21 March 2013: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) held a capacity building training as part of their ADAPT Asia-Pacific project, in collaboration with Yale University. The training familiarized participants with the methods and data used to analyze the economic benefits of adaptation initiatives in the agriculture and water sector.

The project intends to conduct a series of four trainings, interspersed with in-country field work, to identify and address capacity development gaps related to accessing climate finance and formulating National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

The training, “Assessing Costs and Benefits of Adaptation: Methods and Data,” was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 11-14 March 2013. It brought together multidisciplinary technical teams from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Indonesia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. Each team presented concept notes on their intended adaptation projects, their watersheds and climate change effects on agriculture. Following the training, the teams will initiate in-country field activities as part of adaptation initiatives financed by the Least Developed Country (LDC) Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund, with the support of assigned mentors. Participants will then share initial results and receive additional training at a meeting to be held later in 2013.

The objective of the UNDP-USAID programme is to strengthen the capacity of technical officers in Ministries of Finance and Planning, as well as line Ministries, to evaluate adaptation investment projects and analyze the economics of adaptation for medium and long-term sub-national, national and sectoral development plans. It also aims to promote the integration of climate change adaptation into budgeting and planning processes at the sub-national and national levels. The ADAPT Asia-Pacific project is suppported by USAID. [GEF Press Release] [UNDP Project Webpage] [Meeting Agenda]