The Fourth Asia Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum, which convened under the theme ‘Fostering strong partnerships to build a climate resilient Asia Pacific,' brought together over 600 scientists, government officials, representatives from civil society organizations, the private sector and donor agencies from more than 30 countries to come up with innovative solutions to address the impacts of climate change.
4 October 2014: The Fourth Asia Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum, which convened under the theme ‘Fostering strong partnerships to build a climate resilient Asia Pacific,’ brought together over 600 scientists, government officials, representatives from civil society organizations, the private sector and donor agencies from more than 30 countries to come up with innovative solutions to address the impacts of climate change.
The forum, which met in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 1-3 October 2014, is the largest gathering of adaptation practitioners in the region. It served as a regional platform for countries and institutions to respond to the call to action made at the UN Climate Summit and to strengthen climate resilience and mobilize political will for a legal climate agreement in 2015. Thus, the forum addressed the role of governments, civil society and businesses in confronting adaptation, the kinds of knowledge needed, and the types of partnerships necessary for successful adaptation.
The forum was organized around the following five themes: mainstreaming and transformative change; development and the food-water-energy nexus; disaster risk reduction (DRR) and human security; forestry, biodiversity and ecosystems; and cities with an emphasis on coastal development and sea-level rise. The forum also addressed cross-cutting issues, including: roles of State and non-state actors in adaptation; barriers to different actors’ involvement and how they can be addressed and overcome; knowledge used by different stakeholders; influence on decisions and actions by various stakeholders; and types of collaborations and partnerships that are important to successful adaptation.
The forum was organized by the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN), and hosted by the Office of the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, with technical support from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. APAN, supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and regional partners since 2009, provides governments with the necessary knowledge to design adaptation measures, access finance and technologies, and build capacity to integrate adaptation into national development policies. [APAN Press Release] [Forum Website]