Newsletter
Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform

The 2nd Issue: 22 January 2024

The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform (AP-PLAT) is a partnership on climate change adaptation
launched under the lead of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (AP-PLAT website: https://ap-plat.nies.go.jp/index.html).

Topics
1. Activities and updates
2. Events and opportunities
3. Introduction to AP-PLAT deliverables and achievements
4. Call for your contributions to the AP-PLAT newsletter
5. Want to become a member?

1. Activities and updates
Warm greetings and a Happy New Year from AP-PLAT! AP-PLAT and its partners have a range of activities and updates and wewill introduce some of them here.

UNFCCC COP28 Side Events
AP-PLAT successfully delivered two COP28 side events. In “Advancing Scientific Tools and Synergies for Climate Change Risk
Assessment in the Asia-Pacific,” we discussed how scientific tools provided through AP-PLAT can promote climate change risk
assessment in the Asia-Pacific region, a crucial step for national adaptation planning. National Institute for Environmental Study(NIES) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP) are now proceeding to conclude theMOA, working together to develop a climate change risk prediction tool. Also, the event “Promoting Early Warning Systems
for Minimizing and Addressing Loss & Damage: How to Accelerate EWS in Asia Pacific Countries?” showcased the progress ofJapan’s new public and private partnership initiative on Early Warning Systems (EWS). Participants actively discussed the gaps
related to EWS in Asia-Pacific countries and how public-private partnerships can potentially fill these gaps.

Fourth International Climate Change Adaptation Platformers MeetingNIES hosted the Fourth International Climate Change Adaptation Platformers Meeting in Tokyo on 15 December. The main
aim of the meeting was to share knowledge and information related to developing and operating national and international
information platforms. Participants included country and regional representatives from Canada, EU, Republic of Korea, Philippines
and Taiwan, as well as international actors, including SPREP/PCCC, CSIRO, APN, UNESCAP, and AIT. Participants actively discussed
the key roles played by international platformers in enhancing adaptation actions.

National Adaptation Planning: Emerging Lessons Learned from UNEP Projects - Policy Brief
UNEP published a policy brief entitled “National Adaptation Planning: Emerging Lessons Learned from UNEP Projects.” Thisbriefing note provides a snapshot summary of the early lessons learned from UNEP’s NAP project portfolio. Although theassessment focused on six of the 18 countries being supported, several key messages and design recommendations haveemerged from this process.

Closing Adaptation Knowledge Gaps in Asia-Pacific
In a bid to address critical gaps in adaptation planning and implementation, UNFCCC and UNEP have joined forces to reducethe disparities in knowledge, at a time when adaptation progress appears to be stagnating. The Lima Adaptation Knowledge
Initiative (LAKI) brings together governments, non-governmental organizations and experts to tackle adaptation knowledge
gaps. An article by UNFCCC covers some recommendations and next steps.

2. Events and opportunities
Climate-ADAPT: 14th Climate-ADAPT Development Webinar

The purpose of this webinar is to showcase new and updated knowledge resources on Climate-ADAPT, supporting adaptation
policies, planning and implementation, in particular at regional and local levels. Examples of new resources, implemented inthe second semester of 2023, are a new dashboard on adaptation policies, available at the EEA’s ‘Climate and Energy in theEU portal’, an update of the Climate-ADAPT country profiles on adaptation actions at national levels, and the new Adaptation
Dashboard of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change Portal. The webinar will also provide a broad overview on newdevelopments on other topics, such as the ‘European Climate Risk Assessment’ section. Furthermore, actions expected in the firstsemester of 2024 will be introduced. In the interactive sessions, feedback will be gathered on the new content and functionalities
as well as envisaged priorities from the perspective of Climate-ADAPT users and providers. The webinar will be held on 24January.

AIT RCC.AP: Regional Training Workshop on Building Cities’ Resilience to Climate and Disaster Risks

Coming from the success of the Regional Training Workshop on Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR 2030) in May 2023, AITRRC.AP through the patronage of Ministry of Environment, Japan (MoEJ) will host a Regional Training Workshop on BuildingCities’ Resilience to Climate and Disaster Risks which will support MCR 2030. Led by the UNDRR, MCR 2030 is active in over 85

countries, with 1,650 cities supporting half a billion people. The partner organizations participating in this regional training are
UNDRR, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and UN-Habitat. The four-day
Regional Training Workshop is scheduled for 19 – 22 February 2024.

ICIMOD: The Himalayan Climate Data Field Lab 2024

The Himalayan Climate Data Field Lab is a month-long, flexible unconference that will bring together scholars, practitioners,activists, community leaders, and storytellers to examine the ways that climate change data and information infrastructures
shape adaptation and mitigation in the Himalayan region. Participants will join the Field Lab to co-design, test and produce
new ideas, analytic tools, maps, sensing technologies, data protocols, artistic pieces and communication products that address
climate change and its impacts, with the aim of creating a more equitable and pluralistic data landscape in the Himalayan region.
Participants will join in-person in Kathmandu, Nepal for 1-4 weeks of intensive collaboration between 13 May and 7 June, 2024.
You are invited to apply by 22 January, 2024 and share your ideas for projects and activities you would like to participate induring the Field Lab.

3. Introduction to AP-PLAT deliverables and achievements
Adaptation Database
AP-PLAT has launched a new major Adaptation Database that collects information on adaptation practices in a specificgeographical region or in a certain sector. You can browse this collection of case studies and country-specific adaptation
planning profiles from all over the world. The Adaptation Database is growing fast - it already has 106 articles, and we plan
to expand it further. We hope that the database will help policymakers and practitioners to come up with more innovative
adaptation solutions.

Inspired by Nature-based Actions and Solutions (INAS)
If you are interested in nature-based solutions and would like to learn more about what good practices and solutions are
already implemented in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, please visit the website, Inspired by Nature-based
Actions and Solutions (INAS). INAS contains a unique, simple list of good practices outlining key issues and solutions in aneasy-to-understand manner. Cases mainly focus on the Asia-Pacific region, ranging from rice certification schemes in Japan
to community-based sustainable tourism in Bhutan. These resources will provide inspiration for policymakers in designing
adaptation interventions across a wide range of sectors.

4. Call for your contributions to the AP-PLAT newsletter
We are seeking the active participation of partner organizations and other stakeholders in AP-PLAT activities to strengthen
our network. If you have any events, activity updates, announcements, or other information that you wish to circulate to ourcommunity, please send it to the AP-PLAT secretariat by email <ap-plat@iges.or.jp >.

5. Want to become a member?
If you are interested in becoming a supporting organization and/or capacity development partner organization, please apply
using the following link.
Application form* – AP-PLAT Supporting Organization
Application form* – AP-PLAT Supporting Organization and Capacity Development Partner Organization

Please spread the word!
If you know anyone who would be interested in AP-PLAT, please forward this newsletter to them and spread the word about APPLAT through your community. You can subscribe from this link.

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