23 August 2018: The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network published the first in a series of briefs on aligning country-level policies and implementation efforts under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Paris Agreement on climate change and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The overview brief offers an introduction to such alignment, which it notes can increase coherence, efficiency and effectiveness of country policy processes, while also advancing climate-resilient development.

Articulating each framework’s purpose, timelines and objectives, the document provides a diagram of how they directly reference or thematically link to each other. For example, the Sendai Framework recognizes climate change as a driver of disaster risk, while it and the 2030 Agenda each acknowledge that addressing climate change is the mandate of the UNFCCC, which serves as the primary forum for negotiating a response.

National processes exist for each agreement, but approaches to alignment differ by country context.

The brief notes that the three 2015 agreements share objectives on building resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. Although common national processes exist in working towards each agreement, the pathway and approach to alignment differs by country context. According to the brief, these include mapping development policies to the SDG targets, formulating NAPs and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and developing DRR strategies under the Sendai Framework.

The NAP Global Network defines alignment as “a process of identifying synergies among policy processes with common objectives to increase coherence, efficiency and effectiveness for improved outcomes.” Outlining the alignment process, the brief notes a need for international coordination and working across ministries and governance levels, as well as for flexibility to allow for the inclusion of new information or lessons learned. It distinguishes alignment from mainstreaming, which entails the integration of climate adaptation into planning, budgeting and monitoring processes.

The brief identifies common enabling factors – institutional arrangements, information sharing and capacity development – that support three types of alignment: informal, strategic and systematic. Whereas informal alignment features policy documents that are developed independently of each other and collaboration occurs on an ad hoc basis, systematic alignment necessitates a shared vision across documents, with coordination across sectors and levels of government that yields harmonized implementation strategies. Factors that influence where a country may fall on the alignment spectrum include political will, power dynamics, financial and technological resources and government capacity, among others.

The authors highlight that alignment is not limited to the three frameworks chosen. They flag other international agendas with overlapping objectives, such as the Aichi Targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and New Urban Agenda (NUA).

The NAP Global Network Secretariat is hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). [Publication: Alignment to Advance Climate-Resilient Development] [Publication Landing Page]