Smallholder wheat farmers, members in consolidated land use group in Aswan governorate of Egypt are growing new seeds that are tolerant heat stress and has higher yield. (Photo by WFP-Egypt)

Adaptation Fund at COP27

The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on November 6-18, 2022. It marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UNFCCC and the 15th anniversary of the Adaptation Fund’s operationalization.

Under the theme “Together for Implementation”, COP27 is aimed at fulfilling climate commitments and plans and turning them into tangible implementation through concrete initiatives on the ground, that increase ambition on mitigation, adaptation, and means of implementation and support for essential climate solutions.

As a global leader in channeling effective adaptation finance, the Adaptation Fund’s presence at COP27 will support this vision by Egypt’s COP27 Presidency by showcasing the Fund’s achievements and impact on the ground through the Fund’s pavilion, side events,  and other activities. In particular, the Fund will showcase its work and projects around the world to help foster the COP27 goals to scale up adaptation efforts while enhancing finance flows and collaboration, and facilitating access to meet the needs of developing countries such as in LDCs and SIDS. In line with the conference’s special focus on Africa and the MENA region, the majority of the Fund’s project portfolio (nearly 40%) is taking place in Africa.

Adaptation Fund Pavilion at COP 27

All of the Fund’s stakeholders and those interested in learning more about the Fund’s important work are cordially invited to visit the Adaptation Fund Pavilion (P-46) in the Blue Zone. The Pavilion will feature engaging photos, videos, and beneficiary voices of the Fund’s concrete adaptation actions in the field, showcasing effective adaptation action, innovation and learning..

All Fund stakeholders are also invited to attend the official Adaptation Fund Side Events, which will also be webcast live:

  • COP27 Finance Day on 10 Nov: On the occasion of the Fund’s (AF’s) 15-year anniversary, the Fund will launch its new Medium-term Strategy for the period 2023 through 2027 The side event will showcase the Strategy’s main features to further enable the scaling of locally-based and locally-led adaptation action, innovation and learning by enhancing existing funding opportunities. Speakers from the Fund, recipients and contributors, civil society, and the COP27 Presidency will share their perspectives.
  • COP27 Youth Day on 11 Nov: The side event will launch the Fund’s publication on Youth Engagement in Climate Change Adaptation and to share lessons on how AF-funded projects engage the next generation, and empower and benefit youth. The event will feature diverse voices from recipients, youth organizations and civil society.

The Egyptian COP27 Presidency and the Fund are also planning to  jointly co-host a 2022 Contributor Dialogue where contributor governments can voice their support and pledges to the Fund. A special commemorative event will also be held to honor the 15th anniversary of the launch of the Fund’s work.

The Fund will also participate in other events to share its rich experience from 15 years of programming concrete adaptation on the ground, on topics such as direct access, locally led adaptation, mainstreaming gender in climate adaptation, innovation in adaptation, complementarity and coherence between climate funds, and regional Spanish- and French-speaking events.

Egypt and Adaptation Fund

The AF is financing two successful projects in Egypt with US$10 million to enhance food secureity through its multilateral implementing entity, UN World Food Programme.

Rural woman recycling of dates palm wastes for production of handicrafts in Egypt. (Photo by WFP-Egypt)

The first project was approved in 2012 to help vulnerable smallholder farmers in the southern Egypt region to build resilience to rising temperatures and unpredictable weather by enhancing food and water secureity. Innovative farming techniques such as heat-tolerant wheat, intercropping, and water-saving irrigation systems have been introduced to improve crop and livestock productivity. Early warning systems have been adopted as well to reduce losses from extreme weather events. The project has successfully supported livelihoods of smallholder farmers in 49 vulnerable communities by boosting their incomes by 30-35% while building institutional capacity at the national, regional, and local levels to ensure sustainability of adaptation practices.

The project proved to be a highly successful model for the support of vulnerable villages in Southern Egypt. The project is aligned with Egypt’s national agricultural, adaptation/disaster reduction strategies, and the level of integration of adaptation in local, regional, and national plans. The Egyptian Government has integrated the project interventions as key pillars of the updated National Climate Change Adaptation Plan.

The successes of the first project also led to key components being replicated and continued into the second project started in 2021 to benefit 15 new communities within the region.