AKP – APAN merge

INTRODUCTION:

The Regional Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Platform (AKP) was launched in 2008 as a partnership between United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Regional Resource Centre for Asia Pacific (RRC.AP), a centre at the Asian Institute of Technology collaborating with UNEP, and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). It operates through a secretariat based in RRC.AP, and implements activities in partnership with key centre of excellences and actors. The Adaptation Knowledge Platform was supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through the Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia (SENSA).

The Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN) was launched by the Prime Minister of Thailand in October 2009 as the first region-wide adaptation-specific network as a part of the Global Adaptation Network (GAN) . APAN is facilitated by UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), and operates through a Regional Hub, jointly hosted by Institute for Global Environment Strategies (IGES) and Regional Resource Centre for Asia Pacific (RRC.AP), in partnership with key centre of excellences and actors.Ministry of Environment Japan (MoEJ), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) are providing financial support from its inception.

APAN: Consolidating the best of both initiatives

AKP and APAN tackled the increasingly important region-wide task of documenting and disseminating climate change adaptation knowledge, and supporting application of knowledge at different levels. In 2011, a joint retreat of AKP and the APAN led to the decision of merging the two initiatives to deliver benefits to the region more effectively and sustainably. The ultimate aim of the consolidated initiative is to build climate change resilient, gender-sensitive and sustainable human systems, ecosystems and economies through the mobilization of knowledge, enhanced institutional capacity and informed decision making-processes, and facilitated access to finance and technologies. It gives special emphasis on the management of knowledge and capacity building. The name of the new initiative would continue to be APAN.

UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) will manage overall APAN, and operates through a Regional Hub and Core Technical Partners i.e. Institute for Global Environment Strategies (IGES), Regional Resource Centre for Asia Pacific (RRC.AP), a centre at the Asian Institute of Technology collaborating with UNEP, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). Partnership with key centre of excellences and actors at sub-regional levels will be a major vehicle to reach and support adaptation actors in government, civil society and business communities.

The united face with wider partners, new logo and the web portal (http://www.asiapacificadapt.net/) will be in effect from January, 2013. The existing individual website of current APAN and AKP will cease to exist and be automatically redirected to the web portal. The revamped web portal will be available from January 2013 with new features including an online community of practice and continue to be an interactive means for sharing information and knowledge on climate change adaptation and building adaptive capacities in Asia and Pacific countries.

For further questions and queries, kindly contact us at: info@asiapacificadapt.net .