Integrating cross-cutting considerations into national adaptation planning

CLIMATE change adaptation refers to measures that reduce climate-related risks and impacts on people, ecosystems, and economies while identifying and seizing opportunities for green growth and a just economic transition.

- Dennis Mombauer

National adaptation plans (NAPs) are often the cornerstone of countries’ efforts to identify their vulnerabilities, set adaptation priorities, mobilise finance for implementation, and track progress. However, incorporating crosscutting considerations—for example, youth, gender, human mobility, or entrepreneurship—into these plans presents an important challenge.

The adaptation cycle

In broad terms, adaptation planning happens in a process with four overlapping stages. These include the assessment of impacts, vulnerabilities and risks; planning; implementation; and monitoring, evaluation, and learning. This process, also known as adaptation cycle, is meant to be iterative, meaning that countries repeatedly move through these stages as data availability and capacities evolve in a changing landscape of climate risks and impacts.