Synopsis

Adaptation is local but reaching the local level is not always easy. This paper explores the challenges of reaching the most vulnerable people with adaptation finance. It identifies opportunities for improvement and proposes a framework to assess delivery of adaptation finance focusing on transparency, ownership, responsiveness and equity.

Executive Summary

The amount of international climate finance approved to help developing countries address the impacts of climate change increased considerably between 2008 and 2012. Much of this funding has been mobilized as developed countries seek to meet commitments to provide scaled-up finance to developing countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Developing country governments have increased their own spending to adapt to climate change and enhance resilience, recognizing the risks that climate change already poses to their people and economies. But how much finance is actually available within developing countries? How it is used? Who receives the money? Is it reaching the local level? And are the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable being met? These are the questions that the Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative (AFAI) tries to answer by analyzing adaptation finance flows in Nepal, the Philippines, Uganda, and Zambia.