About the Forum

The 4th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum will assist participants from all levels of government, in business and society become more effective in addressing the challenges of development in a changing climate through critical reflection on the roles of actors involved and how new partnerships for resilient development can be secured.

The Asia Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forums are among the biggest climate adaptation events in the region. Three previous Adaptation Forums have been co-organised by the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN) since 2010.

A focus on adaptation actors

The 4th Forum will focus on adaptation actors and how they collaborate to form partnerships and networks. Actors are individuals, organisations or networks that participate in decision-making and action-taking related to adaptation to climate change. Actors in adaptation can influence agendas and activities in many ways all the way from lobbying or advising through to creating and following rules, norms and procedures, and by taking action. 

Some actors have authority, influence or power, whereas others have much less over the ways in which adaptation is pursued in development. The effects of actors on the pursuit of successful adaptation may not always be easy to foresee or turn out as intended, so it is important to learn how to avoid maladaptation.

State actors typically claim legitimacy to act on behalf of their constituencies and make substantial efforts to enable adaptation to climate change.  Non-state actors – civil society organisations and businesses – also can make critical contributions to adaptation.

Actors are important at local, national and international scales. At the international level, for example, are various intergovernmental organisations.  Scientific networks operate at several scales and may contain members from both public and private bodies.  Business associations have roles within and among countries. Local actors are usually critical for success of adaptation policies and programs in particular places. Thus, actors and their partnerships are critical for resilient development.

Important cross-cutting questions about actors that will be addressed at the Forum include:

  1. What are the roles of state and non-state actors in adaptation?
  2. What are the barriers to different actors’ involvement and how can these be addressed?
  3. What knowledge do different actors use?
  4. How do different actors exercise agency or have influence on decisions and actions?
  5. What types of collaborations and partnerships amongst different kinds of actors are important to successful adaptation?

Forum Themes

To help address the general questions about adaptation actors in a way that can be useful for practice the 4th Adaptation Forum will be organised around the following five themes:

  1. Mainstreaming and Transformative Change: policy; trade and finance; technology/knowledge transfer; public –private partnerships; ethics and values; gender sensitive development; community involvement; poverty alleviation
  2. Development and the Food-Water-Energy Nexus: agricultural land; water-use; water resources; infrastructure/reconstruction; private investment; energy/water/food security
  3. Disaster Risk Reduction and human security: loss and damage; insurance; risk communication; risk management and adaptation; reconstruction; health; conflict; migration; poor and vulnerable groups.
  4. Forestry, Biodiversity and Ecosystems Change: livelihoods; traditional ecological knowledge; conservation; community-based and ecosystem-based adaptation
  5. Cities with an emphasis on coastal Development and Sea-Level Rise: urbanisation, tourism; heat waves; mangrove protection; sea-level rise and SIDS

Participating in the 4th Adaptation Forum

There are many ways to participate in the forum: as a speaker, as a booth holder in the market place, as an attentive and questioning member of the audience, and by sharing your views in a briefing note.

Speakers

As in previous events speakers in parallel panels will be a mixture of invited speakers identified by the organizers of individual panels and the Forum, and a selection of individuals drawn from the open call for speakers.To express your interest in being a speaker in a panel register and submit an ‘abstract’ summarizing in 200-500 words the key points of your proposed presentation. You may include 1 figure or table. Identify which panel your contribution fits most closely.

Listeners and writers

Individuals who would like to participate in the event but do not wish to make a formal presentation in a panel are also encouraged to contribute submitting briefing note about their work. All briefing notes will be reviewed and as long as are appropriate to themes of conference, be included in an electronic document for distribution to all participants. This is a good way to tell others about your work and interests in adaptation.

Session organizers

Organizations interested in sponsoring and taking the lead in organizing a particular panel session should approach the organizers. The titles and guiding questions in the current draft of the programme are to be intended as a guide and can be adjusted in negotiation with the overall conference organizers.

For any inquiries, please contact the Forum 2014 Secretariat at forum@asiapacificadapt.net

FAQs

How do I participate? 

All participants are required to fill-up and submit an online registration form. The deadline for registration is 15 August 2014.

Is there any registration fee for participation in the 4th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum?

No, there is no registration fee for participation. Registration is free for all.

How can I receive financial support for airfare and accommodation?

Among the participants from developing countries that will register in our website, some will be selected for support to cover their participation in the Forum, depending on availability of funds. The rationale for the selection will be the 500-word briefing note that you are requested to submit upon registration.

Who are the facilitators and keynote speakers of the forum?

The sessions will be facilitated by adaptation experts and practitioners from the region. This year's forum will contain a mixture of invited speakers and a selection from others responding to this open invitation to participate. Submitted concept note will be one of the most important criteria for the selection of resource people.

Will there be any paper or poster presentation at the 4th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum?

No, there will be no paper nor poster presentations in this forum. But there will be a market place to showcase knowledge and organizations.

What is going to be there in the 4th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum Market Place?

The 4th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum Market Place will showcase dynamic and diverse range of organizations, information and knowledge products, and services on Climate Change Adaptation. It intends to be a space to meet up with other Forum participants, network, review publications and audio-video displays. Participants are required to fill-in additional section in the online registration page.

For further information or questions regardin the 4th Adaptation Forum please contact forum@asiapacificadapt.net