On Tuesday 25^th July 2023, SLYCAN Trust hosted an online discussion among Party representatives in preparation for the 7^th workshop under the UNFCCC Glasgow-Sharm el Sheikh (GlaSS) work programme. The event saw the participation of over 90 country representatives who engaged actively in discussions on elements of the Global Goal on Adaptation and its framework. SLYCAN Trust opened the event with an introduction to their own GGA work programme, and to the background note they developed to support discussion.

The UNFCCC set out a number of discussion topics for the 7^th workshop:  

• Overarching targets and shared priorities
• Extensive discussion on targets and connection between overarching and specific targets.
• Interfacing with the Global Stocktake (GST)
• International cooperation as part of the GGA
• Developing structural elements of a GGA framework

Participants were invited to reflect on these topics at the webinar, to identify any gaps in the background note and to highlight where they saw areas of convergence on possible approaches. 

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‍Reporting mechanisms

The participants considered existing climate reporting mechanisms, both internationally and within their own countries, and questions were raised regarding what from the room on what might constitute a climate report and how they could be used. This raised some of the difficulties of translating between national and international levels. Some participants considered that adaptation and vulnerability were very nationally-specific and countries should define their own visions of vulnerability, given the variation of needs and landscapes even within a single country. However, others pointed out that climate reporting for the GGA would need to make use of documents relevant to and comparable within international processes. It was suggested that common modalities for monitoring and evaluation would support comparability. 

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Finance and Means of Implementation

There was interest from participants in the connection between the GGA and climate finance, and how the GGA might connect to proposals for reform of multilateral finance e.g. the Bridgetown Agenda. Importance was given to facilitating access to funding in particular for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCS). The need to engage the private sector was also considered,  as well as the GGA framework to provide guidance for such efforts. Aspects related to inclusive processes were also a key component of focus. 

Additionally, tracking of  support both committed and received was a key focus of discussion. The need for support for implementation of adaptation measures in NAPs and NDCs was also discussed, and access to finance for such actions.  

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Learning from international frameworks

The participants considered the models provided by international frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Convention on Biological Diversity and others in reporting and measuring progress. Emphasising the benefits of shared effort, participants emphasised the need  to avoid duplication across international frameworks, calling for the GGA framework to fill gaps in existing mechanisms while making use of adaptation-related information that might be collected as a result of those mechanisms. The avoidance of additional reporting burden, particularly for developing countries, was a key consideration for all participants. 

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Knowledge sharing

The participants considered importance,  aspects related to knowledge sharing. It was recognised that countries are at different stages of their adaptation activities, which includes both national and sub-national level actions.  The participants also highlighted the need to conduct sectoral analysis of how different countries manage national adaptation, which could contribute to sharing knowledge and good practices. Participatory frameworks for effectively building community needs into strategy were discussed, and the need and importance of a common approach or guidelines for participatory approaches was highlighted. Further, consistency and comparability were marked as key components, while some considered the need for flexibility in approaches applied. 

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Background

The online discussion was organised as part of SLYCAN Trust GGA Work Programme, which focuses on supporting key stakeholders under the UNFCCC process, particularly climate-vulnerable countries and negotiators, in identifying priorities and strengthening participation in the negotiations and related processes on the GGA. The programme aims to scale up the technical expertise on the GGA among these stakeholders; strengthen participation and contribution by countries into the negotiation process and GGA workshop outcomes; develop and disseminate knowledge and technical products to support country positions in the negotiations; and increase engagement by countries through making submissions under the GGA.