4 •
Integrating climate risk reduction or climate proofing in the development processes of countries is the best approach to reduce the risks of climate change. Funding mechanisms should prioritise this process over
‘stand alone’ adaptation projects. Governments must ensure that assessment, planning and implementation is undertaken as part of – rather than separate from – existing processes and institutional arrangements.
• Developing country Parties need to be accountable for the management of adaptation resources, supported
by the UNFCCC process, by ensuring decision making processes and expenditure decisions are open to scrutiny by public and stakeholders. The possibility of an institutional mechanism in each recipient country
to facilitate the coordination of adaptation and the management of funds from national and international sources should be explored.
• All Parties need to engage in a process to evaluate needs for adaptation assistance, to allocate
responsibility for funding adaptation, to establish timetables, to measure progress, and to make recommendations for further action.
3. A
DAPTATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The increased application and transfer of technologies that facilitate adaptation should be an integral part of a post-2012 outcome. While there is a place for large-scale technologies for certain national-level adaptation needs
such as flood control, addressing the adaptation needs of the most vulnerable communities in many cases requires access to knowledge, locally available low-cost strategies and “soft” technologies. Many high-tech
large-scale technologies, for example some early warning systems, can only be effective if properly connected to the vulnerable communities. Determining measures to plug such communication gaps should be a priority. There
are already many proven technologies available that facilitate adaptation in key areas such as water, agriculture, tourism, coastal area management. Knowledge exchange and building organisational capacities is vital to ensure
successful application in specific local contexts. Evidence for what works is based on project-level or research programme experiences: scaling-up requires scaling-up from community level through district and regional
government and top-down decentralisation of funding from government to community level, engaging the private sector and civil society.
Key demands on technologies in adaptation: Policies and enabling instruments should be guided by the objectives of:
• targeting those communities that are particularly at risk from climate change and climate variability, and
ensuring measures reflect the needs and interests of both women and men; •
prioritising sustainable development benefits for many vulnerable people over large-scale stand-alone infrastructure investments;
• scaling up tested approaches for reducing the risks and adapting to climate variability;
• facilitating south-south learning and exchange;
• engaging the private sector and civil society where they can play a role in enhancing and accelerating
adaptation and the dissemination of adaptation technologies. A key role of the post-2012 process is to support developing country governments in increasing their capacities:
• to assess the effectiveness of existing adaptation technologies,
• to facilitate modifications of existing adaptation technologies including scaling up;
• to facilitateaccelerate the deployment and diffusion of current, new and innovative technologies
including cooperation on research and development; •
Dissemination of many proven adaptation technologies must be scaled-up through South- South and North-South technology transfer
• Supporting developing countries in increasing their adaptation technology capacity is crucial
• Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of technology transfer is equally as important
for adaptation as for mitigation
5 •
to assess potentially adverse effects of adaptation technologies that may increase vulnerabilities or lead to maladaptation.
Activities and negotiations under the UNFCCC on technology transfer in adaptation should: •
