Background

The TEC launched the Technology Day (TD) event series on 30 November 2020 with the objective of promoting innovative approaches to deploy, disseminate and scale up adaptation technologies in various key sectors. The first session of TD was on innovative approaches for climate-smart agriculture. 

 The overarching theme of TD in 2021 is on coastal and ocean adaptation. The first event on this topic, entitled “Ecosystems and Technology: Innovative approaches to strengthening coastal and ocean adaptation,”  was held on 6 September 2021 as a side event to the IUCN World Conservation Congress. The second event in the series, “National Policy, Local Action: Scaling Integrated Approaches to Strengthen Coastal and Ocean Adaptation,” was held on 13 October 2021 as an informal SBSTA event in the lead-up to COP26. 

Session Objectives

This hybrid in-person/virtual event, ‘The Best of Both Worlds: Uniting Adaptation Technologies and Nature-based Solutions to Enhance Coastal and Ocean Resilience,’ will be held as a Nature Zone side event to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) at its 26^th session in Glasgow. As the culmination of a series of events co-hosted by the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee, Nairobi Work Programme, IUCN, and the Friends of EbA network, the session will consolidate key messages and outcomes from the series – in both practice and policy – and focus on policy integration, finance, capacity building and other aspects of the enabling environment for implementation to accelerate the uptake and scaling up  of integrated adaptation solutions that harness the best of both nature and technology to build ocean and coastal resilience.

Building on the outcomes of the first and second events of the joint Technology Day (TD) series on coastal and ocean adaptation, the goal of this event will be to present and discuss opportunities for resourcing and scaling of integrated technological and ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation at various levels of policy integration, financing, capacity building and implementation. The objectives of the event are as follows:

(a) Discuss how to facilitate the upscaling of integrated technology and nature-based solutions into national and international policies and strategies.

(b) Explore opportunities to improve the availability of and access to public, private, and blended finance to accelerate the uptake and scaling up of hybrid adaptation approaches. 

(c) Discuss means of implementation (e.g. capacity building and others) to accelerate the uptake and scaling up of hybrid approaches.

(d) Discuss how national and international policies and investments can be directed toward the implementation of targeted local adaptation actions to improve the resilience of coastal and island communities.

News article in UNFCCC Adaptation Knowledge Portal 
The Best of Both Worlds: Uniting Adaptation Technologies and Nature-based Solutions to Enhance Coastal and Ocean Resilience

Outcomes of the event at COP26
The Best of Both Worlds: Uniting Adaptation Technologies and Naturebased Solutions to Enhance Coastal and Ocean Resilience

Background

Technology Day” (TD) entails a series of events taking place in 2020 and 2021 whose objective is to promote innovative approaches to deploy, disseminate and scale up adaptation technologies in various key sectors. TD was launched on 30 November 2020 during the UN Climate Change Dialogues with the first session on innovative approaches for climate-smart agriculture. 

As a part of “Technology Day”, This virtual event, ‘National Policy, Local Action: Scaling Integrated Approaches to Strengthen Coastal and Ocean Adaptation,’ will examine how adaptation solutions that integrate technology and ecosystem-based approaches can be better incorporated into national climate policies and scaled into implementation on the ground to build the climate resilience of ocean and coastal communities and ecosystems.  

Session Objectives

This event, the second of the Technology Day (TD) series on coastal and ocean adaptation, will be held as an informal SBSTA event as part of the SBSTA Chair lobby in the lead up to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) at its 26th session in Glasgow. Building on the outcomes of the first event, the goal of this event will be to present and discuss opportunities for uptake and scaling of integrated technological and ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation, particularly to support countries in formulating and implementing their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The objectives of the event are as follows:  

(a) Discuss how to facilitate the uptake and implementation of integrated technology and nature-based adaptation solutions as an innovative approach, including access to finance, in the formulation and implementation of national climate policies (e.g. NAPs, NDCs).

(b) Discuss how such innovative approaches can be “upscaled” into national and international institutions, strategies; “downscaled” into localised action; and “scaled out” for transfer of knowledge and know-how across communities.

(c) Discuss ways to invest in co-production of localised hybrid adaptation solutions that brings together interdisciplinary cross-sectoral scientific, industrial, local and indigenous knowledge and expertise.

(d) Highlight the need for social and environmental safeguards to ensure that hybrid adaptation approaches and strategies contribute to climate justice and resilience. 

UNFCCC Newsroom Article 
Strengthening Coastal Adaptation through Innovative Technology 

News article in UNFCCC Adaptation Knowledge Portal 
Strengthening Coastal Adaptation through innovative technology 

Outcomes of the event as a part of the SBSTA Chair lobby 
National Policy, Local Action: Scaling Integrated Approaches to Strengthen Coastal and Ocean Adaptation

Background

Technology Day” (TD) entails a series of events taking place in 2020 and 2021 whose objective is to promote innovative approaches to deploy, disseminate and scale up adaptation technologies in various key sectors. TD was launched on 30 November 2020 during the UN Climate Change Dialogues with the first session on innovative approaches for climate-smart agriculture. 

As a part of “Technology Day”, this virtual event on Ecosystem and Technology: Innovative approaches to strengthening coastal and ocean adaptation, will be organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Friends of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (FEBA ) network, and UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee (TEC ), in collaboration with the NWP Expert Group on Oceans .

Session Objectives

This session will be the first in a series of events exploring and promoting innovative approaches to scale up adaptation technologies to build resilience in ocean and coastal settings. The objective of the event will be to present and discuss state-of-the-art learning and examples from integrating joint approaches of both technology and ecosystem-based adaptation in various policies and programmes in order to build the resilience of oceans and coastal ecosystems and communities, in particular to: 

a) Identify emerging technologies and hybrid approaches that have high potential to meaningfully build resilience in ocean and coastal settings; 

b) Showcase and discuss various innovative approaches for integrating technological and nature-based solutions, including examples in both policy and practice; 

c) Explore how indigenous and local knowledge has been integrated into developing or promoting hybrid solutions for adaptation; 

d) Highlight the importance of safeguards for climate technology, including gender responsiveness and consideration of youth, indigenous and other historically marginalized perspectives.

News article in UNFCCC Adaptation Knowledge Portal 
Ecosystems and Technology: Innovative Approaches to Strengthening Coastal and Ocean Adaptation

Outcomes of the first event on Ocean and Coastal Adaptation 
Ecosystems and Technology: Innovative Approaches to Strengthening Coastal and Ocean Adaptation

UNFCCC Newsroom Article 
Building Stronger Resilience in Ocean and Coastal Areas

Background

TEC work on adaptation technologies highlighted a wide variety of adaptation technologies have been successfully applied and implemented on the grounds. This work also recognized the appropriate application of technologies demands consideration of the local context and is a process that requires the integration of multiple issues, stakeholders and scales, and underlined all aspects of technologies – hardware, software and orgware – play important roles in ensuring successful implementation of adaptation technologies.

To respond to the increasing threat of climate change and to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, business-as-usual application of adaptation technologies would not be sufficient. Innovation and innovative approaches on adaptation technologies are needed to help countries further increase the ability to adapt and enhance their climate resilience. They are also needed in all aspects of the technologies - hardware, software, and orgware – and at the scale where they can be deployed at a faster pace.

The need to upscale the deployment of innovation and innovative approaches in adaptation also bodes well with “Recover Better” efforts as the world is recovering from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The recovery needs to take into account means to scale up climate actions in all fronts, including on adaptation, to deal with impacts of climate change.

The first thematic session will be on Innovative approaches to deploy, disseminate and scale up technologies and solutions for climate-smart agriculture technologies and solutions.

Objectives

The event will provide a platform for countries and stakeholders (innovation actors, technology experts, businesses, practitioners, observers, civil society, UN organisations, UNFCCC constituted bodies and mechanisms and relevant stakeholders) to:

1. Show case and discuss various innovation and innovative approaches, including challenges and good practices, to deploying, disseminating and scaling up climate-smart agriculture solutions and technologies;

2. Explore different roles of stakeholders and effective ways and measures to implement these approaches;

3. Discuss how innovation and innovative approaches on climate-smart agriculture can contribute to global efforts to “Recover Better” and to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, including to increase NDC ambition, and sustainable development goals;

4. Identify potential policies and concrete actions that can be undertaken to accelerate and scale-up the dissemination of climate-smart agriculture solutions and technologies.

Moderator: Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President, Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT)

LAUNCH OF THE TECHNOLOGY DAY

13:00 - 13:25  |  LAUNCH

Welcome by Mareer Husny, Chair, TEC

Opening remarks by Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, Chair, SBSTA

Launch of Technology Day by Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC

Keynote speech by Maria Semedo, Deputy Director General, FAO

13:25 - 13:30 |  VIDEO: INTRODUCTION TO THE THEMATIC SESSION 

THEMATIC SESSION: CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE

13:30 - 13:40  |  STATE OF PLAY

H.E. Hans Hoogeveen, Co-chair, Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture

Climate-smart agriculture: state of play - Bruce Campbell, Director, Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, CGIAR

13:40 - 14:20   |  PANEL DISCUSSION: SUCCESSFUL INNOVATIVE MODELS AND APPROACHES, LESSONS LEARNED AND GOOD PRACTICES 

Policies enabling innovations in technology in the livestock
Dale Crammond, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Government of Ireland

Innovative approaches from business perspective 
Tony Siantonas, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Use of improved crop varieties and livestock breeds to improve resilience in smallholder farms and landless communities
Krishna Pant, FAO

Finance for innovation and innovative financing 
Saliha Dobardzic, Innovation Facility, Adaptation Fund Board Secretariat

Role of digital technologies
Meng Zeng, FAO

14:20 - 14:40  |   Q&A with audience

14:40 - 14:55  |  PANEL DISCUSSION: IMPACTS AND SCALING UP

14:55 - 15:00  |  SUMMARY and CLOSING REMARKS

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President, AFPAT

Daniele Violetti, Director, Means of Implementation Division, UNFCCC 

Video Introduction to thematic session
Thematic Session on Climate Smart Agriculture 

Digital Storytelling 
Technology day event launch and Thematic Session on Climate Smart Agriculture