1. Adaptation under the UNFCCC
Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes
Task Force on Water and Climate First Meeting, Bonn, November 2007
Adaptation under the UNFCCC
Annett Moehner
Adaptation, Technology, Science Programme
UNFCCC Secretariat

2. Content Overview on adaptation under the UNFCCC
Scientific and technological aspects of adaptation
Implementation aspects of adaptation
Possible areas of cooperation on issues related to water and adaptation

3. Dimensions of adaptation under the UNFCCC
Resources for implementation
Scientific and technical knowledge
Nairobi work programme, Research, Technology transfer, Systematic Observation
Buenos Aires programme of work, National Adaptation Programmes of Action, Funding
The different dimensions of adaptation and how they are organized under the UNFCCC and the KP are shown in this very general schematic graph.
Broadly speaking, for adaptation three major dimensions are needed:
Resources for implementation
Knowledge /information or technical basis
Capacity broadly – and this include human, institutional, legal etc.
All three are equally important – only one cannot do the job. The three are not separated.
Under UNFCCC process resources and related capacities are addressed by the work of the SBI, and some aspects of KP
Technical basis/knowledge by the work of SBSTA, specifically under the comprehensive Nairobi work programme, which also addresses capacity
Only talk about issues in bold
Capacity
Support for vulnerability & adaptation assessments Capacity-building, Education and Training

4. Current adaptation activities
Two complementary tracks on adaptation
Buenos Aires programme of work on adaptation seeks to support the implementation of concrete adaptation activities
Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change seeks to assist countries in improve their understanding of climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation

5. Buenos Aires programme of work on adaptation - I
Activities
3 regional workshops and an expert meeting for the small island developing States
Objective
Facilitate information exchange and integrated assessments to assist in identifying specific adaptation needs and concerns

6. Buenos Aires programme of work on adaptation - II
Parties in Bali are expected to consider
Action to enhance the integration of climate change issues into national and sectoral planning and policies, including through a bottom-up process
Organization of a meeting on cooperation on adaptation to consider how the UNFCCC process can catalyse regional and interregional cooperation, as well as synergy with other relevant processes and organizations

7. Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation - I
Methods & tools
Economic diversifi-cation
Data & observa-tion
Assist all Parties, in particular developing countries, including LDCs and SIDS, to:
Techno-logies for adaptation
Modelling,scenarios, down-scaling
- Improve their understanding of climate change impacts and vulnerability
- Increase their ability to make informed decisions on how to adapt successfully
Risks & extreme events
Research
Socio-economic informa-tion
Adaptation planning & practices

8. Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation - II
Workshops and reports on:
Climate-related risks and extreme events
Adaptation planning and practices
Recommendations for water resources:
Provision of guidance on how to assess availability and accessibility of water resources at the national and regional levels to identify trends and possible thresholds to enable adaptive water management
Assessment of water sector case studies, highlighting successful integrated water resources management
Improve the understanding of water competition

9. Possible areas of cooperation
Sharing of methods and tools
Compendium on methods and tools
Training material for vulnerability and adaptation assessment of water resources
Sharing of lessons learned and best practices
Database on adaptation planning and practices, (focus: water resources and regional initiatives)
Sharing of resources and expertise
Pool of around 100 organizations involved in the Nairobi work programme, e.g. UNESCO IHE or CEDARE

10. More information available on the UNFCCC website
Thank you
More information available on the UNFCCC website
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