Assessing progress in adaptation in vulnerable groups, communities and ecosystems: A technical session by the LEG and the NWP (Korea Global Adaptation Week: NAP Expo 2019, 11 April 2019)

The session will discuss how to measure progress of adaptation of vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change. More specifically, such aspects of measuring progress of adaptation could help answer whether and how adaptation interventions helped: vulnerable groups, communities maintain or improve their adaptive capacity or resilience, and reduce their vulnerability in the face of climate change; vulnerable ecosystems restore, maintain or enhance the capacity of to continue to provide ecosystem goods and services for local communities, and allow ecosystems to withstand both current and future (anticipated) climate change impacts and other stressors.

Objectives

By sharing their expertise, experience and/or relevant case studies, participants will discuss:

Metrics and indicators for measuring progress of adaptation of vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems;
Which of these could be utilized and reflected in the outputs of the process to formulate and implement NAPs, to facilitate the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the consideration of vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems, while ensuring that they are appropriate to the context and incorporate the perspectives of the vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems;
Practical steps for countries to use such indicators and metrics, including those at regional and global level to support the national efforts;
Specific challenges in assessing and measuring progress in adaptation of vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems.

Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will have explored the following:

Determining how adaptation interventions have allowed communities to maintain or improve their adaptive capacity or resilience, and reduce their vulnerability in the face of climate change;
Determining how adaptation interventions have helped restore, maintain or enhance the capacity of ecosystems to continue to provide services for local communities, and allow ecosystems to withstand both current and future (anticipated) climate change impacts and other stressors.

Schedule/program

Introduction: Objectives and expectations of the meeting (10 min, LEG)

Part 1: Setting the scene (10 min)

Framing presentation on the concept and overview of indicators/metrics – Dr. Dhrupad Choudhury, Chief Scaling Operations, Adaptation and Resilience Building, ICIMOD (10 min)
Elevated pitch focusing on metrics/indicators that were used for assessing progress of adaptation of vulnerable communities/groups or vulnerable ecosystems in two countries:
- Monitoring and Evaluation for Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in Vietnam – Ms. Pauline Probst, Policy Advisor, GIZ, and Binh Bui My, NAP-Ag coordinator, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam (10 min)
- Measuring progress of adaptation: the long-term ecosystem based view in Kenya – Ms. Xiaoting Hou Jones, Ecosystem-based Adaptation Project Lead; Researcher for Biodiversity and Forest teams, IIED (10 min)

Part 2: Facilitated discussion (50 min)

Initial list of guiding questions for discussion:

What are the metrics/indicators for measuring progress of adaptation of vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems?
Which of these could be utilized and reflected in the outputs of the process to formulate and implement NAPs, to facilitate the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the consideration of vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems, while ensuring that they are appropriate to the context and incorporate the perspectives of the vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems? (Recall the guiding principles of NAPs)
What are practical steps for countries to use, including those at regional and global level to support the national efforts?
What are the specific challenges in assessing and measuring progress in adaptation of vulnerable communities, groups and ecosystems?

Concluding remarks