Event

Adaptation finance in Southeast Asia is still yet to achieve its full potential. Adaptation costs, estimated to be in the scale of billions of dollars (US), are way beyond what national governments in the region can afford to pay. Available financial resources need to be distributed efficiently, effectively, and equitably across the region.

 

In order to address this challenge, the UNEP-led Southeast Asia Climate Change Network (SEAN-CC) and the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN), in collaboration with ICLEI- Southeast Asia, the APAN sub-regional node for Southeast Asia, organized a training workshop that aimed to improve the accessibility of adaptation financing in Southeast Asia. The ‘SEAN-CC Regional Training Workshop: Building Capacity on Access to Funds for Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives’ was held in Bangkok from 24 to 26 June 2013. Participants included SEAN-CC focal points and representatives of relevant government agencies from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. This workshop intended to increase the knowledge of available financing sources and improve the capacity of the participants in developing fundable adaptation project proposals. 

 

The 3-day workshop showcased vulnerabilities of the region to climate change, priority sectors in climate change adaptation, and available adaptation financing sources.  Concerns related to adaptation financing and its challenges in Southeast Asia were tackled through insightful presentations by experts in the field and also by some of the participants. Representatives from funding/implementing agencies (UNEP, ADB, UNDP, GEF and Adaptation Fund) provided a detailed discussion on eligibility criteria, funding priorities, and application procedures to access funds for climate change adaptation. In order to further increase access, a detailed explanation on developing an adaptation proposal was conducted.

 

Besides knowledge-sharing, the workshop also provided a venue for participants to hone their skills in proposal writing. The culmination of the workshop was the reporting and feedback session. Each country group presented its proposal and representatives from ADB, UNEP, GEF and UNDP provided useful tips on improving the proposals further for submission. Comments emphasised the importance of a strong adaptation rationale, a valid logical flow, and an assurance of sustainability beyond the life of the project. 

 

Overall, the workshop was extremely informative and useful for the participating countries. Issues that were highlighted included: the difficulty in dealing with uncertainties, the concept of additionality (vs. business-as-usual development), the interconnectedness of adaptation initiatives and development projects, and the inconsistency of funding agencies in their approach to adaptation financing (linking Official Development Assistance). While it is important to make use of available resources, participants were encouraged to empower local government units, mobilise funding, and seek alternative financing options because grants are not always available and public sources are unlikely to be enough to cover the high adaptation costs.