Adaptation Partnership: USAID Supports Climate Change Adaptation Through Knowledge Exchange, Collaboration, and Implementation

Chaired by the governments of the U.S., Costa Rica, and Spain, the Partnership engaged governments, institutions, practitioners, and planners from over 50 developed and developing countries. The Partnership aimed to increase resilience to climate change worldwide and served as a catalyst for adaptation efforts until the establishment of the Adaptation Committee under the UNFCCC. The Partnership was supported by USAID, which collaborated with other U.S. government agencies, regional and national institutions, and non-profit organizations to conduct regional capacity-building workshops in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These workshops focused on climate change vulnerability and adaptation issues related to food security, climate services, urban climate resilience, coastal and marine protected areas, and high mountain glacial regions. The workshops facilitated knowledge sharing, identified opportunities for continued collaboration, and implemented new climate-resilient initiatives. One of the key outcomes of the Partnership was the establishment of communities of practice (CoPs), which are forums that facilitate knowledge exchange among practitioners and planners. The Climate Services Partnership (CSP) was formed shortly after the 2011 International Climate Services workshop, held in New York City. The CSP is an interdisciplinary network of climate information users, researchers, and donors who work together to improve the development and provision of climate services across the globe. USAID supported the creation of small grant programs to fund climate change adaptation research and action on challenges identified at the workshops. In Central America, the Partnership sponsored grants for work to increase climate resilience in the production of beans, maize, and cattle. The HiMAP Climber-Scientist Small Grants Program awarded individual and institutional grants to support field research, adaptation planning, and capacity building in Peru, Nepal, Pakistan, and India. The CSP is also supporting the development of climate and weather information tools to inform farmers' decision-making in the context of a changing climate. The Partnership's efforts have led to the development of an extensive inventory of adaptation activities in developing countries, providing a useful "big picture" of who is doing what on adaptation and where there might be gaps and opportunities for further action. The Partnership's outcomes have also informed the development of new programs, such as the Climate Resilient Infrastructure Services (CRIS) program, which includes a small grant program to assess climate vulnerability and mainstream climate resilience into city-level policies in countries like Thailand, India, and Indonesia.