2 December 2014: On the margins of the Lima Climate Change Conference, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Expert Group (LEG) presented an overview of the LEG programme at a side event organized by the UNFCCC Secretariat. The event discussed the LEG programme’s first regional workshop for Pacific LDCs on National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and highlighted an information paper on the gaps and needs in the formulation of NAPs.

Paul Desanker, UNFCCC Secretariat, said LEG has grown to involve regional banks, multilateral organizations and other conventions in order to carry out more successful NAPs and National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA) projects. Batu Krishna Uprety, Chair of the LEG, said the LEG has collaborated with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to enhance NAPA implementation, noting limited funding in this area.

Ram Prasad Lamsal, Chair of the LDC Group, lamented that LDCs are lagging behind in implementing the NAPAs and called for donor countries to provide the requisite US$5 billion for successful implementation. He said the LDC Group is prioritizing the replenishment of the LDC Fund (LDCF).

Rawleston Moore, GEF, presented on LDCF support to NAPAs and NAPs, highlighting that recent pledges totals US$936 million. He noted that funds for NAPAs are allocated to agriculture, climate information services, disaster risk reduction (DRR), coastal zone management and water and natural resource management. Moore lauded LDCs for including gender elements in their projects.

Rohini Kohli, UN Development Programme (UNDP)-GEF/National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP), said NAP-GSP’s aims to strengthen institutional capacity by providing technical assistance for iterative development of comprehensive NAPs. She underscored lessons learned from NAP-GSP’s activities, including the importance of partnerships to provide optimal support and the need to move from planning to implementation.

Alpha Jallow, the Gambia, shared his country’s experience in the NAP and NAPA processes. He stressed the need for technical and financial support for NAPA workshops; stock-taking exercises and gap analyses; and the accreditation process for the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

In the discussion, participants called for concrete examples on GEF support to farming communities to address climate change impacts; and on use of funds for public awareness. [IISD RS ENBOTS Coverage] [IISD RS Coverage of Lima Climate Change Conference]