UN-HABITAT - Cities and Climate Change Initiative Asia Pacific

Supports the integration of climate information into national and city policies and develop action plans. Develops awareness, knowledge exchange and capacity building strategies on local, national and continental levels.

Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy

Country Activities

• Lami Town, Fiji
• Apia, Samoa
• Port Vila, Vanuatu

UNEP Finance Initiative Activities
(UNEP FI)

Providing research, capacity-building, action-oriented publications and international conferences for private partners whilst helping the financial sector to establish linkages between sustainability, performance and the environment and adopt best environmental practice at all levels.

Example Output

• eLearning Course, Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities for the Finance Sector

Example Publications

• Insuring for Sustainability: Why and how the leaders are doing it
• Narrowing the gap: A survey of the barriers and drivers to commercial microfinance in Africa

UNESCO - IHE Institute for Water Education Activities

Research, education and capacity building activities in the fields of water, environment and infrastructure

UNESCO - World Heritage Centre Activities
(UNESCO)

Assessing the impacts of climate change on World Heritage sites and implementing pilot projects for adaptation at developing country world heritage sites.

Example Reports

• Predicting and Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage Sites
• Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage

Strategies
Strategy to Assist States Parties to Implement Management Responses

United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Activities
(CBD)

Web-based Guidance on the Integration of Biodiversity within Adaptation Planning. Gathering information and tools from a number of relevant partners.

Databases
Climate Change Database

Publications

• CBD Technical Series No. 10: Interlinkages between biological diversity and climate change
• CBB Technical Series No. 25: Guidance for Promoting Synergy Among Activities Addressing Biological Diversity, Desertification, Land Degradation and Climate Change

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Activities
(UNCCD)

Combatting desertification through regional and national action programs.

Example events
CRIC7 on Climate and Land

Presentation
How Land can make a difference (to climate)

United Nations Development Programme - Water Governance Programme

Supporting regional and global cooperation on shared water resources and assisting countries’ efforts to implement water governance reforms to improve development and management of water resources and water supply and sanitation service delivery.  Assisting countries and regional bodies to assess and anticipate climate change impacts and vulnerabilities, including applying methodologies and decision-support tools for systematically understanding the socio-economic and human development implications of climate change. Providing direct support to the development and implementation of, inter alia, pro-active adaptation policies, and supporting mainstreaming of climate change adaptation in national and regional development frameworks and instruments.

United Nations Development Programme Activities (UNDP)

Providing guidance on integrating adaptation into UN programming, national development planning and providing an adaptation learning mechanism. Focussing on climate risk “hot spots” to enable climate-resilient development built upon a goal of pro-poor and pro-growth adaptation that supports sustainable economic development and livelihoods. Reducing climate vulnerabilities and improving adaptive capacity.

Outputs

• Adaptation Learning Mechanism (ALM)
• Programming Climate Change Adaptation (PCCA)
• Community-Based Adaptation Program (CBA)
• National Communications Support Program (NCSP)
• National Capacity Self-Assessment Program (NCSA)
• UNDP and University of Oxford, Climate Change Country Profiles
  

Example Publications
UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008 - full report

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Activities
(UN-ESCAP)

Promoting the environmentally sustainable economic growth “Green Growth” approach as a practical tool for achieving sustainable development as well as a strategy for responding to global efforts for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Taking proactive and concrete measures to serve as the regional platform for policy dialogue for forging regional perspectives on the post-2012 climate framework and to enhance common knowledge of the region on new policy options on climate action in the context of sustainable development.

Activities
Range of activities

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Activities
(UNECA)

Mainstreaming climate change into development policy, strategies and programmes; conference on reviewing NAPAs.

United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Activities
(ECLAC)

Developing approaches to evaluate the economic and social impacts of climate change, complemented with the analysis of its environmental impacts. Facilitating the assessment of the overall consequences of climate change for sustainable development, particularly from a regional perspective. Facilitating regional dialogues to promote greater awareness and innovative development policy options to respond to the climate change challenges, including ensuring appropriate financing sources in a manner consistent with a low-carbon, energy-efficient future.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Programme Activities
(UNESCO)

Strategizing an integrated multidisciplinary programme capable of offering Member States capacity-building and technical advice to design and implement evidence-based policies and projects at the local, national, regional and global levels, drawing on two principal pillars: a) the sound and unbiased generation and use of data, information and research concerning climate change (the knowledge base); and b) the application of educational tools, specific sectoral measures and public awareness activities. This strategy aims to assist Member States to: build and maintain a requisite knowledge base; help adaptation to the impacts of climate change; and strengthen sustainable development.
Helping countries build their capacity to cope with disasters; it provides a forum for governments to work together, and it provides scientific and practical advice in disaster reduction.

Strategies
Draft Strategy for Action on Climate Change
Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Programme

United Nations Environment Programme - GRID-Arendal Activities

Supporting informed decision-making through environmental information management and assessment; capacity building services; outreach and communication tools, methodologies and products.

Example publication
In Dead Water - Merging of Climate Change With Pollution, Over-Harvest, and Infestations in the World's Fishing Grounds

United Nations Environment Programme Activities
(UNEP)

Building key adaptive capacity of the developing world, increasing ecosystem resilience and reducing the risk of climate-related disasters and conflicts, and mobilizing and managing knowledge for adaptation policy and planning.

Strategies
Proposed Medium-term Strategy 2010–2013

Workshops and Meetings

• Sharing Lessons in Africa on Climate Change Adaptation
• UNEP Adaptation Training Workshop

NAPA support
Worksheets and Technical Notes for Preparation of National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA)

United Nations Institute for Training and Research Activities
(UNITAR)

Supports country-driven capacity building initiatives and serves as a rapid and efficient implementation tool for the work of the UNFCCC with GEF Implementing Agencies and other bilateral donors. Assists in enhancing or creating regional pools of expertise in the developing world giving priority to Southern research institutions and NGOs that have expertise in the area of climate change and are committed to building capacity at the national and regional level. Promotes the work of partner organizations, assists in their fund raising, and facilitates efficient and secure communication between partners.

Summary Reports
Report of Activities

Projects

• Climate Change Capacity Development for Partner Institutions (C3D)
• Advancing Capacity to Support Climate Change Adaptation (ACCCA)
• Technical Assistance to UNFCCC Focal Points in LDCs to Produce National Adaptation Plans

United Nations Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Activities
(UN/ISDR)

Integrating adaptation into disaster risk reduction strategies, undertaking specific risk reduction activities and achieving routine use of climate information by risk decision makers through the Hyogo Framework for Action.

Financing facility

• Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
• Projects and intitiatives

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Activities
(UN-OCHA)

Drafted an action plan designed to improve organisational capacity to prepare and respond on the humanitarian implications of climate change, building on OCHA's global commitment to improve early warning and preparedness for response in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). Integrating climate change risk analysis into preparedness and contingency planning exercises. Pilot activities on 10-15 higher risk countries with the goal of providing measurable increases in national preparedness capacity.

United Nations University Activities
(UNU)

Research and development of tools for disaster risk assessment, dry lands and water basin management, and hydrosphere management.

Example tools

Multi-hazard Risk Assessment

United Nations University and Government of Japan, Global Environment Information Centre Funding Database for Asia-Pacific

Funding opportunities in Asia-Pacific region.

University of Cape Town - Climate Systems Analysis Group Activities

Providing scientific knowledge of climate change for a non-scientific audience especially in Southern Africa and disseminating this information to national policy-makers.

Example publications
Coping with Multiple Stresses in Rural South Africa

UNU - Connecting Environmental Changes, Impacts and Responses in the Mekong Delta to Human Wellbeing and Ecosystem Integrity

Assesses the impacts of climate and environmental change on human wellbeing and ecosystem integrity.
 

URAdapt - Managing Water in the Rural–Urban Interface: the key to climate change resilient cities

Develops hydrological scenarios, including impacts on planning and under changing conditions to advise decision-making. Engages stakeholders to exchange knowledge on climate-resilient cities.   

Publication:
Looking upstream and down: Addressing climate change impacts in Accra and Addis Ababa
 

Urban–Rural Interdependence and the Impact of Climate Change in Malawi and Tanzania (IDRC)

Documents the affect of climate change on vulnerabilities and coping mechanisms of communities in relation to food supply. Offers stakeholders climate change and variability adaptation options.

Workshop Report September 2009

Utilization of Potato Genetic Diversity as Tool to Adaptation to Climate Change (IADB)

Adapts potato production systems to increase resiliency under climate change. Contributes to mitigation plans for high Andes communities.

Document (Spanish)
Regional plan of operations

Vulnerability to Climate Change in Agricultural Systems in Europe and Central Asia (WB)

An analytical and advisory programme to enhance mainstreaming of climate change adaptation into policy and investment. Conducts awareness raising of the threats and impacts and assesses capacity to inform baseline vulnerability and adaptation requirements.                                           

Publications
E-book: Adapting to Climate Change in Europe and Central Asia