AP-PLAT participated in sessions on climate change adaptation at the 8th APAN forum during Korea Global Adaptation Week

Title	8th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation (APAN) Forum
Date	30-1 September 2023
Place	Incheon, Republic of Korea
Organizers	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The 8th APAN Forum was originally scheduled for in-person sessions from August 30 (Wednesday) to September 1 (Friday) as part of the Korea Global Adaptation Week (KGAW) 2023. This event was hosted by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea, the Korea Environment Institute – Korea Adaptation Center for Climate Change, and Incheon Metropolitan City. Additionally, it was co-organized by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through the APAN Secretariat.

The theme for this year's forum, "Resilience for All: Enabling Transformative Implementation," emphasizes the urgent need for adaptation actions to enhance resilience and empower communities to withstand and mitigate the most severe climate scenarios. Representatives from various sectors, including governments, financial institutions, academia, research, international organizations, UN agencies, civil society organizations, youth groups, and the private sector, among others, participated in sessions to collaboratively forge and enhance partnerships for adaptation efforts.

At the ceremony of the APAN forum on 30 August, Yutaka Matsuzawa, Director General, Ministry of the Environment, Japan, highlighted AP-PLAT's role in supporting climate change adaptation in the Asia-Pacific.

Also on 30 September, Dr. Yuji Masutomi, the head of the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Research Section, participated in a session on effective governance systems for climate change adaptation. This session was organized by the Korea Adaptation Center for Climate Change (KACCC), where he elucidated Japan's governance system regarding climate change adaptation. In Japan, the Climate Change Adaptation Act was promulgated in June 2018 to facilitate adaptation to climate change. This Act mandates that the government formulate climate change adaptation plans, the Ministry of the Environment conduct climate change impact assessments, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) perform work to promote adaptation to climate change, and Local Climate Change Adaptation Centers collect and provide information on adaptation to climate change. The Climate Change Adaptation Center (CCCA) of the NIES was established in 2018 and has been playing a role in supporting Japan's climate change adaptation efforts. (Learn more about Japan's governance system for climate change adaptation)

Furthermore, on 1 September, AP-PLAT organized a session titled "Empowering Climate Resilience: Challenges and Opportunities of Practicing Transformative Adaptation through Decentralized Programs and Partner Collaborations." This session was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Japan (MoEJ), the Secretariat of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Positive Change for Marine Life, and Oxfam Bangladesh.

The session aimed to enhance community resilience and improve adaptation measures in each country while promoting adaptive actions at the community level. Dr. Yuji Masutomi introduced the upcoming Adaptation Database on AP-PLAT, emphasizing the importance of learning from existing adaptation projects.

Additionally, SPREP and the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) introduced a promising tool for ecosystem-based adaptation: the Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation Tool (Pacific EBA Tool). The audience also had the opportunity to hear about examples of locally-led adaptation (LLA) in the Asia-Pacific region, including the implementation of Bandals in the villages of Bangladesh to address river erosion, highlighted by Oxfam Bangladesh, sustainable fisheries management through the NRS-TROSA project, and community-led waste management led by Positive Change for Marine Life.

AP-PLAT also participated in the session "Enhancing Community Resilience for Climate Change Adaptation in the Asia-Pacific Region," organized by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) and the South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE). During the session, some interesting case studies were shared, such as the concept of SEPLS (Socio-ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes) and indicators developed by UNU-IAS. The term SEPLS is used by the SATOYAMA Initiative to refer to landscapes and seascapes where the interaction between human uses and natural ecosystems maintains and enhances biodiversity while providing services necessary for human well-being. Under the initiative, indicators to monitor and revitalize SEPLS against new challenges like climate change were developed and utilized for community-based adaptation.

Throughout the 8th APAN Forum, representatives from the public sector, private sector, academia, and individuals engaged in climate change adaptation shared their knowledge and experiences, exploring the possibilities of climate-resilient pathways in the Asia-Pacific. We sincerely appreciate the secretariats of the meeting and all guests who listened to our seminars.

(Posted : 15/Sep/2023)