National adaptation plans; Understanding mandates and sharing experiences

By: Achala Abeysinghe, Brook M Dambacher, Rebecca Byrnes

The impacts of climate change increasingly threaten communities around the world, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). National adaptation plans (NAPs) allow developing countries to identify their adaptation needs; develop and implement strategies and programmes to address those needs; and enable actions to protect vulnerable communities. But developing a NAP is not always straightforward. This paper considers the benefits and challenges of implementing a national mandate to provide the impetus to develop a NAP, assign responsibilities and encourage cross-sectoral participation, exploring the legal forms such a mandate could take and sharing experiences from LDCs undergoing the NAP process.