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The COP28 Presidency has called for urgent action to strengthen global adaptation action at all levels to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience for vulnerable communities, ecosystems and economic sectors at the Korea Global Adaptation Week 2023.
During the opening session of the Global Adaptation Dialogue, Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi, Director-General and Special Representative of COP28, reiterated the Presidency’s commitment to prioritise adaptation and resilience.
“The COP28 Presidency has positioned adaptation and resilience firmly in our Presidential Action Agenda,” ambassador Al Suwaidi said. “Under the focus of putting people and communities back the heart of climate action, we are working to deliver on the Global Goal on Adaptation, and to elevate issues across food, health, water, nature and relief and recovery.” He added the forthcoming Global Stocktake at COP28 will enable a thorough assessment of successes and gaps, representing a significant moment to raise ambition and action for adaptation.
The COP28 Director-General said there is an urgent need to “adopt a framework on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), ensuring that it is complemented by a robust, differentiated, and actionable agenda for building resilience.”
The GGA framework “must help reduce vulnerability, build adaptative capacities, and strengthen resilience for the most vulnerable populations, ecosystems, and economic sectors. And it must be both comprehensive in outlook, but also flexible in details to reflect the diversity of challenges and capacities inherent to our global community,” Ambassador Al Suwaidi added.
Ambassador Al Suwaidi called on developed countries to uphold their commitment to doubling adaptation finance by 2025, a pledge made at COP26. Multilateral development banks (MDBs) and development finance institutions (DFIs) were also urged to scale up adaptation finance.
He pointed to the Presidency’s focus on championing solutions at the intersection of climate and nature, such as ecosystem-based approaches such as restoring wetlands and ecosystems that protect against storms and sea surges, and forest conservation to stabilize soil and run-off during floods.
Ambassador Al Suwaidi also underscored that food systems transformation will feature prominently on COP28’s agenda, inviting governments to join the first-ever Leaders Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture and Climate Action. The declaration will call on governments to make commitments on the mitigation and adaptation potential of their food systems and food supply chains.
On COP28’s water agenda, the Presidency plans to give unprecedented attention to water risks and opportunities, prioritising the conservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystems, enhancing urban water resilience and bolstering water-resilient food systems.
For the first time, COP28 will host a Health/Relief, Recovery, and Peace Day on December 3 as part of its two-week thematic program. The day will spotlight how climate change is impacting human health, causing displacement of vulnerable communities and leading to increased fragility which compromises peace. Together with the World Health Organization, COP28 will also co-host the inaugural climate-health ministerial to scale investment and policy priorities.
While in South Korea, Ambassador Al Suwaidi also held bilateral meetings with Yoo Jeong-bok, Mayor of Incheon, Mafalda Duarte, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund and Dr. Frank Rijsberman, Director General of the Global Green Growth Institute.