and engage in international cooperation to share successful strategies and develop cohesive policies.
The absence of long-term strategic planning and programming for climate adaptation can pose a significant barrier to the implementation of adaptation actions. This can be due to an inadequate understanding of the risks or a lack of capacity to develop and implement strategic plans. Overcoming these barriers will require capacity building for strategic planning related to climate adaptation. This includes implementing risk assessment and management approaches, developing clear adaptation plans, and regularly updating these based on new information and experiences.
Understanding the complex nature of climate science can be challenging due to the lack of access to accurate and up-to-date information on climate change impacts and adaptation strategies. Investment in climate science research and the development of user-friendly tools for risk and vulnerability assessment, therefore, is important to improve the communication of science and risk information to decision-makers and the general public.
- Technologies and Practices
A lack of technical knowledge and access to suitable technologies can hinder adaptation efforts. Traditional practices might also resist change, even when such change is beneficial or necessary. Promoting research and development of new technologies for climate adaptation and providing technical assistance and training to communities and individuals can encourage practices that are adaptive to changing climate conditions.
Adaptation measures often require significant investment. Lack of investment and limited access to finance can impede the implementation of adaptation projects, particularly in developing countries. Climate adaptation finance mechanisms are evolving rapidly in response to the growing need for adaptation funding. This can include public funding, private sector investment, and innovative financing mechanisms like green bonds or climate funds. It is also important to improve the understanding of financial risks associated with climate change to motivate investment in adaptation.
In addition, gender and social inclusion will be considered throughout the resilience streams and enablers as a cross-cutting issue.
Furthermore, sessions will serve as the basis for discussion on:
- Addressing systemic barriers that may hinder the implementation of transformative adaptation;
- Identifying regional priorities for strengthening adaptation efforts;
- Highlighting promising innovations at regional, national, or subnational levels, which may be financial, social, institutional, or technological; and,
- Exploring areas for regional cooperation to address the transboundary dimensions of resilience.
