Adaptation Fund Board
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Background

At the third session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP), which was held in Bali, Indonesia from 3-14 December 2007, Parties in decision 1/CMP.3 decided to establish the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) as the operating entity to supervise and manage the Adaptation Fund, under the authority and guidance of the CMP. The AFB is fully accountable to the CMP, which decides on the overall policies of the Adaptation Fund.

Upon invitation from Parties, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) provides secretariat services to the AFB and the World Bank serves as trustee of the Adaptation Fund on an interim basis. These interim institutional arrangements will be reviewed in 2011.

At CMP 4, Parties expressed their appreciation to the AFB for having carried out the functions of its work plan, in accordance with decisions 5/CMP.2 and 1/CMP.3, and urged it to continue to do so with a view to fully operationalizing the Adaptation Fund.  Parties in decision 1/CMP.4 also adopted the rules of procedure of the Adaptation Fund Board.  The CMP encouraged the AFB to keep its rules of procedure under review and, if necessary, make recommendations concerning any amendments aimed at enabling the AFB to function in an efficient, cost-effective and transparent manner. 

At CMP 5, Parties endorsed the decision of the AFB to accept the offer of Germany to confer legal capacity on the AFB and invited Germany to make the necessary arrangements.  Parties also adopted the amendments to the rules of procedure of the AFB as contained in the annex of decision 4/CMP.5.

At CMP 6, Parties expressed appreciation to the Government of Germany for conferring legal capacity on the AFB.

At the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1) and CMP 14, through decisions 13/CMA.1 and 1/CMP.14 Parties decided that the Adaptation Fund shall serve the Paris Agreement, effective 1 January 2019. At these sessions, Parties also decided that the Adaptation Fund shall exclusively serve the Paris Agreement, and no longer serve the Kyoto Protocol once the share of proceeds under Article 6, paragraph 4, of the Paris Agreement becomes available. The Adaptation Fund shall continue to receive the share of proceeds, if available, from activities under Articles 6, 12 and 17 of the Kyoto Protocol. CMA 1 also decided that when the Adaptation Fund serves the Paris Agreement, it shall be financed from the share of proceeds from Article 6, paragraph 4 of the Paris Agreement and from a variety of voluntary public and private sources.

At CMP 15, Parties the adopted amended and restated terms and conditions of services to be provided by the World Bank as an interim trustee of the Adaptation Fund. Parties also adopted the amended and restated memorandum of understanding between the CMP and the GEF Council regarding secretariat services to the Adaptation Fund.

Functions of the AFB

The functions of the Adaptation Fund Board include the following functions and any other functions assigned to it by the CMP:

  • Develop strategic priorities, policies and guidelines, and recommend their adoption to the CMP
  • Develop and decide on specific operational policies and guidelines, including programming guidance and administrative and financial management guidelines, in accordance with decision 5/CMP.2, and to report to the CMP
  • Develop criteria based on principles and modalities listed in decision 5/CMP.2 to ensure that the implementing and executing entities have the capacity to implement the administrative and financial management guidelines of the Adaptation Fund, and report on it to the CMP
  • Decide on projects, including the allocation of funds, in line with the Adaptation Fund principles, criteria, modalities, policies and programmes, in accordance with decision 5/CMP.2
  • Develop and agree on additional rules of procedure to those included in this decision and recommend these for adoption by the CMP
  • Monitor and review implementation of the operations of the Adaptation Fund, including its administrative arrangements and the expenditure incurred under the Adaptation Fund, and recommend decisions, as may be appropriate, for adoption by the CMP 
  • Establish committees, panels and working groups, if required, to provide, inter alia, expert advice, to assist the Adaptation Fund Board in the performance of its functions
  • Draw upon and make use of the expertise that the Adaptation Fund Board may require to perform its functions
  • Regularly review performance reports on implementation and ensure independent evaluation and auditing of activities supported by the Adaptation Fund
  • Develop and approve draft legal and administrative arrangements for secretariat services and the trustee for approval by the CMP
  • Be responsible for the monetization of CERs issued by the Executive Board of the CDM and forwarded to the Adaptation
    Fund to assist developing country Parties that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change to meet the costs of adaptation, and to report annually to the CMP on the monetization of CERs
  • Report on its activities at each session of the CMP.

Composition of the AFB

The Adaptation Fund Board is composed of 16 members and 16 alternates representing Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, taking into account fair and balanced representation among groups as follows:

  • Two representatives from each of the five United Nations regional groups
  • One representative of the small island developing States (SIDS)
  • One representative of the least developed country  (LDCs) Parties
  • Two other representatives from the Parties included in Annex I to the Convention (Annex I Parties)
  • Two other representatives from the Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (non-Annex I Parties).

For information on the current membership, as well as the historic membership chart of the AFB please click here.

Updated 6 May 2021

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