UN Adaptation Forum: Planning Gives Way to Implementation Challenges
The 2026 Adaptation Forum in Baku focused on moving from national adaptation plans to implementation, financing, and monitoring results.
The story in focus
The UNFCCC Adaptation Committee's 2026 Adaptation Forum, held 9–10 September in Baku, highlighted a shift from adaptation planning to implementation. Discussions covered financing gaps, monitoring systems, and tools for anticipating changing climate risks, with countries sharing practical experiences.
- Of 198 Parties, 88 submitted national adaptation plans and 128 reported other strategies.
- 31% of Parties have a monitoring, evaluation and learning system; 32% are establishing one.
- Senegal identified gaps in predictable finance, sustained capacity, and local-level support.
From plans to delivery
The 2026 Adaptation Forum, convened by the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee on 9–10 September in Baku, Azerbaijan, brought together governments, international organizations, climate funds, development banks, researchers and civil society to discuss scaling adaptation action. According to an overview drawing on the committee's portal, 88 of 198 Parties had submitted national adaptation plans, 128 reported other national plans or strategies, and 93 reported local-level or cross-border plans.
With planning increasingly in place, participants examined how countries can act on identified priorities, strengthen delivery institutions, and connect support with action on the ground. Azerbaijan shared efforts to strengthen health-care facility resilience, including regulatory and engineering requirements for heat, floods and drought. Kenya described a financing programme for locally led climate action, where ward-level risk assessments inform county planning.
Finance gaps and monitoring results
Senegal highlighted three gaps between identified adaptation needs and available support: adequate and predictable finance; sustained technical and institutional capacity; and support reaching vulnerable communities. The Asian Development Bank presented its 10-year Glaciers to Farms programme across nine countries, linking glacier monitoring, water management and agriculture with financing from the bank, the Green Climate Fund and other sources.
Attention is also shifting from tracking activities to understanding outcomes. According to the committee's portal, 31% of Parties report having a monitoring, evaluation and learning system, while 32% are establishing one, and almost 30% report information on adaptation outcomes and effectiveness.
Anticipating changing risks
The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre highlighted dynamic risk assessment and multi-hazard early warning systems covering drought, floods, heat, pests and agricultural impacts. Participants discussed foresight, scenario planning, digital tools and artificial intelligence as ways to anticipate changing risks, while emphasizing that technology works best when it complements institutions, local knowledge and human judgement.
How many Parties have submitted national adaptation plans?
According to the Adaptation Committee's portal overview, 88 of 198 Parties had submitted national adaptation plans, while 128 reported other national plans or strategies.
Sources & further reading
- 2026 Adaptation Forum highlights practical approaches to scaling adaptation implementation ↗unfccc.int
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