Ministers, Climate Leaders Discuss Adaptation Finance in Nairobi

Minister Dan Jørgensen of Denmark, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) Patrick Verkooijen co-hosted a high-level working dinner on Monday, September 4, 2023, at the Danish Ambassador’s residence in Nairobi.

The dinner was attended by U.S. special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry, President of the African Development Bank Group Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President & CEO, Bezos Earth Fund Andrews Steer, Executive Director for the Green Climate Fund Mafalda Duarte, and three ministers.

The purpose of the dinner was to discuss ways to bridge the adaptation financing and planning gap and deliver on the call from COP26 to double adaptation finance.

The dinner served as a stepping stone for a new communication campaign in support of adaptation action, which will be formally launched ahead of COP28. Key messages from the dinner included the continued need to push adaptation up on the political agenda and provide a strong narrative around adaptation. In addition, the need to dramatically increase the amount and efficiency of adaptation financing to Africa to meet the persistent challenges related to insufficient adaptation finance flows in Africa.

The dinner was also a sign of the growing momentum behind adaptation action. The participants were clear that adaptation is essential to building resilience to climate change and that it is a moral imperative to provide the resources needed to make adaptation happen.

The new communication campaign will be an important tool in raising awareness of the need for adaptation and in advocating for increased funding. The campaign will focus on the stories of people and communities who are already being affected by climate change and who are working to adapt.

The campaign will also highlight the benefits of adaptation, such as reducing poverty, improving food security, and protecting health. The campaign is expected to be launched in early 2024.