"Insight to Action: A Global Exchange on Strengthening MEL Systems for Adaptation"
A mandated event on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems for all adaptation actions and support, including transformational adaptation under the Nairobi Work Programme.
Thursday, 14 November 2024 13:00-15:00 (UTC+04:00) Baku.
Meeting Room 04, Zone C, Baku Stadium.
Mandate
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) requested the Secretariat to organize an event on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems for all adaptation actions and support, including transformational adaptation under the Nairobi Work Programme.[1]
Context
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems for adaptation action and support are crucial pillars within the UNFCCC process.
Article 7, paragraph 9 of the Paris Agreement explicitly mandates each Party to engage in comprehensive adaptation planning and implement relevant, impactful actions. This calls for developing and refining adaptation plans and policies and underscores the importance of robust, continuous monitoring, rigorous evaluation, and dynamic learning from these adaptation measures. MEL systems are fundamental to strengthening resilience, scaling successful approaches, and ensuring adaptation efforts meet current and future climate challenges.
When formulating and implementing National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), a thorough monitoring and evaluation process at each stage of the adaptation cycle has been identified as a critical element. This helps enable corrective actions and capture key lessons.[2]
The first Global Stocktake (GST) recognized the importance of the iterative adaptation cycle for building adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience, and reducing vulnerability. It reinforced that the adaptation cycle is an iterative process consisting of risk and impact assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Additionally, the GST recognized the need for means of implementation and support for developing country Parties at each stage [3] and underscored the importance of monitoring and evaluating outcomes to track progress and enhance the quality and awareness of adaptation actions. [4]
The UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience that is set up to guide the achievement of the global goal on adaptation includes monitoring, evaluation and learning as one of the targets in relation to the dimensions of the iterative adaptation cycle, recognizing the need to enhance adaptation action and support. The target is that ‘by 2030 all Parties have designed, established and operationalized a system for monitoring, evaluation and learning for their national adaptation efforts and have built the required institutional capacity to fully implement the system’. [5]
However, despite the need for robust MEL systems to track the progress and impact of adaptation actions and support, barriers still exist. The Adaptation Committee, in its 2023 technical paper, noted several barriers to monitoring and evaluation of adaptation actions at the national and sub-national levels. These included the lack of indicators, uncertainty and long time horizon of climate change impacts and adaptation results, limited data availability, unclear reporting mechanisms, lack of technical and human capacity, lack of sufficient resources, and difficulties transitioning from developing to applying the system.[6] Furthermore, the 2023 Adaptation Gap Report also showed slow progress on monitoring and evaluation, reflecting the difficulty of designing and implementing systems and processes for understanding the effectiveness of adaptation planning and action.[7]
This underscores the need for continued efforts to strengthen MEL systems globally, ensuring that adaptation actions are effectively tracked, evaluated and improved.
Objectives
The event will provide a unique opportunity for Parties, experts, and stakeholders to deepen their knowledge of existing, proven MEL systems for adaptation actions and support, including transformational adaptation. It will provide an opportunity to exchange insights on enhancing these systems in light of the evolving climate change adaptation landscape.
Specifically, participants will:
- Deepen understanding of current MEL systems. This event is designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the MEL systems for adaptation actions and support, including transformational adaptation.
- Exchange experience in tracking the progress and impact. In this session, Parties and partners and experts will share valuable insights on good practices, challenges and lessons learned in designing, establishing and operationalizing MEL systems, with particular attention to the ethical integration of Indigenous values, worldviews and knowledge systems.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen and innovate MEL systems. Participants will also explore and provide recommendations for strengthening and innovating MEL systems to better support adaptation actions, including transformational adaptation in response to future challenges and needs.
Agenda
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Time
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Overview
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13:00-13:05
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Opening remarks
Britta Horstmann, Co-chair of the Adaptation Committee
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13:05-13:15
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Segment 1. The Role of MEL Systems for Climate Change Adaptation
Bart van den Hurk, Co-Chair of the Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [Presentation]
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13:15-14:10
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Segment 2. Examples of MEL Systems for Adaptation Action and Support
Session Description: Share valuable insights on good practices, challenges and lessons learned in designing, establishing and operationalizing MEL systems, with particular attention to the ethical integration of Indigenous values, worldviews and knowledge systems.
Moderator: Emilie Beauchamp, Lead on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Climate Change Adaptation, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
- Examples of MEL systems in Agrifood Systems
Julia Wolf, Global Programme Coordinator for SCALA, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- Examples of MEL systems in nature-based solutions
Ali Raza Rizvi, Global Head of Climate Change and Human Rights in Conservation, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Example of MEL systems from Least Developed Countries Expert Group
Hana Hamadalla, Member of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG)
- Examples of MEL systems for National Adaptation Plans
Timo Leiter, Distinguished Policy Fellow, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) [Presentation]
- Q&A – Reflections and intervention from participants
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14:10-14:55
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Segment 3. New opportunities in MEL System for Adaptation Action and Support, including Transformational Adaptation
Session Description: Participants will explore and provide recommendations for strengthening and innovating MEL systems to better support adaptation actions, including transformational adaptation in response to future challenges and needs.
Moderator: Emilie Beauchamp, Lead on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Climate Change Adaptation, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
- Resilience maturity curve for MEL systems
Tom Mitchell, Executive Director, International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED)
- Transformational Adaptation and MEL systems
Florin Vladu, Senior Adviser and Consultant, UNFCCC Secretariat
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for MEL systems
Adam Elman, Director of Sustainability, EMEA, Google
- Indigenous and traditional values, worldviews and knowledge systems for MEL systems
Siosinamele Lui, Climate Traditional Knowledge Advisor, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
- Q&A – Reflections and intervention from participants
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14:55-15:00
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Closing
Emilie Beauchamp, Lead on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Climate Change Adaptation, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
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